The Book Of Isaiah. Day 66, Moab Crushed, Part One

In Chapter 15 we are continuing the theme that was established in Chapter 14: the downfall of the nations that were the ancient enemies of the descendants of Jacob. Isaiah has already foretold the fall of Assyria, Babylon, and Philistia. Today and tomorrow we will be looking at his prophecy against Moab.

The Moabites were related to the Israelites through Abraham's nephew Lot. Lot had two sons: Moab and Ben-Ammi. Lot's two sons were the fathers of the Moabites and the Ammonites. But their close relationship to Abraham doesn't mean that they wanted to be friendly with the Israelites. The Moabites and Ammonites forsook the God of Abraham and became idolaters instead. They harbored enmity against God and enmity against the tribes of Israel. 

When we studied the book of Numbers we learned that, in an attempt to get God to turn His back on the tribes of Israel, the Moabites hatched a plot to entice the men of Israel to commit idolatry and sexual immorality with the women of Moab and Midian. Also in the book of Numbers, we found King Balak of Moab hiring the prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel for him. Balaam (who had strayed from his faith and who was willing to turn against his own people for money) tried to fulfill this commission but was unable to do anything but bless Israel. 

In the book of Judges, King Eglon of Moab allied himself with the Ammonites and Amalekites to come out in battle against Israel, gaining enough control in the land of Israel to force Israel to pay him tribute for eighteen years. These are just a few examples of how time and time again the Moabites troubled the people of Israel, lusting for the land the Lord granted to Israel, hating the people of Israel and hating Israel's God. But a day of judgment is coming for Moab, just as it is coming for Assyria and Babylon.

"A prophecy against Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba." (Isaiah 15:1-2a) Much of the territory that will be mentioned in our chapter was originally part of Israel when the Israelites first entered Canaan and began taking over the land, but over time the Moabites took these regions from Israel. One or more of the kings of Assyria will take these regions from Moab. An exact date for these happenings is not known and it is not known whether "destroyed in a night" is intended to be taken literally or whether it means it happened very quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if the walls of Ar and Kir actually were breached in only one night, though invasion and siege might have lasted for some time before. 

What follows next is a picture of great distress, grief, and shame. "Every head is shaved and every beard cut off. In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping. Heshbon and Elealah cry out, their voices heard all the way to Jahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint." (Isaiah 15:2b-4) 

The wailing and the sackcloth indicate their grief and horror at what has happened. Having every head and beard shaved may be something the enemy has done. It was common for conquerors to humiliate the conquered in this fashion. However, it may be that the Moabite men did this to themselves as an expression of grief. This was not typically a custom of Israelite males, for to have one's beard shaved was considered a humiliation. If you have time, you can visit 2 Samuel 10 for an example of this when King Hanun of the Ammonites ordered the heads and beards of David's envoys shaved halfway off. Scripture tells us that the men were humiliated, which was King Hanun's intent, and to spare them further humiliation David had them housed in privacy in Jericho until the hair grew back so they would not have to return home and be seen with half their heads and faces shaved. But we don't know whether it was customary for Moabite males to shave their own hair off as a sign of distress or whether the Assyrians shaved them in order to humiliate them.

Why will the Moabites undergo defeat and humiliation? Because they scorned the one and only God and because they persecuted God's people Israel. Nothing good can come from rejecting the Lord. Nothing good can come from hating people who love the Lord. In our next study session we will look at more of the things that the Moabites have brought upon themselves by their sin and idolatry.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 65, Philistia Crushed

The segment we are currently studying deals with the defeat of those who were the ancient enemies of the descendants of Jacob. Isaiah has already foretold the fall of Assyria and Babylon. Now he moves on to the nation of Philistia.

You'll recall from our studies of the earlier books of the Bible that the Philistines sorely plagued the nation of Israel during the time of the Judges and during the reign of King Saul. During the time of David he won major victories against the Philistines and, during his reign and that of his son Solomon, Israel was too powerful for Philistia to defeat. 

But during the reign of David's grandson, King Rehoboam, Israel was no longer a united kingdom. The ten northern tribes split away from the two southern tribes, appointed a king other than Rehoboam over themselves, and retained the name of Israel whereas the two southern tribes (Judah and Benjamin) became known as the kingdom of Judah with Rehoboam (of the tribe of Judah) reigning over them. Since that time both nations have enjoyed periods of prosperity and periods of upheaval but Israel, during the time of Isaiah, is rapidly on the decline because of the idolatry of its citizens and it will soon be conquered by the Assyrian Empire. Judah also fears it will be conquered by Assyria. But Judah won't fall until approximately 130 years later to the Neo-Babylonian Empire because a spiritual revival will take place during the reign of King Hezekiah, son of Ahaz.

