THE FALL OF BABYLON

                         

                                Ancient city of Babylon by Darling Kindersley

Babylon was a wonderful city with beautiful parks and gardens. The hanging gardens of Babylon are one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Two sets of walls (inner and outer) protected the city rendering it safe from attack from outside. Its fortified brick wall extended more than 10m underground, over 100m high and nearly 30m thick. 150 gates of solid brass protected the entrance and River Euphrates bisected it north and south.

The Persian and Medes combined forces (Medo-Persia) started capturing nations to take over as from Babylon as the super powers of the world. But, with an impenetrable wall, a river flowing through the city and enough food to last many years Babylonians considered themselves invincible. In October of 539 BC Medo-Persia army marched towards Babylon. They devised a plan to enter the super protected city; the water of the river that flowed under the city wall was diverted through a canal reducing the water depth.

One night King Belshazzar was holding a feast to celebrate the Babylonian gods (Daniel 5). He desecrated the vessels vv.2-5 taken from the temple of Jerusalem by his father king Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:13) .The king and his people were using God’s vessels to drink wine when suddenly a hand began to write on the wall. Belshazzar was so frightened that his legs became weak and the knees were knocking vv.5, 6. Daniel was called to interpret the writing, the message ended with “your kingdom is divided and given to Medes and Persians”v.28.

When all this was going on the Medo-Persia army entered the complacent city through the river whose water was now thigh-deep. People were drank v.1 and normal watch on the walls was not observed. This gave the invaders valuable time in conquering the city before their presence was fully known. King Belshazzar was killed that night and  thus “Babylon the glory of kingdoms  and the beauty of Chaldean pride was overthrown  as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, never to be inhabited again or lived in throughout the generations” (Isa.13:19-20). This fulfilled the prophetic utterance declared by Isaiah 175 years before it was happened.

Prophet Habakkuk ministered during the dark days in Judah.  Jeremiah describes the wickedness of Judah before the Babylonians (Chaldean s) invasion “But you are always thinking and looking for ways to increase your holding by dishonest means. Your eyes and your heart are set only on killing some innocent person and on committing fraud and oppression” (Jer. 22:17). Habakkuk was greatly distressed by these sins and even more that God was doing nothing about it.

Habakkuk’s protested and in response God said that he was raising the terrible Babylonians to discipline his people in Judah (Hab.1:5-11), but this only provoked a rebuttal from the prophet (Hab.1:12—2:1) “Oh God they are more sinful than your people. How can you use them?” With the exception of the first verse the entire second chapter of Habakkuk is God’s response to the protests of His prophet. God’s response shows that he knew what was going on in details and he had planned the appropriate judgment for both Judah and Babylon.

The same sins committed by the Babylonians were also practiced by in Judah.  In reference to the people of Judah, Micah wrote, “there is no one upright among men, they all lie in wait for blood every man hunts his brother with a net that they may successfully do evil with both hands-the prince ask for gifts, the judge seeks a bribe and the great man utters evil desire; so they scheme together” (Micah 7:2-3).  They “build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity” (Micah 3:10).  The proud who were not living by faith (Hab. 2:4) included both the unbelievers of Judah and the pagans of Babylon.

God’s told Habakkuk that his judgment would start in Judah. Apostle Peter declared that judgment will begin in the house of God (1 Peter 4:17).  He would first use the Babylonians to discipline his people. In 605 BC king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Judah (2Kings 24:1-20), in accordance with the word of the Lord. He destroyed Jerusalem and carried all Jerusalem into exile, leaving only the poorest people of the land vv.15, 16.

 Habakkuk chapter 2 describes how Babylonians would later be judged for their sins. God identifies five specific sins (woes) and pronounced judgment for each sin. Babylon’s greed manifested itself in five different ways, theft, injustice, violence, exploitation and idolatry. They practiced these things to gain wealth, security, power, pleasure and guidance.

The first woe is “to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion, how long must this go on?” v.6.  When the Babylonians captured a city, they carried off anything of value. They got away with it for a long time because no one dared to stand against them; but God saw it all.  Babylonians thought they were building an empire that would last forever; it didn’t last a hundred years.

God’s judgment for this sin “suddenly your debtors will take action. They will turn on you and take all you have while you stand trembling and helpless v.7 (NLT). Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you” v. 8. King Belshazzar and his people  must have trembled helplessly as they watched the Persians and Medes  kill many and plunder their city. Man says to himself “gain whatever you can, however you can”. But Jesus asked “what does it benefit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? (Matt 16:26).

Jeremiah wrote “Like a partridge that hatches eggs he did not lay, is the man who gains riches by unjust means; When his life is half gone, they will desert him and in the end he will prove to be a fool” (Jer. 17:11). Solomon wrote “ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death” (Prov.10:2). The Babylonians did not take anything when they died because they brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Tim. 6:7).

The second woe is “to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin”v.9. The imagery is that of an eagle that has built a nest so high there is no chance of any harm.  The Babylonians used plundered wealth to make their city secure. They believed no army could ever breach those fortifications.  It didn’t take Medo-Persia much effort to get in. God said “you have plotted the ruin of many people shaming your own house and forfeiting your life” (v. 11). Babylonians had plundered to gain safety but instead they forfeited their lives.

The third woe is “to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice”v.12.  Babylonians committed unconscionable crimes against the nations they attacked. They didn’t care who they hurt as long as they built their empire. Gods “determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing” v.13.  God hates those who destroy others in order to become great. He will render their effort futile and Instead of increasing power their effort will only increases judgment.

The fourth woe is “to him to who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring from the wine-skin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies” (15).  God condemns those who use alcohol as a tool of seduction for immoral purposes.  He says "You will be filled with shame instead of glory...disgrace will cover your glory "v.16 When you take advantage of others to gain pleasure you will be filled with shame and disgrace.

In revelation 18:2-5 we read “with a mighty voice he shouted “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries… then I heard another voice from heaven say “come out of her my people so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues for her sins are piled up to heaven and God remembered her crimes”. On the night Babylon was attacked they were in one of their drinking sprees.

The final woe is idolatry “Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’”V.19 The Babylonians strength was their god (Hab. 1:11). They sacrificed to their nets and burnt incense to their dragnet (Hab. 1:16). They thought they were doing fine without God.  Any time you trust something other than God to sustain and direct your life you are committing the sin of idolatry. Those who trust in idols will ultimately be disappointed.

 In 539 BC, less than a century after its founding, the Babylonian empire suddenly came to an end (Daniel 5). This happened as Judah’s 70 years of captivity was ending (Jer. 25:11-14, 29:10). King Cyrus of Persia allowed the Jew’s to return back home after this (Ezra 1, 5:13-17).  It’s interesting to note that Isaiah had prophesied that Cyrus (by name) would do this 150 years before he was born (Isa. 44:28-45:5). History is in Gods hands.

Babylon may seem to be winning but the game is not over yet. If you think this world will last forever join Babylon and you’ll come crashing down with it one day. If you think God’s Word is true, then remain true to him and you will be glad you did. That’s the whole point of Habakkuk 2. You can side with Babylon and win in the short run, or you can take sides with God and win eternally. Make no mistake the wicked will be punished.