I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 13-16.

Isaiah prophesied about the fall of Babylon at a time when Babylon was not yet the major world  power, Assyria was still the dominant world power.  Yet, in today’s passage the prophecy regarding the fall of Assyria is secondary.  This suggests to me that the prophesy against Babylon was intended as a more general prophecy against the powerful than most other Old Testament prophecies. I see this prophecy as a warning against those who believe that because they have the power to do whatever they wish, whatever they wish to do is the right thing to do; a warning to those who believe that the fact that they are mighty indicates that they are righteous.  When the wealthy and powerful begin to believe that everything they desire to do is righteous, God will not wait long before He brings judgement upon them.  The prophesies against Philistia and Moab remind us that people need not be among the wealthiest and most powerful in order to fall to the idea that getting what you want justifies mistreating others.  God will, in His time, hold accountable those whom no one else will.