God's wrath against Babylon

ISAIAH CHAPTERS 12 & 13

Isaiah sings praises to the Lord in chapter 12. Read the entire six verses and enjoy the rejoicing by Isaiah.

In chapter 13, Isaiah received a message of the destruction of Babylon. He says the Lord assigned this task, to march against Babylon, and the Lord would rejoice when he was exalted and his anger satisfied.

He invites you to hear the noise on the mountains and listen to the armies march and hear the shouts of many nations. The Lord brought them, says Isaiah. These many nations are the Lord's weapon and will destroy the whole land. The time- the Lord's time- has come- the time for the Almighty to destroy. The land would be destroyed and all the sinners with it. And the Lord would punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sins.

Everyone will run and death will be for many including children who will be dashed to death before the eyes of the running people. The Lord will have the nations strip Babylon and the young will be killed with arrows and no mercy will be shown to helpless babies and no compassion for the children. Babylon will never rise again, the land will never again be lived in. Nomads and shepherds will refuse to camp or let their animals run on this land.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Long before, Babylon was a world power and threatened Judah. It was part of the Assyrian Empire and Isaiah did his best to tell the people to rely on God, not other nations. He let them know their greatest enemies would receive from God the punishments they deserved.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? Long before Babylon became a world power, Isaiah prophesied that it might shine for awhile, but soon destruction would be complete. Today the area still lies in ruins, buried under mounds of dirt and sand.

Do you see the power of the Almighty? Do you see that this same fate could be yours if you do not rely on the power of God? How quickly a nation can be wiped out. How fast our morals can take us downhill. How deliberate our politicians can lead us astray.

And how can we live in safety? By having God show us mercy through our faith in him. Simple, isn't it? Just so simple that it seems unlikely. But you and I can survive destruction. This is where I the word "saved" is appropriate. We can be "saved" though our faith in the Almighty God and in his only son Jesus Christ. Pray for yourself and others and for our nation.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Pray for Gabe.
Pray for Janice Long’s parents, especially her mother who faces another round of chemotherapy and her father with Alzheimer’s and now her mother in law also with Alzheimer’s. Their family is feeling the strain both emotionally and financially. Pray for them. Update on this family: Her mother-in-law is being taken to Oklahoma to live with an aunt who will care for her.
Pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life.
Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer and for her sister Wanda’s soul which went to heaven.
Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has her speech back and is home , but continues to have a problem with one arm and hand. Thanks to your prayers, she is able to hobble without a cane and has been granted disability. She still has surgery scheduled on her hand, but I saw her recently and her attitude is fantastic.
Pray for Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.
Pray for Gary Summers, my friend from church, who has cancer.
Pray for Judy’s husband who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pray for her too, that she can deal with the side effects of his illness.
Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who is undergoing chemo for his prostate cancer. Update on Robert: he has one more treatment and then three months of waiting for his psat test to come back clean.
Pray for John’s recovery from a heart attack and for the doctors who have difficulty diagnosing his other symptoms.
Pray for James’s sister Cynthia whose chemo has lost its effect as the cancer grows powerful.
Pray for another friend named Carolyn whose faith remains strong, but is lost and confused about where and how to spend her elder years.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake, survivors of the devastating tornadoes in our southernmost states and Joplin, Missouri. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.