Tuesday: Fall of the Mountain “King”
Isa: 14:1-32
In response to the fall of Babylon (Isaiah 13), which frees God’s people (Isa: 14:1-3), Isaiah 14:4-23 utters a figurative taunt (see also Mic: 2:4, Hab: 2:6) against the king of Babylon. It is poetic, not meant to be literal, obviously, as it portrays dead kings greeting their new colleague in the realm of death ( Isaiah 14.9-10), where maggots and worms are his bedding (Isa: 14:11). This is simply the Lord’s dramatic way of telling the haughty king that he shall be brought low, as other proud monarchs before him—it is not a commentary on the state of the dead!
How could Isaiah 14:12-14 apply to a king of Babylon?
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Babylonian kings did not suffer from lack of self-esteem (Daniel 4, 5). But aspiring to “be like the most High” (Isa: 14:14) would be beyond even the most inflated ego. While kings claimed strong connections with the gods, they were subservient to them. This was dramatically demonstrated every year on the fifth day of the Babylonian New Year Festival, in which the king was required to remove his royal insignia before approaching the statue of Marduk so his kingship could be reaffirmed. The idea of displacing even a lesser god would have been looked upon as crazy and suicidal.
As in Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28 identifies heaven-daring arrogance with the ruler of a city. Here also, the description goes beyond that of an earthly monarch, and God’s cross-hairs come into sharper focus: The proud potentate was in the Garden of Eden, an anointed, covering, or guardian, cherub on God’s holy mountain, perfect from the day he was created until sin was found in him, cast out by God, and who will eventually be destroyed with fire (Ezek: 28:12-18). Applied to any human being, the specific terms of this rhetoric are so figurative as to be meaningless. But Revelation 12:7-9 does tell of a mighty being who was cast out of heaven with his angels: “Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (Rev: 12:9, NRSV), who deceived Eve in Eden (Genesis 3).
Satan has a proud imagination: “ … you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,’ yet you are but a mortal, and no god” (Ezek: 28:2, NRSV). His death will prove he is no god. Unlike Christ, Satan will perish in the heart of a sea of fire (Rev: 20:10), never to haunt the universe again.
| Compare Isaiah 14.13-14 with Matthew 11:29, John 13:5, and Philippians 2:5-8. What does this contrast tell us about the character of God as opposed to the character of Satan? What does this contrast tell us about how the Lord views pride, arrogance, and the desire for self-supremacy? |
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Isaiah 14 is fairly difficult reading. It is filled with images and is in some respects like a collage art work where one image blends seamlessly into another and you are never quite sure where one begins and ends.
Taken as a whole though it is an indictment against those who try to replace God with their own importance. While the chapter can be disturbingly negative at times there are glimpses of the regrowth. And finally:
The wrong will be made right and justice for the little people shall prevail.
One interesting little aside: Right in the middle of this chapter we have this verse:
Last year I went out one morning photographing birds and for one reason or another all my birding friends were elsewhere. Suddenly I realised that I was looking at a Black Bittern, standing on a branch in the middle of the creek and I took some really great photographs of it. Bitterns are notoriously difficult to observe let alone photograph and I was famous for a week after among the bird photography community. Now I know it has nothing really to do with the lesson, but why do you think Isaiah mentioned Bitterns at all. At least it made me reread the chapter!
Hi Maurice, could the mention of the bittern be due to its preference for solitude? In other words: the hustle and bustle of prosperity would become desolation, and this mention really makes the point of the stark contrast to come to the once proud city.
As an aside, birds are mentioned all throughout the Bible. Think Noah with the raven and the dove, Elijah with the ravens, the eagles, birds of prey, the sparrow, and I'm sure there are many more. I think birds bring as much delight to God as they do to us.
Your post encouraged my curiosity, so I looked it up and I noticed this sentence. " It is usually seen flying away into thick cover." I know so little about birds I focused on the "flying away" and thought perhaps this is a bird that does not relish being seen and hides itself, made easy by it's appearance? However, during the time Isaiah describes, even the bittern will not need to hide. The previous verses seem to suggest people will be scarce or non-existent. In the midst of all the desolation, the birds will have a field day! A day of possession.
