THE FALL OF BABYLON The prophet proceeds to talk about the chastisement of Babylon and other kingdoms, opposing the Lord and His people, to state that God’s goal was not the fall of Babylon or other kingdoms, as much as granting comfort to His people, after having been chastised by captivity. He intended to confirm the realization of God’s promises and covenants with His people, which were humiliated by Babylon. God appeared as the leader of the battle against Babylon destined to destroy it, as it, with its arrogance and haughtiness, symbolized Satan, and its king, was an instrument in his hand, a representative and symbol of him. 1. God’s mercy upon His people 1-3. 2. Bad proverbs against the king of Babylon 4-21. 3. Destruction of Babylon 22-23. 4. Destruction of Assyria 24-27. 5. Destruction of Philistine 28-32. 1. GOD’S MERCY UPON HIS PEOPLE God, who allowed for the humiliation of His people by the Babylonian captivity, He Himself is the merciful God, who has chosen them to be His own (Is. 14: 1). He previously took them out of the land of Egypt, set them free from the servitude of Pharaoh, and brought them to the Promised Land with a mighty arm. Here, He is realizing another exodus, as He liberates them from captivity, brings them back home, neither empty-handed nor weak, but in strength, drawing to them strangers to join them and share their faith and worship. He also grants His people the power to “take them captive, whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors... The Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve.” (Is. 14: 1, 2, 3) St. John Cassian believes that what happened to that people, is a symbol of what occurs to a believer, who receives the “Word of God,” Who is able to walk before him, and to set him free from “the evil desires” that captivates his body, within the prison bars of sins, and isolates him from the hidden knowledge1. We are in need of the continuous work of God, to liberate us, not from the servitude of Pharaoh, nor from the captivity of Babylon, but to set us free, through the cross, by His Holy Spirit, from the captivity of sin; to set us forth from darkness to light, to live in the freedom of glory of the children of God. This magnificent portrait of God’s love toward His believers is strongly proclaimed in Baptism, where man casts off the garments of servitude and captivity, proclaims that he denies the devil with all his hosts, and rejects his inner bondage; then receives the holy ointment, to carry the splendor of Spirit in him. He descends into the water of Baptism, to enjoy fellowship in the body of Christ, to be able to live the new life, that overcomes death and darkness, and to praise God saying, “In Your light, O, Lord, we see light.” (Psalm 36: 9) God anoints your features, and seals them with the sign of the Cross. By that, God reins back all the madness of the devil, who does not dare to look at your faces; he would get blinded as though he is looking at the glare of the sun. Be sure that it is God Himself who anoints you through the hand of the priest. Listen to the words of the apostle Paul saying that God abides you in Christ who 1 Institutions, 5:2. anointed us. After the priest anoints all your members with this oil, you become secure, capable of overcoming the serpent with no harm. In the complete darkness of the night, the priest casts away your garment, as though he is leading you into heaven through that office; anoints all your body with olive oil of the Spirit, in order to strengthen your members against the arrows of the enemy2. St. John Chrysostom 2. BAD PROVERBS AGAINST THE KING OF BABYLON The prophet, in the name of the people, liberated from the authority of Babylon, utters bad proverbs against its king, describing him as: a. “The oppressor” (Is. 14: 4): If Babylon was called the golden city because of its great richness that was realized through the oppression and arrogance of its king, that oppression will not hold, and that arrogance will be broken. “How the oppressor has ceased... The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked. The scepter of the rulers.” (Is. 14: 4-5) In every age, there are oppressors who arrogantly oppose the truth, and afflict the pious of the Lord. Yet oppression will come to an end, and the oppressed will overcome. That happened in the days of St. John Chrysostom, when Eutropius cancelled the right of the Church to protect those taking refuge in it. Because of his misconduct and abuse of his authority, the army rebelled against him and sought his execution. And when he took refuge in the cathedral, next to his palace, headed to the altar and took hold of its corns, St. John Chrysostom refrained from avenging himself nor the Church, proclaiming his mercy and love even toward the enemies3. It ended up that Eutropius escaped from the church to be executed by sword in Chalcedon. In his second homily concerning that episode, the saint revealed the weakness of all oppressions against the children of God: [Whoever wants to cast me away, to hate me, or even to have me stoned, let him do that. The actions of the enemies against me are my supports to gain the crown of conquest. The number of my rewards will depend on that of my wounds. That is why I do not fear the plots of enemies. But I fear one thing: the sin! If no one is able to make me sin, let the whole world make war against me. This war would make me more glorious. Let me give you a lesson: Do not fear the deceits of those in authority, but fear the authority of sin. Nobody will harm you, if you do not harm yourself. If you do not do wrong, even if you are threatened by thousands of swords, God will protect you from them. But if you do wrong, even if you are inside Paradise, you will get expelled from it.] b. “He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke.” (Is. 14: 6) He kept on striking; that is why God broke his rod. He kept on persecuting nations, and confiscating their freedom, so he was worthy of falling into humiliation, and as is said: “As you have done, it shall be done to you.” (Obadiah 15) Because of that, when Babylon fell, “The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.” (Is. 14: 7) And to Jacob it was said: “It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve.” (Is. 14: 3) This rest was partly realized by the return of the 2 Whitaker: Documents of the Baptismal Liturgy, p. 37, 40. للمؤلف: الكنیسة تحبك، للقدیس یوحنا الذهبي الفم، 1968 المقدمة. 