Well good evening everyone and welcome to my sixty third episode. In the previous episode, I outlined what I consider to be a divide between science and the church. I spoke about what I think causes this divide and why the divide is not necessary. I also discussed a possibility of bridging this divide by way of pragmatism. I referenced William James as the philosopher who made pragmatism popular in the West. Tonight, I want to finish my study of Isaiah chapter 14. We will be working through verses 12-32, so if you have a Bible nearby feel free to follow along. Otherwise just sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Let’s begin with verses 12-14. Now, what’s interesting about this passage is that it can be understood to be referencing the powerful kings Sennacherib of Assyria or Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Or it could be referencing Satan himself. Some scholars suggest Satan because they believe the person who is discussed in these verses is too powerful to be any human king. While Satan fits the description for these verses, he doesn’t fit as well with the rest of the chapter. I view this passage as a double reference. I think this passage speaks of Satan as well as the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. It’s true that the leaders of powerful nations like Babylon were looked upon by their people as god-like. In regards to Satan as well as Nebuchadnezzar, the fundamental cause of their rebellion against God was pride. Pride always comes before a fall. Let’s read the verses:
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O shining star, son of the morning!
You have been thrown down to the earth,
you who destroyed the nations of the world.
13 For you said to yourself,
‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars.
I will preside on the mountain of the gods
far away in the north.[e]
14 I will climb to the highest heavens
and be like the Most High.’
In Luke chapter 10 it says that Satan fell from heaven like lightning. And in Revelation, John’s vision shows the trumpet of the fifth angel ushering the fall of a star. If these verses in Isaiah are referencing Satan, we can imagine that he was once quite a wonder to behold. There’s also commentary in 2 Thessalonians about the Antichrist which says, “He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.” Pride places you in willful opposition to God.
This is the story with human leaders as well. Human beings, sometimes entire nations, become so powerful and awesome that they begin to view themselves as gods. This pathology was structured into the Marxist-Leninist doctrines that wreaked so much havoc in the 20th century. The implicit claim of powerful, centralized governance is always that the individuals at the top are capable of being the ultimate arbiters of what is right and what is wrong. Anyone who claims to have the ability to construct a utopia is placing themselves on the throne of God.
As Christians, we must be vigilant when it comes to positions of power. If you are going to accept and wield power – you need to absolutely certain of the motives in your heart. It’s very easy to mask jealousy and hatred with claims of compassion and virtue. If your heart is full of jealousy and hatred, it won’t matter how virtuous you claim to be – the power will corrupt you and cause you to act on the evil compulsions inside of you. And so unless you are a Saint – and you’re probably not – it’s better for you to avoid positions of power altogether. That is my own personal policy. I tend to be libertarian when it comes to my Christian values. I don’t want my values to be legislated into the lives of other people from the seat of power. I would rather influence and educate individuals so that they are equipped to make the right decisions of their own free will. Okay, let’s look at verses 15-17:
15 Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead,
down to its lowest depths.
16 Everyone there will stare at you and ask,
‘Can this be the one who shook the earth
and made the kingdoms of the world tremble?
17 Is this the one who destroyed the world
and made it into a wasteland?
Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities
and had no mercy on his prisoners?’
So you can see what happens after God’s judgment on the proud. Once being able to make the world tremble at his might, the king of Babylon is unrecognizable in defeat. The same goes for Satan. Satan is a powerful being but compared to Christ, his power isn’t even a blip on the radar. And this passage actually makes reference to the gospels where the people of Capernaum are denounced for their pride. Jesus had done miracles for them yet they arrogantly rejected him. He told the people of Capernaum that if he had done those same miracles for the wicked city of Sodom, it would still be there today. So that’s something for us to think about. If we are too arrogant and full of pride – there’s a good chance we won’t even notice God working miracles in our own lives. Remain humble, keep your eyes open, and pay attention. Okay, verses 18-23:
18 “The kings of the nations lie in stately glory,
each in his own tomb,
19 but you will be thrown out of your grave
like a worthless branch.
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
you will be dumped into a mass grave
with those killed in battle.
You will descend to the pit.
20 You will not be given a proper burial,
for you have destroyed your nation
and slaughtered your people.
The descendants of such an evil person
will never again receive honor.
21 Kill this man’s children!
Let them die because of their father’s sins!
They must not rise and conquer the earth,
filling the world with their cities.”
22 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“I, myself, have risen against Babylon!
I will destroy its children and its children’s children,”
says the Lord.
