Babylonian Rest, The

"The Babylonian Rest"

In Leviticus 26, God sets forth blessings for keeping the law and cursings for disobedience. After a number of intermediate punishments designed to turn the people back to God the text says: "Yet if in spite of this you do not obey Me, but act with hostility against Me, then I will act with wrathful hostility against you, and I, even I, will punish you seven times for your sins. Further, you will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters you will eat. I then will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and heap your remains on the remains of your idols, for My soul shall abhor you. ^{3I
will lay waste your cities as well and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and
I will not smell your soothing aromas. I will make the land desolate so that
your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it. You, however, I will
scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land
becomes desolate and your cities become waste. Then the land will enjoy its
sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies’ land;
then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation
it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your sabbaths, while you
were living on it." (Leviticus 26:27-35)}

It is this last aspect of this promise that we want to consider. "I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste. Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation…" (emphasis mine) God’s promise was perfectly fulfilled. In the November/December, 2000 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Epraim Stern wrote concerning the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities,

"As destroyers the Assyrians and Babylonians had much in common. But the periods that followed their conquests could not be less alike.

While the Assyrians left a clear imprint of their presence in Palestine, there is a strange gap after the Babylonian destruction, Call it an archaeological gap if you wish."

Stern goes on to document the destruction of the Babylonians and then says,

"…the strange thing is that above the remains left by these destructions, we find no evidence of occupation until the Persian period, which began in about 538 B.C.E. For roughly half a century—from 604 B.C.E. to 538 B.C.E. there is a complete gap in evidence suggesting occupation. In all that time not a single town destroyed by the Babylonians was resettled."

The Bible student will immediately recognize that this is perfectly consistent with the biblical historical record. (2 Chronicles 36:15-23; Ezra 1; Jeremiah 25:8-12) It is always gratifying when skeptical archaeologists "uncover" what faithful Bible students have known for some time. However, there is a more important point to be made here. The statement in Leviticus 26 is not so much a fulfilled prophecy as it is a fulfilled promise.

God told them in advance what he would do. He did that very thing. This is one of a myriad of examples of the faithfulness of God. He does not lie. (Titus 1:2) If God was faithful in judgment then, He will be now. Instead of gloating about how we knew what the archaeologist had to dig up, maybe we should look at the implications of what it is we know. Peter’s words are indeed appropriate, "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God…" (2 Peter 3:9-12) Indeed, what sort of persons ought we to be?"

Another point is readily apparent from these biblical and archaeological observations. God accomplished His will through unrighteous and uncooperative nations. The last words we hear from Nebuchadnezzar are words we should ponder. ""But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’" (Daniel 4:34-35)

God is both King and Judge of all the earth. We would do well to live lives that are consistent with the kind of humility and praise that Nebuchadnezzar offered so long ago. – Sid Latham

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