The Fall of the King of Babylon

Introduction

READ Isaiah 14:1-23

Most people love Isaiah’s prophecies of the first coming of Christ

Seen many already & will see many more

We even see joy in the prophecies of the coming Kingdom

Some wonder what value there is in the prophecies against the nations

They have special reference for Israel both in the present and future

Even though these prophecies may not have specific application to us they help us understand God’s greater work

We’re familiar with the personal work of God in salvation

God | Man | Christ | Response

As we see the work of God in the nations like this it helps us understand the greater context of Redemption

Creation | Fall | Redemption | Consummation

We also notice that certain themes recur

Pride is one of those themes & maybe we ask why does God keep speaking about it?

As we come to this passage we begin to understand why God speaks about it so often & so forcefully

By pride we don’t mean the popular sense of pride like feeling good about yourself or accomplishments

By pride we mean the refusal to submit to God, our Creator and Lord of all

Pride is to believe that we don’t need God, further, pride is our attempt to escape God

Most often this expressed in forms where God is replaced with self

Pride is the orignal sin

Pride is the heart of all other sins

So it is the hardest to uproot, it spreads to every part of our being

It is an enemy within that we are unable to defeat on our own

Like Babylon in Isa 13, King of Babylon is real (not one particular king) & figurative

We see the effects of pride personally

We see it illustrated in a universal way

We see it illustrated in a cosmis way

Isaiah 14:12 gives us the illustration of the light of dawn so today let’s consider:

The Glorious Light of God Overcomes the Brightness of Pride

Glorious Light of God

Isaiah 14:1-3

God is Full of Mercy

God is merciful

Passage does descend into darkness but it starts with a ray from God’s great light

It’s a short segment in the midst of trouble but there is so much hope in these words

Yes, God can be terrifying in His anger against sin

God’s anger never erases or distorts His mercy, love and compassion

God is still actively for His people

Psalm 25:10 “10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.”

God is faithful

Even in a time of turmoil & trouble God speaks of His people with love

Israel & Judah have long been divided & at the time of Isaiah’s writing adversaries

They will both go into captivity seperately

Here, in these prophecies of the Day of the Lord God speaks of the nation as one

Restates His faithfulness to them by telling this generation He will choose them

He has not turned back on His promise to Abe, David, Israel

With God’s faithfulness to each generation it is also a call to that generation to be faithful to God

Each generation must choose to follow God for themselves

So that is true for us too

Young people, you cannot rely on the faith or heritage of your parents

You must choose faithfulness to God for yourself

I try not to be boring in my sermons & sometimes I achieve that goal

Mostly, I want you to eventually recognise that we’re a church not afraid of the hard issues

That we want you to have a firm foundation for your faith

Young people this moment I am talking to you

I am glad your parents bring you to church (even when you don’t want to) that is what good parents do

I am glad they teach & model truth of Christ for you

Their faith has been a guard for you

Their faith can’t be your faith

You must consider the claims of Christ for yourself

You must believe the Gospel for yourself

Then you must live your own life for Christ

God is Full of Justice

God will give rest (Isa. 14:3a)

Part of this big picture view of redemption is that God gives full & complete rest

Forgiveness of sin gives us rest for our souls

God’s relentless pursuit of His purpose leads us to absolute rest from sin

Rest from all the enemies of God and all the troubles of sin

Revelation 21:3–5 “3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.””

God doesn’t hide or shade the truth

He is open, in this world there will be trouble, injustice, heartache, fear & many heavy burdens to bear

His promise is, for His people there is justice and rest to come

Their trust will be in God (Isaiah 14:1b-2)

What is the circumstance when Isaiah writes this?

Israel is joining to Syria; Judah seeking help from Assyria

God’s people were looking for help from other nations

God will turn the tables

No longer will Israel rely on the nations but the nations will need to rely on Israel

The great turn is that Israel will put their trust in God

Surely there is a lesson in there for all of us about seeking help from other places

Overcomes the Brightness of Pride

Isaiah 14:3-23

Now here is where it gets tricky

A MAGNIFICENT POEM

It’s easy to get caught up in the detail (& speculation) of this passage

That is my inclination but I must learn to treat the text for what it is

Hebrew scholars recognise this as magnificent example of poetry

Isaiah was a skilled writer and clearly a master poet

Rather than analytically dissect this I want to try follow it’s flow

It’s written in four stanzas

14:4-8 - earth | 14:9-11 - hell | 14:12-15 - hell | 14:18-23 - earth

It is in the form of a lament, yet with a mocking tone

Isa. 14:4 - proverb could be taunt yet it’s not a malicious mockery

Proverb is good in that through poetry he is showing things as they are

This song for the dead is not in grief but joy

Rejoicing in Relief

Isaiah 14:4-8

Isaiah is a great poet but it’s also beginning to seem like he likes trees (Isa. 14:8) :)