3 people from captivity. Yet “there remains a rest for the people of God,” (Hebrew 4: 9) which is the entrance into the new life in Christ Jesus, being “our true Sabbath” and “our eternal rest.” Those believing in the concept of the “Millennium Kingdom” try to interpret this rest as being the enjoyment of these thousand years of government, under a material authority of Christ on earth4. He who tasted the rest of Christ and the comforts of the Holy Spirit truly realizes how he has achieved an exalted rest in this world, as a sort of the pledge of the heavenly rest. All humans have seen how God has betrothed our nature. The devil saw that and retreated, saw the pledge and withdrew in terror; saw the garments of the apostles and escaped (Acts 19: 11). How great is the power of the Holy Spirit! Look at what the Holy Spirit did when He found the earth filled with demons, He turned it into heaven. St John Chrysostom5 The Fathers apprehended that the enjoyment of Baptism as an entrance into rest, and a taste of a life in Paradise: There you are in the front hall of the palace. You will be soon escorted to the presence of the King.6 Paradise will soon be opened to every one of you7. St. Cyril of Jerusalem By the fall of Babylon, “Indeed the cypress trees rejoiced; and the cedars of Lebanon saying, ‘since you were cut down, no woodsman has come up against us,’” (Is. 14: 8) meaning that since you were put in the grave, no hand has extended to hurt us. Enemies used to cut down trees during war, to spite the countries that they conquer, besides using them as fuel and for construction, as did Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord Christ had gone to sleep on the cross in flesh. Yet it was the devil whose power was destroyed, and whose authority was crucified. By the cross we became free from the bondage of the devil, capable of treading on his power beneath our feet. St. John Chrysostom says, [Do not fear the devil, even if he is a spirit with no body; nothing is weaker than him8.] It did not stop at the kings mocking the king of Babylon. The prophet portrayed him going down the abyss, to be received by the kings and elite of the earth, probably those he had previously persecuted, getting up from their thrones, not out of respect, but to invite him in ridicule, to sit in their places as he did on earth, addressing him mockingly: “Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us?” (Is. 14: 10) We thought of you as the eternal god you claimed to be. We did not imagine that you might die in humility as we did! “Your pomp is brought down to Sheol (the grave). And the sound of your stringed instruments; the maggots are spread out under you, and worms cover you.” (Is. 14: 11) You used to lie on silk, and to smell of sweet fragrance; how come that you have descended to the abyss; to lie on maggots and to get covered by worms? “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, on the farthest sides of the north; I will 4 Bultema, ch. 14. 5 On Eutropius, hom. 2. 6 PG. 33:333A. 7 PG. 33:357A هل للشیطان سلطان علیك؟ للقدیس یوحنا الذهبي الفم، ص 8 .62 ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” (Is. 14: 12 - 14) You likened the devil, your master, who has once been a prominent star among the heavenly host “son of the morning,” then became haughty toward God his Creator; and thought that he could exalt his throne over that of God Himself; So he fell to turn into darkness instead of light, as he isolated himself from the Source of light. You wanted to sit on the mount of Zion (Psalm 48: 2), the sacred mountain of God. You thought that you are like God in greatness, so you exalted yourself above the clouds! That was the reason why the king of Babylon perished. His falling into pride, and his haughtiness, not only toward those kings around him, but also toward God Himself turned him into an instrument of the devil. He bore his mark “the pride,” that was the sin of our fore-parents when they were in the Garden, and likewise the sin of the king of Tyre, who became a symbol of the devil (Ezekiel 28: 12 - 16). He also bore the mark of the “antichrist,” or the “man of sin, of whom it is said, “...the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2: 3, 4). St. John Cassian says, [The pride of heart was enough in itself to cast from heaven to earth, such a great and capable power. The fall of the great devil, warns us to be cautious, being surrounded by the weakness of flesh on all sides… He got so haughty to assume that he was in no more need of divine support, to stay pure as he was; and thought of himself to be like God. He leaned upon the strength of his own will to provide himself with every thing necessary, for the realization of virtue and for the continuation of complete blessing. That thought alone has been the reason of his fall9.] [Thus, as God the Creator, and the Physician of all, knows that pride is the origin and head of all evils, He is keen on healing the thing with its opposite; what perished through pride, is to be cured through humility... One says, “I will be like the Most High” (Is. 14: 14); while the Other, “being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a Servant, and coming in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a Man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross.” (Philippians 2: 6 - 8) One says, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God” (Is. 14: 13); while the other says, “Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11: 29). One says, “My river is my own; I have made it for myself” (Ezekiel 90: 3); while the other says, “I do not seek my own will, but the will of the Father who sent Me.” (John 5: 30; 14: 10)10] St. Ephram the Syrian says, [In a man of humility, the Spirit of wisdom finds rest.] [If you seem, in the eyes of your brothers like pure gold, you should rather consider yourself as a pot that nobody needs; thus you can save yourself from pride, hated by both God and men.] [A man of pride is like a tree, although nice and tall, yet fruitless... A man of envy is like a fruit, although nice looking from outside, yet corrupt inside11.] Pride leads man to the abyss; that is why the prophet says to the king of Babylon: “You shall be brought down to Sheol; to the lowest depth of the Pit” (Is. 9 Institutions 12:4. 