The Babylonian Captivity is a sad and complicated 70-year period of time in Israel’s history. During this period, Israel was overtaken by the Kingdom of Babylon. Their treasures were raided, their best people were snatched from their homes and carried off to a foreign land, and their culture forcibly subjugated beneath Babylon’s worldly ways. This humiliating captivity was predicted well in advance by a number of the prophets, and served as a judgement from God against Israel’s evils of idolatry and rebellion, which also included sins such as personal pride – even the pride found in men who were otherwise good. For instance, Hezekiah, the good King of Judah, once pridefully displayed all of his wealth to the envoys of the king of Babylon. This prompted the prophet Isaiah to inform Hezekiah that Israel would suffer conquest at the hands of those Babylonians at some point after Hezekiah’s death (Isaiah 39). In effect, God would divorce himself temporarily from his people.
All of those doom-predicting prophets proved themselves true. In several distinct waves, Israel was conquered. But in Isaiah 54:1-3, God encouraged them through his prophet Isaiah by comparing them to a barren woman who is about to miraculously give birth. In the ancient world, a woman who could not bear children was often categorized as a disgrace, and to be a woman in that position was to suffer social humiliation. In verses 1-3, God acknowledged that Israel had been barren, but also commanded them to sing out loud, telling them that they are about to be barren no more, and that they will produce even more children than a woman who is married. He tells them that they are going to produce so many children, in fact, that their offspring will populate the desolate and ruined cities of the world, and that they will also possess the nations! He advised them to make their tents larger and their cords longer to accommodate the growth they were going to see!
Isaiah went on in that chapter to tell them that they will forget the disgrace of their youth which led to their barrenness, and that God will assume his place as their husband once again, so that they can be redeemed from their shame by the one who is known as the God of all the earth!
Isaiah’s powerful and complex metaphorical imagery reminds us that God turns his face from sin and rebellion, but that he also keeps his promises, and rescues those who belong to him. Be encouraged that God is a sovereign and supernatural power who always finishes what he starts, and who always brings good out of trouble for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.
Kommentarer