Isaiah 13-14

Introduction

Time. We’re on lesson 7, which is chapters 13 and 14 this morning. But I want to go back and just re-emphasize what we talked about Wednesday night because chapter 11 is such a pivotal chapter. If you understand chapter 11 and you understand the big picture, it’s like having the box top and a thousand-piece puzzle. Kind of know where everything fits. So one of the things that Robert didn’t mention was a lot about the branch. You know, in chapter 11, what starts off, there shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. We’ve all seen pictures of branches growing out of the roots. But that’s not the picture that he’s giving us. That’s not the picture at all.

When you look at the rule of David, when the house of David fell, what happened to Israel? Well, from about 586 on to the time of Messiah, there is no king from the house of David reigning in Israel.

When you come down to the time of the Grecian Empire, you do see during the time of Judas Maccabeas, this uh throwing off of the rain and some independence. And so you see Judas Maccabeas reigning. But guess what? He’s a priest. The priests are ruling. And for a period of time, brief period of time, there was this Jewish independence, but very brief. And finally, you see that when Herod the Great comes on the scene, he marries a princess of this Hasmonean kingdom. But the house of David, where is the house of David in all this? The picture we see of the house of David is like a stump. The tree is cut off, and the stump appears to be dead. What’s more striking than to see a branch growing up out of a seemingly dead stump?

It’s a striking picture. Back in Isaiah chapter 6, he said, as a terabith tree or as an oak, whose stump remains when it is cut down, so the holy seed shall be its stump. That’s the picture of the house of David that Isaiah is giving to them. Like a tree that’s cut down and only the stump remains. But the holy seed is still there. So when he introduces the branch, that branch coming out of the roots, it’s a branch coming out of a long dead stump. And so we see this picture in Isaiah 11, talking about the root of Jesse, the wolf and the lamb, which is really a picture of peace, and then ultimately a picture of victory, those three pieces in that chapter. The thing that is so important, and Robert emphasized this, is Romans 15, 12, because that kind of is the nail on which this picture is hangs.

The apostle wrote, and again Isaiah says, the root of Jesse will come. Even he who arises to rule the Gentiles, in him the Gentiles will hope. And he applies that to Messianic times. And he says, Isaiah was talking about the Messiah. That tells us, this picture of chapter 11, the context, what it’s about. And it’s all connected by in that day and in that day. And so this picture of in the day of Messiah, you see peace. We talked about the wolf lying down with the lamb. People are those that are your natural enemies, will find peace where? In my holy mountain, that is, in the kingdom of God. We saw that same picture back in chapter 2, where it says, They shall beat their swords unto plowshares, neither will they learn war anymore.

And it’s that same picture that Paul down the last quotation, 2 Corinthians 10, says, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. It’s that same picture in chapter 11 and verse 9 when it says, They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for there will be peace. And so in chapter 40, he’s going to get to say, speak to Jerusalem that her warfare is accomplished. And so this peace of the future kingdom is emphasized. Also victory. Isaiah chapter 2 talked about the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on top of the other mountains. We talked about the symbolism of the mountain being a symbol of a kingdom. So Daniel 24, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which never shall be destroyed, but it shall break in pieces and consume all those kingdoms.

Isaiah 25 would say, In this mountain, that is the kingdom of God, he will destroy death forever. We see the picture in Revelation chapter 11, verse 15, where he says, Now the kingdoms of men have become the kingdom of God. Mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established above all the other mountains. It’s in that context, those last few verses of chapter 11, I wanted to go over. Chapter 11, starting verse 12, he will set up a banner for the nations, and he will assemble the outcast of Israel, gather together, the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy of Ephraim shall depart, the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off. Ephraim shall not envy Judah. That picture of peace again. And then arguably the most difficult part of chapter 11 starts in verse 14.

But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west. Together they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall lay their hands on Edom and Moab, and the people of Ammon shall obey them. The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt. And with his mighty fist, with his mighty wind, he shall stake his fist over the river. So this picture of Israel being victorious over the enemies of Israel, Edom and Ammon, the Philistines. Is that literal? Well, remember what Robert told you on Wednesday night. This whole chapter begins with a figure. The branch growing forth from the roots. Talks about Messiah striking the earth with a rod of his mouth, plainly figurative. The picture of peace, where the wolf lies down with the lamb, plainly figurative.

