(Isaiah 14:1-32)
1 When the Lord has compassion on Jacob and again chooses Israel, and settles them on their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will make them their own possession in the land of the Lord as male and female servants; and they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors.
3 And it will be on the day when the Lord gives you rest from your hardship, your turmoil, and from the harsh service in which you have been enslaved, 4 that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,
“How the oppressor has ceased,
And how the onslaught has ceased!
5 The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of rulers,
6 Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,
Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.
7 The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They break forth into shouts of joy.
8 Even the juniper trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you have been laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’
9 Sheol below is excited about you, to meet you when you come;
It stirs the spirits of the dead for you, all the leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.
10 They will all respond and say to you,
‘Even you have become weak as we,
You have become like us.
11 Your pride and the music of your harps
Have been brought down to Sheol;
Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you
And worms are your covering.’
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
You star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who defeated the nations!
13 But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 Nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
16 Those who see you will stare at you,
They will closely examine you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
17 Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
Each in his own tomb.
19 But you have been hurled out of your tomb
Like a rejected branch,
Clothed with those killed who have been pierced with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the pit
Like a trampled corpse.
20 You will not be united with them in burial,
Because you have ruined your country,
You have killed your people.
May the descendants of evildoers never be mentioned.
21 Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons
Because of the wrongdoing of their fathers.
They must not arise and take possession of the earth,
And fill the surface of the world with cities.”
22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of armies, “and eliminate from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and descendants,” declares the Lord. 23 “I will also make it the property of the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of armies.
24 The Lord of armies has sworn, saying, “Certainly, just as I have intended, so it has happened, and just as I have planned, so it will stand, 25 to break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulders. 26 This is the plan devised against the entire earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations. 27 For the Lord of armies has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
28 In the year that King Ahaz died, this pronouncement came:
29 “Do not rejoice, Philistia, all of you,
Because the rod that struck you is broken;
For from the serpent’s root a viper will come out,
And its fruit will be a winged serpent.
30 Those who are most helpless will eat,
And the poor will lie down in security;
I will kill your root with famine,
And it will kill your survivors.
31 Wail, you gate; cry, you city;
Melt away, Philistia, all of you!
For smoke comes from the north,
And there is no straggler in his ranks.
32 What answer will one give the messengers of the nation?
That the Lord has founded Zion,
And the poor of His people will take refuge in it.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
3 And it will be on the day when the Lord gives you rest from your hardship, your turmoil, and from the harsh service in which you have been enslaved, 4 that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,
“How the oppressor has ceased,
And how the onslaught has ceased!
5 The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of rulers,
6 Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,
Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.
7 The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They break forth into shouts of joy.
8 Even the juniper trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you have been laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’
9 Sheol below is excited about you, to meet you when you come;
It stirs the spirits of the dead for you, all the leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.
10 They will all respond and say to you,
‘Even you have become weak as we,
You have become like us.
11 Your pride and the music of your harps
Have been brought down to Sheol;
Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you
And worms are your covering.’
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
You star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who defeated the nations!
13 But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 Nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
16 Those who see you will stare at you,
They will closely examine you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
17 Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
Each in his own tomb.
19 But you have been hurled out of your tomb
Like a rejected branch,
Clothed with those killed who have been pierced with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the pit
Like a trampled corpse.
20 You will not be united with them in burial,
Because you have ruined your country,
You have killed your people.
May the descendants of evildoers never be mentioned.
21 Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons
Because of the wrongdoing of their fathers.
They must not arise and take possession of the earth,
And fill the surface of the world with cities.”
22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of armies, “and eliminate from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and descendants,” declares the Lord. 23 “I will also make it the property of the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of armies.
24 The Lord of armies has sworn, saying, “Certainly, just as I have intended, so it has happened, and just as I have planned, so it will stand, 25 to break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulders. 26 This is the plan devised against the entire earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations. 27 For the Lord of armies has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
28 In the year that King Ahaz died, this pronouncement came:
29 “Do not rejoice, Philistia, all of you,
Because the rod that struck you is broken;
For from the serpent’s root a viper will come out,
And its fruit will be a winged serpent.
30 Those who are most helpless will eat,
And the poor will lie down in security;
I will kill your root with famine,
And it will kill your survivors.
31 Wail, you gate; cry, you city;
Melt away, Philistia, all of you!
For smoke comes from the north,
And there is no straggler in his ranks.
32 What answer will one give the messengers of the nation?
That the Lord has founded Zion,
And the poor of His people will take refuge in it.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Verses 12-14 parallel the actions of the Babylonian king to that of Satan's downfall. But it is the same with anyone who decides that they do not need God in their life. In arrogance and pride, people try to get to heaven in their own efforts, by either trying to take the place of God, or trying to create God in their own image (which is really just making up a god or gods... which is actually joining Satan's side, and joining in his efforts and activities). This is a defiant stance which opposes the Lord!
While the Lord is sovereign, He still gives everyone a free choice, with quite a bit of freedom to act upon our choices. Therefore, there are times it seems that wicked people and nations get away with many terrible things. and they keep getting away with many terrible things. But as seen in the passage above, God uses those wicked actions to somehow bring about good, and He does bring about justice now. And one day, at the end of the Tribulation, the wicked will be completely eliminated from the earth and there will be peace for those who have found salvation through Jesus' righteousness during those last seven years of the Jewish Age.
Verse 17 refers to how Jesus' work on the cross sets the prisoners free from hell, for those who put their faith in Him. And, meanwhile, even though there is evil all around us, we can take refuge in the Lord and know that He is fair and just. And in our personal relationship with Him, we can know that He will look out for us because He truly cares what happens to His children.
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