10 Ibid 12:8. 11 .133- القمص سمعان السریاني: سیرة وأقوال مار آف ا رم السریاني، 1988 ، ص 132 14: 15) You have fallen from the top of the mountain of your dreams, and descended from the clouds of your imagination, to live in the abyss with the devil, your master. Where is your might, you, “who made the earth tremble; who shook kingdoms; who made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed its cities” (Is. 14: 16, 17)? Where is your glory? All the kings of the earth died in dignity, even those whom you humiliated and tortured; died in their homes, their souls were prayed upon, and the bodies of some of them were even mummified. As for you, “You are cast out of your grave like an abominable branch, like the garments of those who are slain... like a corpse trodden under foot.” (Is. 14: 19) This prophecy refers to how king Belshazzar was slain, the night the Medes entered Babylon, when nobody paid any attention to his corpse amid the destruction that came to the city. He lost everything, even his people and children (Is. 14: 20, 21), because of the pride of his heart. 3. DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON Because of pride, God took away from Babylon its name; “None shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be desolate forever” (Jeremiah 51; 62), to be an example before the whole world, “I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and marshes of muddy water” (Is. 14: 23) Certain scholars believe that the porcupine here is not that animal known for the long spines covering its body, but a kind of birds that dwell in desolate places. They base their view on the fact that the spiny porcupine does not inhabit ‘marshes of muddy water.’ Those against this view, say that desolation will leave the country with one part, of marshes of muddy water, and the other, a habitat for the porcupine. Anyway, that great royal city will turn into a dwelling place for either animals or birds of desolate places, and counted as unclean, needing to be wiped out by the broom of destruction to get rid it of its uncleanness, and to protect the surroundings against corruption. 4. DESTRUCTION OF ASSYRIA The prophet mentions what would happen to Assyria and Philistine, to confirm to his hearers that his prophecy concerning Babylon, that is to take place 200 years later, will be realized. Assyria had unwarrantedly invaded the land of Judah, and blasphemed against God. So God will allow it to enter Judah and its mountains, belonging to God; to get destroyed in the same holy places he had defiled (Is. 14: 24, 25); in order to make of Assyria an example before all nations, that could think of doing the same (Is. 14: 26). God reveals His plan to chastise the evildoers, namely to let them consummate their evil will with complete freedom; then to get, as the fruit of their evil - corruption and destruction. It is as though, sin carries within it its punishment; the same way, the holy life in the Lord carries within itself its glory. That is why it is said: “The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, ‘Surely as I have thought, so it shall come to pass; And as I have purposed, so it shall stand’” (Is. 14: 24) 5. DESTRUCTION OF PHILISTINE In the year when king Ahaz died, came this prophecy: “Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia, because the rod that struck you is broken. For out of the serpent’s roots will come forth a viper, and its offsprings will be a fiery flying serpent.” (Is. 14: 28) Philistine at that time, was formed of several principalities; that is why he addresses it as “all of Philistia.” He asks her not to rejoice because the rod that struck her is broken. Some believe that that rod was Tiglath-Pileser who took over some cities of Philistia, and died one or two years before Ahaz, to be followed by Shalmaneser, Sargon, and Sennacherib, who were all worse than he was. Yet, most scholars believe that the broken rod is Uzziah, who cruelly struck the Philistines, who rejoiced for his death (2 Chronicles 26: 6). The ‘serpent’s root’ is the house of David, out of which comes Hezekiah, who struck them, more cruelly than his grandfather and subdued them (2 Kings 18: 8). As to the ‘fiery flying serpent,’ it is like that one raised by Moses in the wilderness, that symbolizes the Person of the Lord Christ, crucified on the cross, who bears in His body the poison of our transgressions, to nullify it by His life-giving death. Thus, the prophet moves from the salvation of God’s people from their human enemies, to their eternal salvation from the devil through the cross. The prophet proclaims that Philistine would suffer a devastating famine (Is. 14: 30), and a destructive war, that would turn their cities into smoke, while finally God would protect His people, and would have compassion on their poor (Is. 14: 32). God - in His goodness - does not stop evil, and does not compel evildoers to repent, but, finally He consummates His plan of salvation for those who lean upon Him, turning everything to their edification.
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