These verses are no different. It’s the same picture of Daniel 2, 4. God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed. It will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms. The mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established above all the other mountains. It’s that same picture. So don’t try to pull it out and make it something separate and try to take it literally. It’s the same picture of victory. The mountain of the Lord’s house, his kingdom, shall be over all other kingdoms. And so then chapter 12 was this great song of victory. I don’t know if you notice this, but it’s important to see from number 22 in our psalm book. He is in our midst. Look at the phrases.

If you read Isaiah 12, 3 through 6, you see, with joy you shall draw water from the wells of salvation, and in that day you shall say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his deeds among the people, for great is the holy one of Israel in your midst. Quotes. Number 22 in our psalm book are quotes from Isaiah 12. The interesting thing is when you look in our book, it attributes it to Zechariah chapter 2, which does say, Sing and rejoice, for I will dwell in the midst of you. But many of the words are from actually from Isaiah chapter 12. So I hope when you sing this song, you’ll think of Isaiah 12 in these great words. In fact, I’d like us to just sing the song during class because we’ve read it, we’ve thought about it.

I hope you’ll sing it with me. Draw from the springs of salvation. Give thanks to his great and holy name.

Make known his exalted way.

1. The Lord Will Still Choose Israel

It’s for us. It’s a picture for us. It’s in that context that we come to chapters 13 and 14. And it’s easy to get bogged down in these prophecies against Babylon and miss the big picture. So I want to pull out three verses that are interspersed through these prophecies to give you the big picture. Chapter 14 and verse 1. He’s been talking about Babylon. But in spite of all this that he says about Babylon, remember Babylon is the enemy of Judah. They are the ones that take them into captivity. And so it would seem that God has abandoned his people, perhaps. And he says, no, Babylon will be judged itself. And the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and he will still choose Israel and settle them in their own land.

We talked about Wednesday night. Robert asked the question Is God just in using Assyria and Babylon to judge his people? There’s two parts of that. First is, is God’s judgment against Israel just? And seeing the charges, we have to conclude, yes, it’s just. The second is, does God deal with the same standard with all the nations? If he punished Israel with a nation more wicked and did not judge them, then you would say, well, his judgment’s not just. But in these chapters, he answers that charge, perhaps, by saying that yes, God did judge Israel with nations perhaps more wicked, but he will also judge them. And he has not abandoned his people. For in the middle of all that, he will still choose Israel and have mercy on Jacob.

And when he gets down and starts talking about Assyria in chapter 14, he says, I will break the Assyrian in my land. Kind of emphasizing they’ve come up not just against any people, they’ve come up into my land. I will break them in my land. Then his yoke will be removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulders. This is the purpose that I purpose against the whole earth. What’s the purpose? Those that come up against his people, God will judge. That’s his purpose. What does that mean? I still choose Jerusalem. God is faithful to his people. When he talks about Philistia in the end of chapter 14, what will one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord has founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall take refuge in it.

2. The Burden Against Babylon: God Judges Oppression

In the midst of all this, God has still chosen his people. Yes, he will judge them, but there will be a remnant. So there’s the context. Let’s move into chapter 13 and then start reading through it. Chapter 13 and verse 1. The burden against Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amaz saw. Lift up a banner on the high mountain. Raise your voice to them. Wave your hand that they may enter the gates of the nobles. I have commanded my sanctified ones. I’ve also called my mighty ones for my anger, those who rejoice in my exaltation. The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like that of many people, a tumultuous, tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together. Lord of hosts musters the army for battle.

They come from a far country, from the end of heaven. Even the Lord and his weapons of indignation to destroy the whole land. So you see the picture of those who will serve God. Perhaps they do not mean to, kind of like the king of Assyria did not mean to, but those who will serve him gathered like a great army in the mountains and the noise you can hear in the valleys. A fearful noise. And so he says, Well, for the day of the Lord is at hand. It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore, all hands will be limped. Every man’s heart will melt, and they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows all will take them. They will be in pain as a woman and childbirth, and they will be amazed at one another, and their faces will be like flames.

