How Far Gone is the Night?

The Word of the LORD came to Isaiah with a prophetic burden against the Wilderness of the Sea, against Edom, and against Arabia. The wilderness of the Sea may refer to the vast deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. After prophesying against Egypt and Ethiopia, these burdens from God weighed heavy on his soul. God would use Assyria to afflict these other places as well. 

As windstorms in the southern country of Israel swept on, it came from the wilderness of a terrifying land. This harsh vision was shown to Isaiah. The treacherous one still dealt treacherously and the destroyer would keep on destroying. He calls out Elam and Media to go up and lay siege, for they also have their own part in this. As Isaiah saw this vision, pains seized him like a woman in labor. He was so bewildered and terrified. It affected his hearing, sight, and his mind was reeling. The horror of the coming events overwhelmed his senses. He longed for the night to get some rest, but it turned into a time of great trembling as he considered the vision.

The destroyer made himself ready. They set the table, and spread out the table cloth. They ate and they drank. Then the call came, ‘Rise up, captains, oil the shields!’ All of the preparation for war had been made and it was time to commence. War was coming. The timeframe was set.

The LORD spoke to Isaiah and told him to go station the lookout and to listen to the report about what he saw. When the lookout saw riders, specifically horsemen in pairs, a train of donkeys, and a train of camels, then he was to pay close attention, very close attention indeed. So he did. Then the lookout called out, ‘O LORD, I stand continually by day on the watchtower, and I am stationed every night at my guard post. Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs. And one said, ‘Fallen, Fallen is Babylon, and the images of her gods are shattered on the ground.’’

This news cause Isaiah to call out to the people who were listening to him, ‘O my threshed people, and my afflicted of the threshing floor! What I have heard from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, I make known to you.’ For while the surrounding nations were being afflicted by Assyria, Judah was also right in the middle with them. Israel had already fallen and been exiled. Sargon and his armies were establishing their ‘new world order’ as he fought against countries and cities on all sides with great strength, power, and success. His sights had long been set on retaking Babylonia, but the timing had just not been right.

That changed in 710 BC. After losing Babylonia to a local tribal leader who was too strong and well connected with Elam and Media, Sargon had wanted to get it back. He had been unable to fight against them. So he fought elsewhere, slowly building his strength to fight and retake Babylon. In 716, he began to take down Kedar, and Edom, and the lands to the south that could help Babylonia. One by one they fell like dominos. By weakening everyone else, he became stronger and isolated his true goal. 

He also fought Elam in 713 BC while fighting Urartu. He turned and fought the Medes, but they were so disunited that they were no threat. This removed the strength that was holding up Marduk-apla-iddina II, also known as Merodach-Baladan. He was the king of Babylon who sent envoys with a letter after he heard that Hezekiah had been healed from his life threatening illness. The sun moved in the heavens and caused catastrophes that affected the entire world, even changing the length of the year. This may be some of what Isaiah is referring to as he is struggling with the vision that sweeps in like a whirlwind from the desert. 

In 710 BC, Sargon claimed that the Babylonian deity Marduk told him to reclaim Babylon from the evil rule of Marduk-apla-iddina II, thus justifying his mission to reclaim it for himself. Secret negotiations with tribal leaders to the north and south of Babylon convinced those leaders to side with Sargon. He isolated the usurper king by marching along the eastern side of the Tigris until he came to and defeated the city of Dar-Athara. He fought against and defeated a contingent of Arameans and Elamites, which effectively cut off support heading to Babylon. 

Sargon continued to Babylon and Marduk-apla-iddina II fled to Elam for aid. Their king refused to help him, so he fled back to his hometown in Mesopotamia. The people of Babylon opened the gates and welcomed Sargon with open arms. Sargon celebrated victory and then removed to Kish to continue the war. He tracked Marduk-apla-iddina II to his hometown, where his armies had surrounded the city. Sargon defeated the armies and began taking spoils as the former king of Babylon hid within the walls. Seige was laid until negotiations spared Marduk-apla-iddina II’s life. Sargon allowed him to live. His supporters and his family were allowed safe passage to Elam, where they live in exile. 

Survivors from this war fled as far as Edom and Arabia. Isaiah saw someone from Edom calling out, ‘How far gone is the night?’ The watchman told him morning was coming, but night would again follow it. This may be referring to the nonstop cycles of war and God’s judgment on these nations, with some reprieve in between. Fugitives would find some help in Arabia, but this would only bring down the long arm of Sargon on them there. Isaiah gave a definite timeframe for that to happen - one year. Sargon fought against and defeated Kedar, the glory of the Arabs. Then he exiled them into the lands conquered from Samaria to break their power.

The Word of the LORD had spoken. It would come to pass just as He said it would. What Isaiah saw next was also weighing heavy on his soul, for it affected other lands too, and even his own city.