Children Dashed to Pieces

In Isaiah 13, God tells us of the burden of Babylon (v.1) and proceeds to use Babylon as a type and figure of the world as it comes under the wrath of God:

Isaiah 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Historically, it was the Medes and the Persians under king Darius/Cyrus who conquered Babylon. Cryus is likened to Christ the Messiah in Isaiah 45. Therefore, Cyrus' taking of the kingdom of Babylon in one night points to Christ coming as a thief in the night to bring judgment upon the world.

After detailing the world's judgment in verses 6-13, the Lord reverts back to speaking of the world as Babylon. And also mentions the Medes as Babylon's destroyer:

Isaiah 13:15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.

16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.

The army of the Medes is a picture of the army of God coming with Christ and doing battle in the Day of Judgment.

Notice that verse 16 says their children will be "dashed to pieces before their eyes".

The reference to being dashed to pieces has a spiritual meaning.

Although a different Hebrew word, we find the same idea presented in Psalm 137. Additionally, the Babylonians are once again in view:

Psalm 137:8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.

9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

The Hebrew word translated as "happy" is better translated as "blessed". Blessed shall He be –

because He who does this is the blessed One – the Lord Jesus Christ.

This language sounds so cruel. How could Christ do such a thing to the little ones of Babylon? And we can spiritually understand that Babylon is once again a reference to the world. The Lord Jesus is going to dash the little children of the world against the stones.

How awful.

Yes, it is awful. Judgment Day is an awful time period. It is spoken of as an evil day. Evil in the sense that it brings calamity to all unsaved inhabitants of the earth.

The same Hebrew word used in Psalm 137 is also found in a verse in chapter 13 of the book of Jeremiah. This verse reveals to us the spiritual meaning of what it means for the little ones to be dashed against the stones:

Jeremiah 13:13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

In these two verses we find God's judgment is upon the nation of Judah, which spiritually points to His judgment on the N.T. churches.

And we find that the Lord is declaring His intention of dashing the wicked people of Judah against one another.

This "dashing" together illustrates the ferocity of the judgment of God upon them found in the concluding statement of verse 14: "...I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them."

I will not pity. Nor spare. Nor have mercy. But destroy them. This is what it means for God to dash people against stones or anything else. It is a spiritual picture indicating He will no longer have mercy. And if God no longer will have mercy – it means He will not save. Therefore, to be dashed against the stones is the equivalent of God removing His mercy (salvation) from people.

Returning to Isaiah 13, this is the spiritual meaning of the Medes (army of God) dashing their children to pieces before their eyes.

It is actually explained in verse 18 of Isaiah 13:

Isaiah 13:18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.

Notice "they shall have no pity..." and "their eye shall not spare". That is, they will show no mercy.

Just as the saints of God are given the task to judge the world (1 Corinthians 6:1,2) and to proclaim a gospel wherein there is no more mercy-cannot spare nor have pity. Even upon the little children.