What do you think that means when he says their faces will be like flames? Something to think about. Face ever felt hot? Yeah, shame. Embarrassment. You ever felt shame or embarrassment? Particularly, your face will feel like it’s on fire. Think about what did Babylon trusted in. They had trusted in idols. They had gone up against the God of heaven. They will be ashamed when their judgment comes. In contrast, God says, Those that trust in me will never be ashamed. That doesn’t mean we’ll never face shame. But this particular shame is trusting in your God. Those that trust in God will never be ashamed of trusting in God. Those that trusted in the idols would be ashamed of trusting in idols. Because their idols are nothing compared to God.

And when their nation is judged, they will feel that shame acutely. One of the things that’s interesting about this is he launches directly into this vindictive against Babylon because of what they had done. And there really aren’t any charges right up front. Usually what we see in prophecies is first the charges against the nation. And then the judgment that comes as a result of it. Remember, we started off Isaiah. He started off with a long list of charges against the nation. And then talked about their punishment that would come. When he talks about Babylon, he doesn’t give any charges up front. He does eventually, but they’re kind of buried in the prophecy. We’ll see them as we go forth, look for them. The charges are kind of vague.

Iniquity. Prepares slaughter for his children because of the iniquity of their fathers. Pride, haughtiness, when we get to chapter 14, because he said, I will ascend into heaven, I will be like the most high. Against Assyria, he charges them that they oppressed God’s people with regard to Philistia, that he oppressed again. And so the oppression will be judged, and the firstborn of the poor will feed, and so forth. Oppression in Israel, everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the fatherless come before them. You see that phrase often. So these charges aren’t really up front.

But it’s kind of important to talk about them. You see this recurring theme over and again: oppression, oppression, oppression, oppression. God judges oppression. We don’t think too much, I think, typically about oppression in the world, and yet it’s really all around us, isn’t it? I mean, from Syria and oppression of its citizens, what Saddam Hussein did to his citizens. Just a few years ago, the ethnic cleansings in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, the Hutus and the Tutsus in Rwanda, the great genocide that happened there in our own days in our own time. Former San Diego mayor, just in the news this past week, admits the misusing a charity of funded 100 billion in gambling debt. What is that but oppression? You take money that belongs to the poor and you take it and seize it.

Christians tormented by extremists and around the world. In the news, banks holding over 200 million in insurance payments meant for victims of superstarstanding. Financial oppression. I just saw this in the news, I think a couple of days ago. Foreclosures, home foreclosures, the poor that can’t pay their mortgages. What happens? Even though Christopher Warner’s mortgage debt was extinguished upon his foreclosure, debt collectors are still seeking 120,000. Banks that foreclose on property and then fail to transfer the deed, and then the former owners are stuck with property taxes for years. I mean, these things are happening. What is this? This is financial oppression. Why is all this important? Well, it’s important because God has said over and over again: this is something that’s important to me, that you don’t oppress your people.

3. The Day of the Lord

I will judge nations that oppress their people. We need to be careful about that. Because we stand to be judged for what we as a people do when we oppress our own people. Well, chapter 13 hasn’t listed all those charges up front. He just starts into the vindictive. And then he gets back and starts talking about the day of the Lord. In verse 9, he says, Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate. He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity.

I will halt the arrogance of the proud.

Remember chapter 2, he had this long list of verses where he talked about the pride of man will be brought low. The same theme echoed here.

A man more than the golden wedge of ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. And so he’s talked about the day of the Lord is going to be characterized by what things? Darking. It’s going to be a day of darkness. What’s not going to shine? The sun, the moon, the stars will not give their light. What else? Heaven shape. Okay. Shake the heavens and the earth’s going to be moved out of its place. All those things are this grand picture of the day of the Lord. And so as you read through those verses, those are the key aspects of it. Now, the day of the Lord is really sometimes in the prophets used to talk about the judgment of God against Israel.

In Joel chapter 1, you see these same pictures used. Alas for the day, for the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. In chapter 2, he says, Let the inhabitants of the land tremble. For it will be a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people, their like has never been seen before. Clearly talking about judgment. Chapter 2 and verse 10, the earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. When he talks about the nations, judgment against the nations. In Joel, he says, the sun and the moon are darkened, the stars withdraw their shining.

You see, these are common figures used and speaking about the judgment from the Almighty. In Amos chapter 5, he says, Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord. Why should you have the day of the Lord? It’s darkness and not light. As if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him. Or he went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall and a serpent bit him. In other words, he cannot see a pathway to escape. No matter which way he turns, it’s like a man in darkness. If he flees, he’s going to stumble because he can’t see.

