21 The [a]oracle concerning the [b]wilderness of the sea.
As windstorms in the [c]Negev sweep on,
It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.
2 A harsh vision has been shown to me;
The treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, Elam, lay siege, Media;
I have made an end of all [d]the groaning she has caused.
3 For this reason my loins are full of anguish;
Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor.
I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.
4 My [e]mind reels, [f]horror overwhelms me;
The twilight I longed for has been turned for me into trembling.
5 They set the table, they [g]spread out the cloth, they eat, they drink;
“Rise up, captains, oil the shields,”6 For thus the Lord says to me,
“Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees.
7 “When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs,
A train of donkeys, a train of camels,
Let him pay close attention, very close attention.”8 Then [h]the lookout called,
“O Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower,
And I am stationed every night at my guard post.
9 “Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.”
And one said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
And all the images of her gods [i]are shattered on the ground.”
10 O my threshed people, and my [j]afflicted of the threshing floor!
What I have heard from the Lord of hosts,
The God of Israel, I make known to you.
In this passage, we see “the treacherous one” and the “destroyer” of whom God is about to make an end. As the passage progresses, He sends a lookout, who comes back with his report. He tells of the fall of Babylon, but then promptly turns to “O my threshed people, and my afflicted of the threshing floor!”
Interestingly, the word the NASB translates to “my afflicted” is most often translated as “son”, which would indicate a very close relationship, and takes us back to something else quite interesting about this passage. I skipped over vv. 3-4 in the summary, as it seems a strange reaction. What in the world is causing this anguish, and who exactly is in anguish? Is it the prophet? Or is it God himself?
More likely, I think it is the latter, but most of us would have a hard time picturing God in such a state. That He should be bewildered and terrified, full of anguish and horror, that seems unthinkable. And while God is probably not actually bewildered, I think He is trying to show how much it hurts for Him to subject His own people to the abuse of the treacherous and destructive Babylonians.
If we needed any more confirmation of that, think of Jesus in the garden, when he was in agony and sweat drops of blood (Luke 22:44). This is how much God loved the children of Israel, and it is how much He loves us. Enough to discipline us, to make life uncomfortable, even painful, so that we might turn from our sin, humble ourselves, and repent (2 Chronicles 7:14). And enough to sacrifice himself for our very sin, our rebellion and treachery.
Not all pain is a result of our sin or God’s discipline, but we can certainly use it all as motivation to seek God and find comfort and solace in Him. Only His peace can settle our hearts in the storm, and only His love can rescue us from the destruction that comes from sin (ours or that of others). Seek Him and find rest for your soul, and a love that is deeper than anything you can imagine–so deep that His heart breaks with anguish when you are away. That’s a love that is real, that you can count on every moment of every day.