The Philistines may view the decline of the northern and southern kingdoms as a good time to attack, especially when King Ahaz of Judah dies. They made a number of attacks during his reign but are likely planning a bigger and better one upon his death. Enemy kings often considered attacking whenever there was a change in the leadership of another nation, supposing that the incoming king might be weak or might not have enough support behind him to mount a successful defense. Isaiah relays the Lords message of doom for Philistia: "This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died: 'Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a venomous, darting serpent. The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors.'" (Isaiah 14:28-30) 

The words of verses 28-30 were primarily intended to encourage the people of Judah, I believe, for it's unlikely that the Philistines would have listened to a message from one of the Lord's prophets. We don't even know whether they heard of the message but we can be certain that the people of Judah heard of it and that it must have made many of them take heart. 

The Philistines had troubled King Ahaz and his father before him but were not successful in conquering Judah. Ahaz's father was able to push back against them quite successfully and, although the Philistines did a better job at taking territories from Ahaz, they didn't win a decisive war against him. They were planning to make another attack upon the death of Ahaz which is why the Lord warned them about rejoicing that "the rod that struck you is broken", which is a reference to the death of Ahaz. Also I believe it's a reference to the royal line of Judah and to King David himself, who defeated them as no other king ever did. From a root of Ahaz will spring up one whom the Lord will be with in a powerful way: Ahaz's successor, Hezekiah, who will eschew the idolatry of his father and will worship the Lord only, making numerous religious reforms in Judah. The Lord will protect the people of Judah for a long time to come, in contrast to how He will deal with the exceedingly wicked and idolatrous Philistines.

To the fortified cities of Philistia, and perhaps to its capital city in particular, the Lord says: "Wail, you gate! Howl, you city! Melt away, all you Philistines! A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks. What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? 'The Lord has established Zion, and in her His afflicted people will find refuge.'" (Isaiah 14:31-32) 

The reference to "envoys" is interpreted by many scholars to mean that the Philistines approached Judah about allying with them against Assyria. Later in our study of the book of Isaiah we will find the king of Babylon sending envoys to King Hezekiah of Judah seeking to make just such an alliance with him. But nowhere in the book of Isaiah will we find the prophet encouraging any king of Judah to trust in anyone except the Lord. Therefore, the answer of any king approached with an invitation to make an alliance is to be: "The Lord has established Zion, and in her His afflicted people will find refuge." Refuge is not to be found in an alliance with any nation---especially considering that all the other nations of Isaiah's day were idolatrous nations. The Lord strictly instructed the children of Israel, before bringing them into the promised land, to place their trust in Him alone. It's no use for them to seek refuge from any other nation, for He will crush Assyria, Babylon, Philistia, and others---as we will see as we move on through the book.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 64, Assyria Crushed

Our current segment of the book of Isaiah deals with the Lord judging the enemies of Israel and of Judah. For the past several days we've been studying what the Lord said about the doom of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Today He reminds His people of something He has said before: a day is coming when the enemy they currently fear most (Assyria) will be no more.

We already know from our study of the kings that the Assyrian Empire caused the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel, carrying away most of its people captive rather than destroying all the people, so the Lord did preserve the majority of them although it was in foreign lands. And we know that the Assyrian soldiers made repeated attacks on the nation of Judah and attempted to lay siege to Jerusalem. But the Lord miraculously prevented this from happening. Time and time again Judah was plagued by the Assyrians but did not fall to them. 

The Lord will judge Assyria for the cruelties she perpetrated against the citizens of Israel and Judah. In addition, the Lord will judge the Neo-Babylonian Empire (as we've been studying) for her cruelties against the people of Judah. The Lord is going to speak out against the Philistines as well, later on in our chapter, for the Philistines were ancient enemies of His people.