I’m sorry, go ahead. So in this these verses in Isaiah, he’s talking about the day of judgment, not when God is going to go against the enemies of Israel. Remember the context. The context is talking about Babylon will be punished for what she has done against Israel. So it’s a day of judgment when the presence of God comes and judges Babylon. And the point is the prophets are full of God’s judgments. The world sometimes tries to make you think that the day of the Lord is a phrase always referring to the final judgment. But that’s not the picture here. It’s not the picture in Joel. It’s not the picture in Amos. It’s a flawed concept. The day of the Lord is the day in which God comes and makes a judgment.

And sometimes that judgment is against Israel. Sometimes it’s against Babylon. Sometimes it’s against Assyria. But each time the judgment of God comes, we see it called a day of the Lord. And we see the same picture. That there is no escape when God judges. It’s a day of darkness and gloom. Zephaniah wrote and said, The great day of the Lord is near, near, and hastening fast. And verse 15, I’ve underlined a day of wrath in that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. Specifically in verse 17, I will bring distress on mankind so that they shall walk like blind. So it’s not talking about literal darkness, but he’s talking about they shall be as though they were blind.

They shall be as though it were all darkness. Why? Cause it cannot see a similar picture in Micah 3 6, although it’s not talking about exactly the same thing. He talks about this idea of light and darkness. He says, the sun shall go down on the prophets. What does that mean? They won’t have any light. They won’t have any revelation from God. That day shall be dark for them. Why? Because they don’t have the sight, the vision that comes from God. Frank had a question. Yeah, this prophecy that Isaiah is going here. Is this the same thing that Jesus was telling his apostles that was going to happen when he told them he’s on the wood cop, don’t come down. It’ll be too windy to be around.

Is this all the same thing? No. Remember, remember the prophets are full of God’s judgments. God has judged the world many times. There are many days of judgment. This day is specifically against Babylon. It’s just Old Testament. It’s a specific judgment against Babylon. There would come a time, and I believe Jesus was talking about the destruction of Israel during 70 AD when Israel would be judged. Even that’s not the final judgment. It’s another day of judgment, day of the Lord. So you see the figures, and the figures make sense in light of the explanations. It’s a day of darkness. What does that mean? People cannot see any way of escape. In fact, we we use language this way, don’t we? If you look it up in the dictionary, what do you see when you look up the definition of a dark day?

It’s a day of disaster. Darkness is symbolically used to mean no vision, such as of when a man stumbles and falls because he cannot see. And so darkness brings stumbling. And so it is when the powers that man worships will be as nothing in the presence of God. You could also talk about the sun not shining, the moon not shining, the stars not shining. When a greater power is available, you don’t see the lesser. So when the sun comes up, you don’t see the stars anymore. When God comes and his presence is made known, all the powers that be are as nothing in his presence. Another thing to consider the sun, the moon, and stars, men worship them, didn’t they? Sun God Ra in Egypt and moon god Sin and certain stars.

And so when God comes in the picture, all the idols are as nothing. And so when God’s presence comes, you see three things, right? The lights of the heavens are as nothing because of his presence. It’s a day of darkness. There’s no escape. Men cannot see when their vision comes from the idols. And the earthquakes. Kind of being bright visions of God on Mount Sinai, right? When the earth literally did shake in his presence. And so when God’s presence is felt, it affects everything because of his great power. Unfortunately, many try to make the day of the Lord into a common day. And they try to take every Old Testament passage that talks about a day of the Lord and make it as though it’s one.

And so you see that when you read these books, the Left Behind series from Tim Lahay and Jerry B. Jenkins. If you did that to this passage, what would be the problem? Well, the problem is the passage is clearly against Babylon. Babylon has fallen and is no more. And so to make this to be about Babylon, you’ve got to resurrect Babylon. And so in the books, you see them try to do that. That’s the only way they can make sense of it. What’s wrong with that view? We’re going to get into that chapter 14 and 13. God says, when Babylon falls, it will never be rebuilt. You can’t have a new Babylon. God said it won’t happen. So you’re taking these passages, pulling them out of context, and trying to twist them, and you cannot make it make sense when you do that.