I had to look up the meaning of "bittern" in German and I found it: a black bittern is a "Schwarzdommel". The funny thing is, that in German translations of this text the animals mentioned are either just "Voegel", birds, or "Igel" which is hedgehogs. Now this, too, has nothing to do with the lesson, but it made me interested in the text!
It is interesting to do a study of the birds mentioned in the Bible. Some references of course are literal while others are metaphoric. The book of Isaiah, being largely poetic uses its reference to birds metaphorically. The fact that the original could refer to either a waterbird or a hedgehog (porcupine) is interesting. My experience with both has shown that both species are often described as cryptic - hidden in plain sight, unnoticed. And perhaps Isaiah was trying to convey the idea that ultimately the proud and haughty who play God ultimately become noticed.
The other bittern is the bitter water solution of salts that remains after sodium chloride has crystallized out of a brine. In context this is what is left of Babylon, after its demise.
NLT says a land filled with owls, which fits the general description of the heron type bird you are talking about, secretive and short necked.
Hope you are doing well, the children of God. Can someone help me to understand the topic "Playing God" versus the lesson...am failing to match it with the lesson...Thank you all.
Thank you, Tendai. Heavenly blessings to you, too! I interpret "playing God" in connection with our lesson this way .... Lucifer, the ancient kings, and people today all play God when they exalt themselves above the rule of their Creator (Is. 14:13). God always descends to meet us; Jesus was our example in humility (Phil 2:6-11). If we have God's Spirit within us we will try to descend to serve God in serving others, not ascend. Ascension is a gift God gives His servants (1 Cor 7:22-23) at the end of time (1 Thess 4:16-17). The only thing of ourselves to lift up is our hearts, heads and hands in repentance and worship to God (Lamentations 3:40-42).
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Matt 11:28
Fall of the Mountain “King”
'Compare Isaiah 14.13-14 with Matthew 11:29, John 13:5, and Philippians 2:5-8. What does this contrast tell us about the character of God as opposed to the character of Satan?'
Matthew 11:29- Christ offered us his yoke freely.
'The yoke is placed upon the oxen to aid them in drawing the load, to lighten the burden. So with the yoke of Christ. When our will is swallowed up in the will of God, and we use His gifts to bless others, we shall find life’s burden light. He who walks in the way of God’s commandments is walking in company with Christ, and in His love the heart is at rest. When Moses prayed, “Show me now Thy way, that I may know Thee,” the Lord answered him, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” {DA 331.1}
It is not by becoming equal with God/wanting to have his power that we are serving him and at rest with him. Having his character, which is, allowing him to live in us and we in him shows we are truly doing his will and as a results, we are finding rest in him. By being of service to God and men, we are cooperating with his will. The ten commandments is about being of service to God(first four) and service to men(other six).
Lyn - thank you for using Ellen White's writings to highlight the nuances of Christ's joke. Yes, the danger for man does not lie in expressing God's character in one's life accurately, but in assuming that His character is one's own construct. Thank you for helping to point this out!
Good and evil are opposite. Some may say that one does not exist without the other! Not true! Good (God) exists way before! What a mystery! How could evil be born in the heart of a perfect being? At the same time, how could a God become like a limited being as a human? Pride x Love.
Every individual who denies God through unbelief and disobedience is putting themselves in the place of God(see 2 Thess 2:3,4). God has made His will known through His word, and any who remain ignorant of God's will have chosen to do so(see John 16:8). The greater our opportunities and knowledge, the greater our guilt in rejecting any of God's statutes and sovereignty in our lives.
The true “king” of Babylon is Satan, and all who are lost have followed in his example of defying God by choosing their own desire over the will of God. Daniel 5 tells of the defiant Belshazzar, who is but a symbol of every impenitent sinner. All sin is an act of defying the Sovereignty of God, which is why repentance and faith are vital for us to demonstrate as they are the conditions for receiving eternal life through Christ. If we do not deny ourselves, take up our “cross”, and follow Jesus' example, we are denying God Himself. There are only two ways we may follow, and every choice places us on one path or the other. The further we go down the disobedient path, our boldness in defiance of God will increase, and our opposition against His people.