23 “I will make Babylon a desolate place of owls,
filled with swamps and marshes.
I will sweep the land with the broom of destruction.
I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”
So we see this idea of sin and evil being carried on by the descendants of the one who started it. This is why it is so incredibly important for you to be a good parent. If you think your negative impact is going to be contained to yourself and not hurt your child, you don’t understand anything about the ripple effect of sin. In all likelihood, the impact won’t even be contained to you and your child. It will reach out into the world and harm many families and it will be handed down by your child to his or her children. But you can prevent all of that. I believe that if you pick up your cross daily and stumble uphill toward the city of God – your positive impact will be felt even further. Listen to this passage from the book of Exodus:
20 Then God gave the people all these instructions[a]:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
3 “You must not have any other god but me.
4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those[b] who love me and obey my commands.
So this part of Isaiah 14 ends with Babylon being left in ruins and the land being made a desolate place forever. Babylon is present-day Iraq and still it has never been restored to its former glory. In the next few verses the focus is turned away from Babylon and onto Assyria. This is God’s message to Assyria through the prophet Isaiah. Verses 24-27:
24 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sworn this oath:
“It will all happen as I have planned.
It will be as I have decided.
25 I will break the Assyrians when they are in Israel;
I will trample them on my mountains.
My people will no longer be their slaves
nor bow down under their heavy loads.
26 I have a plan for the whole earth,
a hand of judgment upon all the nations.
27 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—
who can change his plans?
When his hand is raised,
who can stop him?”
You have a better chance of reversing gravity than you do of overruling God’s decisions. God always comes through on his word. He never fails to do what he says he will do. And this prophecy regarding Assyria came true exactly how he said it would. Being inside the walls on the night that the Assyrian army surrounded Judah meant certain destruction. Even today, non-Christian historians are at a loss for how that city was not taken. But we know that Assyria was crushed because God said they would be. We know that on that night the Angel of the Lord descended on the Assyrian army and destroyed 185,000 men – delivering Judah from the Empire’s grip. That night, Assyria suffered a loss so tremendous that the Empire would never recover. All because God spoke.
God’s power means bad news for people who are in rebellion to him. But it is the greatest news you could ever hear if your faith is in Jesus Christ. The Bible says that not a single one will be lost who is in Christ – not a single one. Let’s finish up this study with verses 28-32:
28 This message came to me the year King Ahaz died:[f]
29 Do not rejoice, you Philistines,
that the rod that struck you is broken—
that the king who attacked you is dead.
For from that snake a more poisonous snake will be born,
a fiery serpent to destroy you!
30 I will feed the poor in my pasture;
the needy will lie down in peace.
But as for you, I will wipe you out with famine
and destroy the few who remain.
31 Wail at the gates! Weep in the cities!
Melt with fear, you Philistines!
A powerful army comes like smoke from the north.
Each soldier rushes forward eager to fight.
32 What should we tell the Philistine messengers? Tell them,
“The Lord has built Jerusalem[g];
its walls will give refuge to his oppressed people.”
Isaiah received this message from the Lord in 715 B.C., the year that King Ahaz of Judah died. In verse 29, “the king who attacked you” is not referring to Ahaz but to either Shalmaneser V or Sargon of Assyria. In verse 31, “the powerful army from the north” refers to the soldiers of Sargon of Assyria. We see this chapter end on a positive note where God is saying that the walls of his city Jerusalem will give refuge to his oppressed people. Listen to what Psalm 87 says about this:
1 On the holy mountain
stands the city founded by the Lord.
2 He loves the city of Jerusalem
more than any other city in Israel.[a]
3 O city of God,
what glorious things are said of you! Interlude
4 I will count Egypt[b] and Babylon among those who know me—
also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia.[c]
They have all become citizens of Jerusalem!
5 Regarding Jerusalem[d] it will be said,
“Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there.”
And the Most High will personally bless this city.
All people are welcome in the city of God. All people can partake in his blessings, his peace, and his security. It is not God’s will that even one of his children be lost – and that includes you who are listening to this podcast. Before the creation of the universe – all the grandeur that you see around you – before all of that God knew about you. He knew about you and he made a place for you by his side in eternity. Will you accept it?
If you find this content valuable, feel free to share it and to use it in your own studies. If you’d like to support this podcast, you can do so at www.patreon.com/michaelhbaun. There is a link in the description. Your generosity goes a long way to promoting the growth of this enterprise and the cause of free speech. Thank you all for joining me this evening, and I will see you in the next episode.
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