4. Babylon Will Never Be Inhabited

Okay, so let’s read on. Verse 14. It shall be as the hunted gazelle, and as a sheep that no man takes up. Every man will turn to his own people, and everyone will flee to his own land. Everyone who is found will be thrust through, and everyone who is captured will fall by the sword. Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses will be plundered, and their wives ravished. We needn’t think that God has chosen these things, but these are the consequences when nations conquer other nations. In fact, God said, remember back in chapter 10, when he had this long list of for all these, his anger is turned away still. Chapter 10 and verse 4, when he talked about their plight in these judgments, he said, Without me, they shall bow down among the prisoners and they shall fall among the slain.

Without me, when God pulls his protection back, this is what happens. Great horrible things. Verse 17 Behold, I will stir up the meads against them who will not regard silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it. Interesting. When nations conquer a nations, it’s often for plunder. When Alexander the Great goes and conquers the world, what’s he looking for? Riches, treasure, power. Interestingly enough, when the Babylon falls, she falls to the Medio-Persian Empire. You see here a great picture, this yellow part is a Median Empire. You can see Persia is a big part of that. You can see Babylon in the green. And so you can see Persian becomes this great power. But why did Babylon fall to the Persians? That’s the question. Three dates you really ought to commit to memory.

722, Samaria falls to Sargon. 605, when Assyria falls to the combined Babylon, Media, and Scythians. And then Babylon itself falls to Cyrus in about 540. So there’s the time period we’re talking about. Remember, Isaiah’s back from 740 to 690, I believe it is. So he’s talking about events way off in the future, but that are imminent to Israel. Because Assyria is coming. Assyria is going to take the northern neighbor. And Assyria is going to be judged by Babylon, which itself is going to take Judah into captivity. So these are all relevant to the current political situation. But what about Assyria? She herself is going to be judged. What about Babylon? She herself is going to be judged. The date is 540. So we’re talking about events almost 100 or a hundred and fifty years or so in the future.

We’ve got some history we can read about. The Cyrus Cylinder is actually in the British Museum. You can go there and see it. It’s only about nine inches long approximately. It was found in 1879. The text on the cylinder praises Cyrus. Cyrus is the leader of the Medo-Persian Empire coming in and taking over Babylon. So when he says he doesn’t do it for gold or silver, or they don’t regard silver and gold, he’s talking about this nation, the Medo-Persian nation and Cyrus as its leader. It portrays Cyrus as coming from a long line of kings, in other words, royalty. The Babylonian king at the time is Nabonidus, who was defeated and disposed by Cyrus. He’s denounced as an impious oppressor of the people of Babylonia. And his lowborn origins are implicitly contrasted.

The victorious Cyrus is portrayed as having been chosen by the chief Babylonian god Marduk to restore peace and order to the Babylonians. Cyrus himself says, I didn’t come for plunder. I came at the behest of the Babylonian God to restore peace. Why? Because this usurper is on the throne and he’s neglecting his people, and he’s neglecting his God. That’s his reason, his stated reason in his own propaganda. And he says that he was welcomed by the people of Babylon as their new ruler and entered the city in peace. Actually, history tells us he diverted the river in order to gain access. But he was not opposed by the people. That much is apparently true. And so this cylinder appeals to Marduk to protect and help Cyrus and his son Cambyses.

What’s the propaganda from the other side? Nabonidus had his own cylinder, found in 1881. Not in this cylinder, but in most accounts he said a royal anomaly. Why? Low-born origins.

Nabonidus, these are all quotes from Wikipedia, by the way. You can go and read this whole article. Nabonidus is supposed to have worshiped the moon god Sin beyond all other gods, to have paid special devotion to Sin’s temple in Haran, where his mother was a priestess. This is down in the Saudi Arabian Peninsula. So he left Babylon and went down south outside his country and spent numbers of years there. And meanwhile, while he’s gone, the god Marduk is not allowed to have his annual festival because he’s not there. And it wasn’t just that. Babylon had gone out and conquered quite a minute, quite a few nations. And their idols and their gods were brought into Babylon and locked up. They were each one allowed to come out during this annual festival.

But when the king is outside the rain, he’s out in this desert oasis of Tamaya in Arabia. And so the concluding statement, his negative image could then be blamed on the Marduk priesthood that resisted Naboditus’ long absence from Babylon, during which the imported Marduk related festival could not take place. So that’s kind of the situation. He was not a king reigning on his throne like you would expect. He was a lowborn man. He had gone outside his country. And so when Cyrus comes in, he says, I’m doing this because your God called me, not for silver or gold. Their bows will dash the young men to pieces, and they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb. Their eye will not spare children, and Babylon, the glory of kingdoms will be the beauty of Chaldean’s pride.

Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation. And so this is the prophecy I was talking about. Why can’t you have a new Babylon raised up? Because God said it’s not going to happen. And so what do we? Oops. I hit the wrong key. Hit the end key instead of page down.

So we see that prophecy. And then we look and see, well, what’s the situation today? Well, the palace in Babylon has been rebuilt. There are bricks there that say this was built by Sodom Hussein, son of Nebuchadnezzar to glorify Iraq. And there’s a picture of the palace. The city is still in ruins. Some Iraqis have tried to take advantage of tourist dollars to come in and see the rebuilt palace. But you know, in spite of this, the city is still not rebuilt. Only the palace which is now abandoned, really, remains. So does this contradict the prophecy? It really doesn’t. Look over in chapter 14 and verse 22. He says, Still talking about Babylon, I will rise up against them, says the Lord of hosts, and I will cut off from Babylon the name and remnant and offspring and posterity.

I will make it a possession for the porcupine and marshes of muddy water. I will sweep it with the broom of destruction. He did that. And for many years it was kind of covered under the dust. It had to be discovered. So Babylon still has its name and remnant and posterity cut off. The city is still not rebuilt. And God says it will not be. Leave it to man to try to prove it wrong and try to rebuild it again. We’ll see over time. But that’s what God’s word says. John.

Don’t know. But could it have been God using the U.S. to try to see that it didn’t happen? Maybe. It’s interesting that in these verses they call them specifically evildoers. And George Bush had said that exact exact same phrase against them. Interesting, isn’t it? And so the question that’s going to be in the mind of the skeptic is going to be well, that wasn’t really God doing that. That was the USA. I can’t answer that question other than say that this is what God has says, and this is the condition we see happening. However, he accomplishes it. And then we get to Lucifer, and we need to get to that before we run out of time. What time does the bell ring? We’ve got until 45 after the hour, right?

Okay. Chapter 14. The Lord will still have mercy on Jacob and will still choose Israel. The strangers will be joined with them, and they shall cling to the and settle them in their own land. Okay, so it’s talking about the return. God will still choose Israel. He will settle them in their own land. There will be a return. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob. Then people will take them and bring them to the place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the house of the Lord, and they will take them captive, whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors. We don’t see that literally happened. When they came back from Babylon, they didn’t literally rule over Babylon.

So how is that to be taken? Well, remember, this picture that we’re seeing about Babylon and Assyria and Philistia is directly related to the picture we just saw of the times of Messiah and the rejoicing. And the mountain of the Lord’s house will be above all other nations. So how is it now that we see this picture of those that were former oppressors will now be servants? Think about the kingdom of God. The remnant, the righteous remnant. The Zion, as described in heavenly Zion described in Hebrews, the kingdom of God. How is it that Babylon, the former oppressors, are now servants in the house of God? Just like all of us are servants in the house of God, aren’t we? The kingdoms of men have become the kingdoms of God.

5. How You Are Fallen, O Lucifer

I believe that’s the sense in which he’s talking here. A figurative fulfillment. It shall come to pass in the day that the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow. I’m going to skip down and just summarize verses 4 through 11. He talks about even the grave will rejoice at this coming of the king of Babylon. To verse 12. How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning. How you were cut down to the ground. You who weaken the nations. Now I’m reading from the New King James Version. And if you read from the King James, it’ll read very similarly. Other translations do not read so, such as the New American Standard Version, how you have fallen from heaven, O Star of the Morning.

English Standard Version, how you are fallen from heaven, O day star. And that is the literal meaning when you go back and you look at the Hebrew. Where do we get the word Lucifer? Well, it comes from the Latin Vulgate. And it’s a Latin word that literally means day star. Why day star? Well, look at a few verses down where he says in verse 14, I will send above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most high. Now we talked about the stars when the sun comes out, you don’t see the stars. Well, not entirely true all day, is it? Early in the morning, you might still see a star. Called a day star, right? Because you could see it even while the sun is shining.