In Isaiah 14:12-14 is a very direct comment that applies to the devil himself and how God plans to end his character and rule. However, in principle, this applied to King Nebuchadnezzar just before God turned him into a gorilla-like creature for seven years. Then, it very clearly applies to the last king of Babylon when Daniel revealed to that king his doom the very night that Darius took over the kingdom of Babylon.
Wow, Isaiah 14 is a long chapter. Some thoughts...
(1) Is. 14:11 (cf. Is. 5:14-16) Even the monarchs who thought of themselves as gods will one day lay on a bed of worms. Mortality is a leveler of all prides and prejudices, rankings and class systems. Humans spend so much time and focus on grooming an image and scrabbling for a social standing, and then once we're 6' underground it becomes obvious that as form fades we all look very much the same. We all end up bared before no one else but God (literally and spiritually). This often helps me with pride. I just imagine myself in situation "x" as a skeleton and I'm humbled. I have a framed artistic representation of this concept by Charles Allan Gilbert which used to hang over my grandmother's dresser. Up close you see a woman looking at her reflection in a mirror with all of her cosmetic bottles, while from far away you see a skull (https://www.illusionsindex.org/i/all-is-vanity).
(2) Is. 14:26-27 The Assyrian king had a plan for world domination, but Yaweh had/has a plan for world redemption. No matter the choices of world leaders and governments, they become instruments to carry out Yaweh's plan (cf. Is. 8:10). We can be a nation "under God" or a nation trying to be like God (dominating); we can be a church "under God" or a church trying to be like God (dominating); we can be individuals "under God" or individuals trying to be like God (dominating).
(3) Is Isaiah 14:12-21 a reference to Satan? I've always heard that it is. We know these words originally referred to the king of Babylon or to the last great king of Assyria. For example, my footnotes say that "star of the morning" and "dawn" are both names of deities in Canaanite mythology.
And we know that the "king" of Babylon's problem was pride. (Same is true for us, the king of all of our problems is pride. In Gen. 3:5, when the serpent tells Eve she will "be like God" this appeals to her. We want knowledge and the power that comes with it, sometimes even at the expense of others and service to God. I love that the Bible's "Love Chapter" specifically warns against the pride of knowledge (1 Cor 13:1-3)).
So if Babylon in the Bible is an idiom for godless human government, likewise while we may be reading about Satan here, might it also be a personification of "Pride"? One reason I'm making this distinction is that the name "Satan" means "accuser" in Hebrew (Rev. 12:10; Job 1:6-12). In this portion of Is. 14 I see pride such as Satan has, but I don't see anyone accusing God's people or God Himself of anything.
I just want to end here with a praise to God. This quarantine time has given me the time to study His Word so much more in depth and I'm beyond grateful to have this opportunity for deeper, daily personal worship. And grateful for this forum of brothers and sisters in faith.
Commenting on Isaiah 14 verses 12-14,Lucifer aspired to be like God in position,power and glory,but not in Character.So many at times as Childrens of God,we are power-hungry instead hungry for God's Character.Lets work on our characters today while we still have the opportunity.The Babylonian King could not work on his character but played God and the result we know.
Michael- the devil is a liar and he trick many even SDA. Look at how our church is structured and people esteem them in order of these with respect and anything else.
1st Pastors- the highest position in the church. What he says goes. Doesn't do much hands on.
2nd Elders- serve in place of Pastors, only do certain things in the church, preach most of the times.
3rd Deacons- clean the church in and out, preach at times.
4th-
5th- and so on. Do we see the hierarchy we have in the church. Some always seeking for position to be above others.
