8 “Wander away from the midst of Babylon
And [f]go forth from the land of the Chaldeans;
Be also like male goats [g]at the head of the flock.
9 “For behold, I am going to arouse and bring up against Babylon
A horde of great nations from the land of the north,
And they will draw up their battle lines against her;
From there she will be taken captive.
Their arrows will be like [h]an expert warrior
Who does not return empty-handed.
10 “[i]Chaldea will become plunder;
All who plunder her will have enough,” declares the Lord.11 “Because you are glad, because you are jubilant,
O you who pillage My heritage,
Because you skip about [j]like a threshing heifer
And neigh like [k]stallions,
12 Your mother [l]will be greatly ashamed,
She who gave you birth [m]will be humiliated.
Behold, she will be the least of the nations,
A wilderness, a parched land and a desert.
13 “Because of the indignation of the Lord she will not be inhabited,
But she will be completely desolate;
Everyone who passes by Babylon will be horrified
And will hiss because of all her wounds.
14 “Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side,
All you who [n]bend the bow;
Shoot at her, do not be sparing with your arrows,
For she has sinned against the Lord.
15 “Raise your battle cry against her on every side!
She has given [o]herself up, her pillars have fallen,
Her walls have been torn down.
For this is the vengeance of the Lord:
Take vengeance on her;
As she has done to others, so do to her.
16 “Cut off the sower from Babylon
And the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest;
From before [p]the sword of the oppressor
They will each turn back to his own people
And they will each flee to his own land.
As God’s message against Babylon continues, we see a call for the people (Judah & Israel, it would seem) to come out of Babylon. It starts mildly, just “wander away”, then a little stronger with “go forth” and then finally we have this picture of the male goats. Lets just say male goats aren’t mild and often are the first to escape a pen when the gate is opened.
However, once we get past that message to the captives, we see a picture of Babylon surrounded on every side with armies wielding bow and arrow. Because of her flippant response, the downfall of Babylon would be complete. She would be humiliated, becoming “a wilderness, a parched land and a desert”. But hold on, that never happened to Babylon!
Indeed, the capture of Babylon was a very mild affair, and it seems they almost didn’t see it coming. When Cyrus took the city, it is said that those in the center of the city didn’t even realize the outer portions had been taken. They certainly didn’t break down the walls or pillars (v. 15). It’s very possible this prophecy (as often happens) has a double fulfillment, and the second is yet to come.
Some have suggested, and I find it hard to disagree, that Babylon in the end days prophecies is none other than America. What? No! Look at the description in v. 11 and see if it does not describe the attitude of many in this country. How else could such a nation be destroyed if not by surrounding nations that all launch “arrows” (that aren’t really arrows) at her? Look at other descriptions of Babylon and you’ll see even more glaring similarities. So though this is almost a bit of a side track from the application for us, maybe it isn’t.
What indeed could we learn from this, if not to do as God says in v. 8, to go forth from a place where they are jubilant and glad as they pillage God’s heritage? Therein lies the challenge, for we are beset with those who would do anything from distort God’s word, to those who would deny the Godly heritage of our founding fathers, or those who thumb their noses at all of it and promote debauchery on every corner.
Nay, more than every corner, for it comes into our very homes via music, television and the myriad of Internet-connected devices. With such an assortment of foes, and distractions, and some even pretending to be shepherds of the flock (see v. 6), we must be on our guard indeed. James used some pretty strong words when he wrote, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?”
Yes, we will likely need to be friends with people who are “of the world”, if we are to love them and rescue them from the darkness therein. Yet we dare not just wander away from the lusts of the flesh that James also describes in the preceding verses:
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Rather, we should be like those male goats, and get out of the pen, lest we be trapped ourselves. We must focus our attentions and desires on the things of God, and look for His kingdom to come (as Jesus taught us to pray), on earth as it is in heaven. Seek God’s kingdom first, and do not “ask with the wrong motives” but with your heart becoming more and more like His heart every day.