The Lament Over Babylon
THE LAMENT OVER BABYLON
REVELATION 18:9-19
We are to seek the things that are above, where Christ is.
There is no more honorable call open to man than to be a king, as the term was and should be understood, for the king should make God’s rule real to his subjects. But few have been the kings who realized their high calling and so have gone down in history as “the Good.” By most it was understood not as a call to serve but to be served (Mark 10:42-44). For them Babylon was the means by which they received the baubles their office brought them; therefore their lamentation (18:10).
The real losers are the merchants. We should read through their list carefully, weighing each item and asking ourselves how necessary it is (18:12-13). Few of the goods will pass the scrutiny of eternity, though some may make life easier and more pleasant. The list ends with “slaves.” It does not matter whether we take “human souls” as a qualification (so ESV), or render “and the lives of men” (NEB). Commerce is bitterly condemned here and in the Old Testament, because normally it pays so little attention to the good of those involved in it. Today it is often merely a question whether human labor or machines are cheaper. This is not a condemnation of commerce, but of commerce as it has been twisted by the world. It is clear that God made the world in such a way that no individual or country can be completely autonomous. For modern life even giants like the USA are not completely self-supporting. Perhaps the most telling condemnation of it is 1 Kings 10:22, with which see also 1 Kings 10:16-21,27.
The selfishness of the whole business is seen in the fact that kings, merchants and sailors alike think merely of what they have lost. There is no sign of sympathy with those who have perished, not even with those with whom they had personal business links. We need to put the person of Jesus Christ against this background and then read Matthew 6:25-34. Teaching, which seems idealistic and even impossible, becomes possible in the light of Christ and practical in the light of Babylon’s end.