At the fall of the king of Babylon the whole earth bursts into song

Like city of Babylon represents more than the city so the king of Babylon represents more

We’re looking beyond that time to the Day of the Lord

Wickedness & evil is conquered

The world is released from tyrrany and oppression of sin

This is a song that says God is bigger than the tyrrant

Rise of Sheol

Isaiah 14:9-11

Now we move to the depths - hell or sheol, the place of the dead

With fall of the king the earth finds rest

Sheol is agitated into excitement

As the king descends those in sheol rise up to meet him

Picture is the kings of the earth that the king of Babylon tormented & destroyed greet him with ‘glee’

They don’t rise up to praise him but to mock him

You were powerful over us but now you join us in weakness

He may have been mighty on the earth but that didn’t save him from wrath of a mightier and just God

Isaiah 14:11 gives a true picture of death

His funeral would be ornate, glorious, full of pomp & circumstance

Orchestras playing mournful tunes and songs to praise him

While the instruments sound above the worms do their work beneath

Same tone rings through heaven at the fall of Babylon in Rev. 18

Proverbs 16:18 “18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Not just talking about a fall from grace here on earth or be humiliated before people

God means pride will bring you to ultimate destruction in hell

You will not just fall in the eyes of men but will fall to depths of pain, sorrow & woe

Rejection of God

Isaiah 14:12-15

Fall of Satan

Another instance of Isaiah moving between realms

He speaks directly to king of Babylon

He speaks to all of us figuratively about the spirit of pride that exists in all of us

He speaks to the one behind all of this - Satan

Is this speaking of Satan? I believe it is

For most of Christian history the majority have seen this as speaking of fall of Satan

Early church fathers believed this to be about Satan (Tertullian, Origen, Augustine)

Jesus seems to indicate it is

Luke 10:18 “18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

Revelation 12:9 “9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Seems to connect this fall, fall in the garden of Eden & final demise of Satan

KJVO Note

KJVO use this as proof text that all other translations pervert text

Many have day star, star of morning, morning star here instead of Lucifer

Their contention is that Jesus, not Satan, is the Bright & Morning star

Revelation 22:16 “16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.””

Hebrew word actually means ‘shining one’ (may connect to word for serpent in Gen. 3:1)

Greek translation is ‘morning star’

‘Lucifer’ (light-bearer) comes from the Latin so by English we’re 4 languages away from original

So the word has to do with brightness - something often attributed to supernatural beings

This idea is where my outline comes from

Term likely has reference to the morning star, Venus

Venus had a very prominent place in Babylonian religion & worship

What happens to the morning star when the sun rises? It disappears, its light overwhelmed by the power of the sun

In context Day star, morning star doesn’t weaken Jesus’ deity but strengthen it

All the references to Jesus as bright & morning star are of resurrected Jesus

When the Sun of Righteousness (Mal. 4:2) rises the star of the morning is overwhelmed

What is Isaiah telling us? Jesus will overwhelm Satan

Weakness of Pride

What has caused this fall? The original sin - pride

Isa. 14:12 - Satan’s lies & seduction to pride has weakened the world

Compare the ‘I wills’ of Isaiah 14

Satan seeks to exalt himself & it leads to his destruction

He tempts us to seek the same thing (Gen. 3) and it weakens us & leads to destruction

Now see God’s ‘I wills’ (Isa. 14:1-2)

I will have mercy

I will choose (be faithful)

God is glorified by doing good for us

Rottenness of Pride

Isaiah 14:16-21

Hell will gaze & wonder - “is this really the one who caused such fear & touble in the world?”

Pride seeks glory & power, longs for adoration

Only fruit of pride, rebellion against God is rottenness

Isa. 14:17 - pride would rather have the world desolate under their control than beautiful in the hand of others

Is this not exactly what Satan deceived us to pursue

Rather than Eden we’ve created a world of death

God’s redemptive program is to bring us back to Eden

Isa. 14:20 - In pursuit of our own pride we bring desolation and destruction to our own people

Pride destroys families as brutally as it destroys nations

The way of Christ is the way of humility, sacrifice and submission

When we’re not afraid to let go we all flourish and beauty abounds

Conclusion

What should we take from this?

Reason God speaks so often & so violently against pride is because this is the heart of what will destroy us

It is part of a battle that before us, that transcends us, our generation, our world

Pride is an enemy that we cannot defeat on our own

Faith in Jesus kills prides & gives you new life

Faith in Jesus immerses you in the mercy of the powerful and faithful God

The glorious light of God overcomes the brightness of pride

James 4:6–7 NKJV

6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

If you need to know what that means or how to apply it please ask me today