And so he likens that figuratively like to the king of Babylon, being, I will be like the most high. That is a star that would be seen during the day while the sun’s shining. A usurper. And so that’s the picture, day star. If you look up Lucifer in the dictionary, it says another’s name for Satan. The origin by association with Son of the Morning in Isaiah 14, 12, believed by Christian interpreters to be a reference to Satan. No, believed by some Christian interpreters to be a reference to Satan, primarily because of Luke 10, when the servants of Jesus said, I saw, or when Jesus says, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. And so the picture of Satan, the usurper, being at war in heaven, and Jesus saying the victory, I see the victory won because I see Satan cast out.

It’s a similar picture to the picture of the King of Babylon, who would be try to be like the Most High but be cast out. And so some have inferred that this is about Satan. If you know the context, you know that Satan’s not in the context anywhere. That’s a clearly misuse of the verse. He’s clearly talking about the King of Babylon. And in that context of speaking about the King of Babylon, he says, How you are fallen from heaven. O Lucifer, son of the morning, how you are cut down to the ground, you who weaken the nations, for you have said in your heart, I will ascend into the heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit in the mount of the congregation on the farther side of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most high.

And yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, the lowest grave, the depths of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you and consider you saying, Is this the man who made the earth tremble? Is this the one who was so great? And he’s brought to nothing, who shook kingdoms and made the world as a wilderness, who destroyed its cities and did not open the house of the prisoners. All the kings of the nations, all of them sleep in glory, everyone in his own house, but you are cast out of your grave like an abominable branch, like the garment of those who are slain, thrust through with a sword who go down to the stones of the pit. You will not be joined with them in burial because you have destroyed your land and slain your people.

King of Babylon, what happened to him? Well, history tells us the accounts by Barosis and the retrospective Hellenistic Babylonian dynastic prophecies mentioned that Nabonidus’ life was spared, but he was allowed to retire in Carmenia. Well, if you understand from this map, this is really a map of modern day Iran. Remember, Iraq would be the territory of Babylon. Babylonia. So this Babylonian king went into exile, not in his own land, but in a foreign land. He died far from his people. Was he buried with the kings? No. He was buried in dishonor. Why? Because of how he had reigned.

6. I Will Break the Assyrian in My Land

And we already read verses 22 and 23. So skip down to verse 24. He begins to talk about Assyria. The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so it has come to pass, as I have purposed, so it shall stand, that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke will be removed from them. So the answer to the question, God, how can you let a nation more wicked than us overtake us? They too will face judgment. They came into my land, I will tread them down. I will break him. His burden will remove their shoulders, and this is the purpose of his purpose against the whole earth. Not just Assyria, it’s a principle.

Those that come up against God’s people, he will judge them. This is the hand that is stretched over all the nations, for the Lord is purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out and who will turn it back? The clear answer is none. And then in verse 28, this is the burden which came in the year that King Ahaz died. Do not rejoice, all of you, Ballistia, because the rod that struck you is broken. For they would. When Assyria seemed to be broken, they would rejoice. They would say, Ah, we’ve been saved. No, he says, For out of the serpent’s roots will come up forth a viper, and its offspring will be a fiery flying servant. In other words, another thing will come.

Kind of like that old testament prophecy we read earlier where he says, You’ll flee a bear and be swallowed by a lion or something like that. I think I got it backwards. You’ll flee a lion and be swallowed by a bear. You will be bouncing from one place to another. Why? Because you’ve rejected God and you’ve come up against God’s people. The firstborn of the poor will feed and the needy will lie down in safety. That is God’s people. But I will kill your roots with famine, and it will slay your remnant. Well, O Gato City, all of all you have listed are dissolved. The smoke will come from the north, and no one will be alone in his appointed time. What will one then answer the messengers of the nation?

Conclusion

Here’s the conclusion of the matter. That the Lord has founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall take refuge in it. In other words, all these that come up against Zion, and you think Zion is surely destroyed? But no, God will have mercy on Zion. They will come back from the captivity. They will persevere. Why? Because they are the remnant that God has chosen. Any questions about the chapter? I know it’s kind of a whirlwind tour. Wednesday night, chapters 15 through 23. We get to bite off even more. So we’ll have to pick and select the verses we read and look at. Well, we want to get the big picture. So chapters 15 through 23. Any other questions before we close? Okay, then we’ll be dismissed.