Let's begin today's text: "The Lord Almighty has sworn, 'Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen. I will crush the Assyrian in My land; on My mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from My people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.'" (Isaiah 14:24-25) 

I believe the verses above have two applications. The overall application is that the Lord intends to make an end of Assyria as an empire. The more immediate application is that He will take a stand against Assyria "in My land" and "on My mountains" which is a reference to the Assyrian army's attempt to cause the fall of Jerusalem. The Lord miraculously saved Jerusalem by striking down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, who were encamped outside of Jerusalem, in the middle of the night, leaving them dead. This was an enormous setback for the king of Assyria who was obliged to retreat to his own land, where he planned to regroup and make a future attempt against Jerusalem. But just as the Lord already predicted in the book of Isaiah, the king would be struck down in his own land before he could make a further attempt; two of King Sennacherib's sons assassinated him while he prayed in the temple of his heathen gods.

We will conclude today's study with these final verses that regard Assyria in Chapter 14. "This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:26-27)

The Lord will judge every nation that has ever attacked, oppressed, or persecuted His people. In the Bible we find Him pronouncing judgment against the ancient enemies of His people but we also know that He has judged more modern nations and regimes that have attempted to wipe out the descendants of Jacob. He will continue to defend the Jewish people, keeping His promise to Abraham that: "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you." (Genesis 12:3a) 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 63, The Doom Of The King Of Babylon, Part Five

Long before the Neo-Babylonian Empire became powerful enough to overthrow Judah, the Lord foretold the downfall of Babylon. We have been studying the prophecies against Babylon and against its kings.

We have looked at the prideful and arrogant attitudes of the kings of Babylon who sought to conquer the entire world as they knew it. But that would not come to pass, for the Lord says: "Prepare a place to slaughter his children for the sins of their ancestors; they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities." (Isaiah 14:21) 

The reference to "children" may be associated with the death of King Belshazzar on the night that the army of the Medes took the capital city of Babylon. We know from the book of Daniel that Belshazzar was killed that same night and it's probably safe to assume that all of his male relatives were put to the sword since that was a common ancient practice when overthrowing a king. This was done to prevent the conquered people from banding together behind a man closely related to their deposed king and causing an uprising to place their man on the throne. 

The location of Babylon was the location of the first organized rebellion against God when its ancient people banded together to build a tower they believed could reach heaven. When we studied the book of Genesis we discussed some possible motives for why they attempted such a feat, with one motive being that they didn't believe the Lord's promise never to flood the earth again. In addition, seeking to gain entrance to heaven by their own means is similar to "salvation by works", which is not a Biblical principle. On top of that, seeking to gain entrance to heaven on their own displays a great deal of pride and arrogance and it reveals a disregard for what the Lord said was the way to gain salvation: by faith.

Because Babylon had so long been the seat of rebellion and of idolatry, the Lord said in our verses above that He will punish the children of Babylon for "the sins of their ancestors". It's not that He intends to punish anyone who is innocent; all the generations of the people of Babylon were idolatrous and sinful. And it's important to note that the use of the word "children" can also mean "descendants" rather than literal children, although I am sure there were casualties of people of all ages when the Medo-Persian Empire overthrew the Neo-Babylonian Empire. There are always casualties of people of all ages in any war. Perhaps it might comfort us a little to think that anyone underage who perished was saved from becoming a lifelong idolater as an adult and that they were therefore allowed entrance into heaven because they were not of legal age where their breaking of God's laws would be counted against them.

About the Babylonians the Lord said: "'I will rise up against them,' declares the Lord Almighty. 'I will wipe out Babylon's name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,' declares the Lord. 'I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,' declares the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 14:22-23) There is no doubt that the Lord did just that. The once-mighty nation of Babylon still lies in ruins today. Nothing that the Lord has said will fail to come to pass. His word never failed in the past. His word won't fail in the future. His word (and His precious promises to those who have placed their trust in Him) is true today and for always.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 62, The Doom Of The King Of Babylon, Part Four

We are studying a twofold prophecy regarding Babylon. This prophecy is about the literal kingdom of Babylon that existed in ancient times and it is about the "Babylon"---the sinful conditions on earth---in the end times.

We've been discussing Isaiah's vision of the doom of Babylon's king. As we've noted, some scholars believe a particular king was in mind (perhaps Nebuchadnezzar but more likely Belshazzar) whereas other scholars believe the vision regards all the kings of Babylon combined because they had in common such things as overweening pride, grandiose plans to conquer the world, paganism, and no respect for the God of Israel. Another thing we've talked about is the belief of many scholars that the reference to a "king" is also a reference to the leader known in the end times as the Antichrist as well as a reference to Satan himself who is the spirit behind all wickedness---including the wickedness of the kings of Babylon and the Antichrist.

