47:6a
Why was Babylon allowed to have so much power? Why was she allowed to overrun Jerusalem? Because God was angry with His people. They had repeatedly disobeyed God and worshipped idols. Our western minds might say God is being rather self-centred here, acting like a tyrant, but consider this. Their abandonment of God meant that injustice and bloodshed triumphed in the land, people suffered and even died because of Israel’s rebellion. In the West we see similar bad fruits of our abandonment of Christian heritage. Conversely, if they had turned to God then peace and justice would have flourished, people would have been blessed, and the blessing would have spread to other lands as well.
47:6b,7
So God gave Jerusalem into Babylon’s hands because of Israel’s disobedience. However, that did not mean that Babylon had no responsibility. For she showed them no mercy, they even laid a heavy burden on the old. There is the Law that was particular to Israel, but there is a common morality that is applicable to all (the Ten Commandments is a pretty good summary of that aspect). Babylon was so puffed up with her pride, and she did not consider that one day she would have to give an account for her actions, she did not consider the long term consequences. One might say exactly the same about our own society.
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