Page 45 - Isaiah Student Worktext

The feast was ‘honoring’ the false gods of wood and stone, when the fingers of a hand appeared and
wrote on the wall ‘Mene, Mene, tekel, upharsin’, which was translated by Daniel ‘Your days are
numbers; God has weighed you on the scales and found you wanting’.

That very night, King Belshazzar was murdered, and Darius became the new king. Even the watchman
was drunk and unable to protect.

Jeremiah also prophesied this same feast and destruction in Chapter 51. Part of that prophesy in V. 39
says ‘I will make her princes and sages drunk, along with her governors, officials and warriors’. Of
course, God could have done whatever He chose to do, but He allowed the officials and soldiers to be
drunk so that it would fulfill prophecy and also to further illustrate that they brought on their own
destruction.

V. 6-10 This is another watchman, perhaps on the walls of Jerusalem, and hears the news of the fall of
Babylon. It is great news for the people of Israel, but it comes with a warning as well: Babylon has fallen
because of its sin…don’t follow in those footsteps. Revelation 18: 4

V. 11-12 The chapter ends with a brief prophecy about two other Gentile nations, Dumah, or Edom,
and Arabia…both allies of Babylon. In these verses, Dumah has their own watchman who brings them
the news of what has happened in the night that Babylon fell. They have been watching all night and
inquire of the watchman what hour of the night it is.

Then they ask if the morning will come. The response is that it will come…if they return to the Lord.

V. 13-17 Those who have fled Babylon are now refugees. Arabia, later referred to as Kedar, is prepared
to welcome them and to give them food and water.

V. 16 and 17 say that within a year, even those who have offered refuge will fall. There is no refuge
except in the Lord.

Throughout history, God’s people have ridden the wave of ups and downs, of one nation rising to power
only to be brought down. And yet, God’s people have survived because their refuge is in the Lord.

6.4 Let’s Practice…

Questions from Chapter 15-20
1. Where did the tiny nation of Moab come from?

2. What was the name of the false God worshipped by the Moabites?

3-5. Name three symbols of mourning given in verse 1-3 of chapter 15:

Questions from chapter 16 – 18

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