Yesterday we looked at a series of statements that are commonly known as the "I will" statements. These statements depicted an attitude of wanting one's own will rather than God's will. They painted the portrait of a king (or kings) who thought they were better than all other men and as good as or better than God. While it's true that the Antichrist and Satan himself will both be judged and cast into a place of eternal imprisonment and separation from all that is good and holy, the king of Babylon will meet his doom as well, and I believe that the narrative of today's text primarily regards an ancient king of Babylon.

"But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: 'Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?'" (Isaiah 14:15-17) The Neo-Babylonian Empire was the most powerful empire on earth in its heydey. It conquered and subjugated a number of other nations and tribes. But like all the other kings of old who thought they would conquer the entire world, the kings of Babylon are no more. The empire of Babylon is no more. Now the conqueror has been conquered. Now the captor is a captive. His wealth and power did not save him from death or from the grave or from an eternity separated from the Lord.

"All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb. But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and have killed your people." (Isaiah 14:18-20a) The final king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Belshazzar, was killed on the night he held a drunken feast in honor of his gods. The army of the Medes was even then breaching the walls and the book of Daniel tells us that Belshazzar lost his life that very night. He was likely killed along with many others ("those pierced by the sword" as Isaiah phrases it) while attempting to fend off the soldiers invading the capital city. It is believed that his body was piled up in a heap with all the other corpses after the fighting ended. Daniel tells us that on the night Belshazzar was killed, Darius the Mede took over Belshazzar's throne. Darius' men must have moved in and occupied the city and they would have needed to remove the corpses of the dead from the city. 

This would line up with Isaiah saying "you are cast out of your tomb" and "you are covered with the slain". Belshazzar was never interred in a tomb. We may not know where the tombs of previous kings of Babylon were located but no doubt they were buried with a great deal of pomp and mourning in ornate caskets within the finest tombs mankind knew how to fashion in those days. But not Belshazzar, for there was no one to hold a grand burial ceremony for him. He was cast out along with all the other dead somewhere outside the city.

A sad fate awaits all who think they are as good as or better than the Lord. Nothing beautiful comes from living in opposition to the Lord. The fate of Belshazzar (the fate of his earthly body and the fate of his eternal soul) serves as an illustration of the futility of living a life without the Lord in it.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 61, The Doom Of The King Of Babylon, Part Three

The prophecies contained in Chapter 14 regarding the doom of an evil king are believed to refer to a wicked king of ancient Babylon, to a wicked leader of the end times, and to the most wicked creature of all: Satan himself. 

We previously discussed our inability to pinpoint which king of Babylon Isaiah had in mind when he spoke of the doom of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and its king, though I personally lean toward it being Belshazzar. Belshazzar threw a drunken banquet in Daniel 5 and imbibed alcohol from the goblets stolen from the Lord's temple at Jerusalem. Belshazzar and his guests drank toasts to their false gods from these goblets, thereby blaspheming the Lord, causing the Lord to tell Belshazzar (through the prophet Daniel) that his kingdom was coming to an immediate end. While Belshazzar drunkenly toasted his heathen gods, the soldiers of the Medo-Persian Empire were breaking through the walls and Belshazzar was slain on that same night and his throne was taken over by Darius the Mede. 

We don't know the identity of the wicked leader of the end times (often referred to as the Antichrist) either. But we know he will overflow with pride and grandiose ambitions and will think himself better than everyone else. He will think he can do a better job of running the government than anyone else on earth. He will think he can do a better job of running life on earth than God Himself. The Apostle Paul said of this man: "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4) 

This man will want to be worshiped. He regards himself with awe and reverence and expects everyone else to do the same. I don't think he will have the understanding that he is merely a puppet in the hands of Satan who wants to be worshiped in place of God; this man will think that he is pulling all the strings. 

The devil has always wanted to be worshiped. If Satan cannot persuade people to worship him openly, he will settle for enticing them to worship the man who does his will. Our text we will study today clearly displays the attitude of Satan who wants to be worshiped in place of God. Many kings throughout history have claimed to be a god on earth and have insisted on being addressed as deities. The one to whom Paul refers as "the man of lawlessness" will do the same but will go many steps further by setting himself up (or the image of himself referenced in the book of Revelation) in the rebuilt temple of the end times. He will then forbid the worship of anyone or anything other than himself. The penalty for refusing to worship him is execution. (Revelation 13 deals with this subject in more detail.) 

