Prophecies Against Babylon, Edom, and Arabia
Text: Isaiah 21
Prophecy Concerning Babylon - Isaiah 21:1-10
This prophecy concerns "the desert of the sea," which we later learn is describing Babylon (Isaiah 21:9).
Isaiah receives a harsh vision that is as terrifying as a sudden windstorm in the Negev. It involves treachery and destruction. The Medes and the Persians will bring to an end all the problems caused by Babylon. Isaiah compares it to the pains of childbirth. His mind is in a jumble from the horror.
Isaiah sees a vision of a dinner party. Babylon feels secure (Daniel 5). The captains are told to polish their shields. Isaiah is told to have a lookout watch for a caravan with horsemen riding two abreast. When they arrive, they will bring news that Babylon has fallen and all her gods did not prevent it. They are destroyed. And Isaiah weeps for the Israelites caught up in the destruction.
Isaiah speaks of Babylon's fall before it even rises to become a superpower. Babylon did not rise to power until 612 B.C. with the fall of Nineveh. It did not fall to the Medes and Persians until 538 B.C. Thus, Isaiah's prophecy was made 170 years in advance when these movement of nations could not be predicted.
Prophecy Concerning Edom - Isaiah 21:11-12
Isaiah sees a vision in which someone from Mount Seir keeps calling to him in the middle of the night to ask him what time it is. Things are bad at the moment, and the inquirer wants to know when it will end. The response is that morning is coming, but also night. In other words, it won't last long. Better times are approaching, but they will be followed by bad times soon after.
The inquirer is invited to ask again later. This is a hint that the answer is not final. They have an opportunity to change (to turn back), and with that change may come a different answer.
Prophecy Concerning Arabia - Isaiah 21:13-17
Concerning Arabia, Isaiah warns that the caravans (the merchants) will not be safe. They will take refuge in the desert, but water and food will be scarce. The tribe of Dedan was a major trader and often connected with Edom (Jeremiah 49:8; Ezekiel 25:13). It is located in northern Arabia. Tema was another Arab tribe also located in the northern highlands of the Arabian peninsula.
Kedar is a term for all the nomadic tribes occupying the northern end of the Arabian Peninsula. A hired servant will watch the clock and not give more than he is hired for God stated that in precisely one year, the splendor of the Kedar would end, and the size of their military would be greatly reduced.
