Isaiah 13:1 - Meaning and Application

The book begins with “the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz” (Isaiah 1:1). Here Isaiah describes what he saw so clearly in his mind that it was as vivid as if he had seen it with his own eyes. The special heading for this message is “the burden of Babylon.” A burden can mean a message that must be learned, though people may be unwilling to hear it. It can also mean a heavy load, something that presses down on the mind and spirit. Those who will not make God’s word their comfort (Isaiah 28:12; Jeremiah 6:16) will find it a burden instead.

This is the burden of Babylon, or Babel. At this time Babylon was still under the Assyrian empire, whose capital was Nineveh, but later it broke away and became a powerful kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar, the king who made it great. Isaiah later foretells that the Jews would be taken captive to Babylon (Isaiah 39:6). Here he predicts how God would repay Babylon for the wrong it did to his people. In these verses, God calls together the powerful nations he will use as instruments of judgment against Babylon. Isaiah names them later as the Medes (Isaiah 13:17), who joined with the Persians under Darius and Cyrus to bring down the Babylonian empire.

Babylon itself is the place marked for destruction. It is called “the gates of the nobles” (Isaiah 13:2), because many noble families lived there in rich and splendid houses. That wealth would draw enemies in, hoping for a rich prize. Its gates were strong and well guarded, yet they could not keep out those who came with God’s authority to carry out judgment. Before God’s power and anger, palaces are no more than cottages. And it is not only the nobles’ gates that are judged, but the whole land (Isaiah 13:5), because the nobles led the way in oppressing God’s people, and the rest of the land joined them.

The people brought together to ruin Babylon are called God’s “sanctified ones” (Isaiah 13:3), meaning they were set apart for this task by God’s purpose and providence. He freed them from other plans so they could focus on this one work. He also fitted them, in some measure, for the job he called them to do. This shows that, in God’s purpose, though not in theirs, this was a holy war. They meant only to enlarge their own empire, but God meant to rescue his people and to give a picture of the fall of New Testament Babylon. Cyrus, who was mainly involved in this, could truly be called one of God’s sanctified ones, for he was God’s “anointed” (Isaiah 45:1) and a pattern of the one who was to come. It is a shame if soldiers, especially those who fight the Lord’s battles, are not truly set apart for God. It is also strange that anyone who carries his life in his hands would dare to live carelessly and sinfully.

They are also called God’s “mighty ones,” because their strength comes from him and they are using it for his purpose. God says of Cyrus that he held his right hand in this work (Isaiah 45:1). God’s sanctified ones are his mighty ones. Those whom God calls, he also equips. Those whom he makes holy, he makes strong in spirit. They are said to rejoice in his highness, meaning they serve his glory and his purposes eagerly and with good courage. Cyrus did not know God, and he did not personally aim at God’s honor in what he did. Yet God used him as his servant (Isaiah 45:4), saying, “I have named you, though you do not know me.” Cyrus could still rejoice in the victories by which God lifted up his own name.

They are also very numerous, a great multitude, “kingdoms of nations” (Isaiah 13:4), not a rough or wild mob, but organized troops from well-ordered kingdoms. The great God has armies at his command. They are far away, coming “from a far country, from the end of heaven.” The wide land of Assyria lay between Babylon and Persia. God can use even those who live far away, and are least expected, to punish his enemies and bring them low.

The summons to them is effective, their obedience is quick, and they appear as a terrifying army. “A banner” is raised on a high mountain (Isaiah 13:2). God’s standard is lifted up, a signal of challenge against Babylon. It stands high where all can see it, and all who wish may come and enlist under it. They will be received at once into God’s service. Those who gather volunteers must raise their voices in public announcement and wave their hands to call in people from a distance and encourage those already enlisted. Yet this is not done in vain, because God has commanded and called those he means to use (Isaiah 13:3). His power goes with his calls and commands, and no one can resist them. He who makes men able to serve him can also make them willing, when he chooses.

It is the Lord of hosts who musters the army for battle (Isaiah 13:4). He raises them up, brings them together, arranges them, reviews them, keeps an exact count of them, sees that each one is in place, and gives the needed orders. All the armies of war are under the command of the Lord of hosts. What makes them truly frightening is that, when they come against Babylon, the Lord comes with them as the weapons of his anger (Isaiah 13:5). Great rulers and great armies are only tools in God’s hand, weapons he chooses to use in carrying out his work. It is God’s wrath that arms them and gives them success.