The series of "I will" statements from Isaiah 14 reveals what has been in Satan's heart all along. It reveals what has been in the heart of many leaders throughout time who insisted on being regarded as gods. It reveals what will be in the heart of the man Satan will use for his purposes in the last days. "You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." (Isaiah 14:13-14)

Ever since the Lord announced His intention to make a great nation out of the descendants of Abraham and to bring the Redeemer from his descendants, Satan has wanted to wipe out the nation of Israel. He was unable to do so or to prevent the advent of Christ. The devil knows that the Lord intends to preserve the nation of Israel and to place His Son on David's throne at Jerusalem to reign over the earth forever, so Satan wants there to be no Israel and no one seated on a throne except himself. He has prompted the leaders of other nations to do his bidding in regard to trying to wipe Israel off the map but the Lord has prevented all of these men from making an end of the descendants of Abraham. The Antichrist will hate and will persecute Abraham's descendants more than anyone ever has before him, and he will try to set up his throne in Israel where it has been foretold that the Messiah will set up His eternal throne. But again the Lord will thwart all his plans. Everything the Lord has planned will come true and there isn't anyone or anything capable of standing in His way. The devil is not the Lord's equal; he is a created being like all the other angels. He cannot overthrow the Lord's purposes no matter how hard he tries. He will attempt to wipe out the Lord's people Israel and he will attempt to place his own man on the throne of the world but as always the Lord will have the last word.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 60, The Doom Of The King Of Babylon, Part Two

In Chapter 14 Isaiah prophesies the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the doom of its king (or kings). This is a twofold prophecy because it also involves the doom of a world leader of the end times. The attitude of the literal king of Babylon, a powerful leader of the end times (the Antichrist), and Satan himself is the same. Today we will be looking at only one verse because it is a very complicated verse and it seems to be a reference to the devil more so than to anyone else.

"How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!" (Isaiah 14:12) In yesterday's study we found the powerful king of Babylon entering the realm of the dead to become just like all the other unbelieving dead. The pagan kings whose nations he had plundered mocked him, saying, "Now you have become just like us!" I believe verse 12 is a reference to how the king of Babylon (or all of its kings during its heydey) spoiled other nations, believing he would conquer the entire world, but all his plans came to naught because no one's power or wealth can save him from death. No one's power or wealth can save him from eternal separation from the Lord after death. Only being saved through faith in the Lord can anyone look forward to an eternity of peace and joy in the presence of the Lord.

But I also agree with all the Bible scholars who believe that verse 12 is primarily a reference to Satan himself and to how he rebelled against the Lord. In English we find the title of this entity rendered as "morning star, son of the dawn". In the original text the phrase was "light bearer", which was translated into Latin as "lux ferre", which became commonly rendered as "Lucifer". This is where the legend originated that the name given to Satan by God was Lucifer. There is, however, no proof that Satan's proper name ever was Lucifer and this one verse from the book of Isaiah is the only time that the title of "light bearer" is ever attributed to the devil. I am sure that when the Lord created him he was as beautiful as any of the other angels and I am sure he was given a job to do like all the other angels. If verse 12 is indeed a reference to Satan then it appears as if his job was to shine the light in some fashion, likely for human beings since the Bible says that all of the angels were created to minister to human beings. (Hebrews 1:14)

Isaiah 14 is the only place in the Scriptures where Satan is referred to by any sort of positive term. "Light bearer" must have been his original purpose given by God but he rejected that purpose. He did not want to serve man. He did not want to serve God either. Rather than retaining a beautiful job title such as "light bearer", he chose instead to do dark deeds for which he gained the name of "Satan", which means "accuser" or "adversary". He preferred to make himself the enemy of mankind and to accuse mankind of misdeeds to a holy God, in hopes that a holy God would destroy humans from the face of the earth and consign them to hell. We will learn, when we reach the book of Revelation, that until the end times Satan will still have access to the throne room of God. He will still be coming before Him accusing us of things we have done---and perhaps things we have not done, since he is a liar. But in Revelation he is cast out of the presence of God forever, and it will be said then that the one who has accused the people of the Lord "day and night" has been "hurled down". (Revelation 12:10) 

Isaiah foretells this hurling down in our verse today when he says, "You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!" When Satan is cast out of heaven in Revelation, he is cast down to the earth where he will make as much havoc as he can during the time known as the Great Tribulation, after which he will be judged by the Lord and cast into the lake of fire for eternity.

A great deal of prophetic end times information is contained in our current chapter and it's going to take us several days to talk about all of it. In our next session we will look at a series of statements---popularly known as the "I will" statements---made by Satan in his pride.