Hi Lynn,
I thank God that I do not appear to be deceived regarding the "hierarchy" which you have described. Working as a Bible Worker and lay pastor over the years has given me many opportunities of working alongside ordained pastors as well as lay members. Because of this I do not esteem pastors over lay members. I see that both pastors and lay members have strengths and weaknesses. I have worked with lay members who know their Bibles and give their time during the week to the church just as much as the pastor-if not more. While I have encountered narcissistic pastors I have also worked with more pastors who understand that what they say does not go just because they said it. They understand how to work under the direction of the church board which is run by the lay members. Many pastors are hands on. However pastors who do all the work are not doing the job which is to empower and equip the lay members to do their jobs. Just like Stephen in the book of Acts many deacons are just as spiritual as the pastor and elders. I am an elder but I understand elders are not higher than deacons. The job descriptions are equal but not the same. It has been a long time since I respected a pastor for simply being a pastor. I respect character not position. There are lay members who I look up to and respect more than I do a conference leader. There are many conference leaders that I look up to and respect not because they are conference leaders but because they are Christians. I wonder if being a Bible Worker and lay preacher puts me both in the clergy world as well as the lay member world thus giving me a more balanced view of both? One thing I can say is I have gone out to eat with and hung out with conference presidents as well as church deacons. I have deeply appreciated both while being in awe of neither.
As I read through today’s Scripture references, it occured to me that the prophet intermittently speaks God’s word to the spirit of the dragon directly as he addresses the acts of the kings of the ruling nations of Assyria and Babylon. I believe that these two nations embodied the effects of the cruelty of the spirit of the dragon on mankind explicitly.
The dragon and his angels fought with Michael and His angels in Heaven. The dragon and his angels were cast out of Heaven … “nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 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. ”, Rev.12:7-9KJV.
It is the dragon’s spirit which rules the hearts of proud, self-absorbed rulers. Everyone in position of leadership is exposed to its distortions/deceptions/lies. No one is immune to his spirit’s temptations to exalt one’s heart and feel the pride of life when lording ones power/position/influence over others. In the examples of the Kings of Babylon and Assyria as well as all the other 'mighty rulers', we find examples of the extreme desolation this style of rulership causes to people and their lifes.
I believe that Isaiah 14:14-17KJV depicts this spirit of the dragon expressed through the life of these powerful, cruel, and merciless rulers; v.16,17 “Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?”
Has not our heavenly Father given us a choice to decide which master to serve – Matt.6:24,25KJV? The Father’s way is to care for us based on His everlasting love for His creation; it is ever sustaining, nurturing and uplifting. In contrast, the dragon’s way of a life of self-exaltation brings in its wake utter desolation where: “… the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee” – Isa.14:11KJV.
Nothing is left of the inheritance of the dragon's spirit, because his inheritance is its own corruption, to destroy itselve from within; Lucifer, the fallen angel of light who deceived all nations will be no more.
The dragon instills in man the spirit of pride, haughtiness and all its vices which destroy life; our Father’s Holy Spirit of Love and compassioned justice and righteousness is given to preserve life and make it more abundant – may we all choose His life! Deut.30:15-20KJV.
Esther
'Up close you see a woman looking at her reflection in a mirror with all of her cosmetic bottles, while from far away you see a skull (https://www.illusionsindex.org/i/all-is-vanity).'
It was only today that thought came to me. I was looking at a woman with gray hair to the areas close to her roots but black hair to the outer areas. Many people whether rich, poor, white, black, and in between, child of a king, or child of a pawper, at approx 40yrs those gray hair steps in. We can do nothing to reverse the color of our natural hair. Coloring only last for so long then fades away. But the body aged and therefore those cosmetics bottles are needed. Humans cannot reverse the aging process, we can only cover up. We live and we die. Humans are mortals, subject to death. The righteous rest in the grave. We only have one shot at this thing call life, let us live it to the best to please God.
The desire to be ‘better than’ or the spirit of competition for supremacy isn’t a part of God’s character. It’s impossible to genuinely belong to God without allowing His Spirit to transform and eliminate a desire for power, undue focus, attention, and obeisance from others for whatever reason.
It is God alone Who created all things and He only should be worshipped.
In satan’s declaration in Isaiah 14:14, we see a created being “playing god” almost like a child plays house, influencing the actions of each doll. The spiritual game has much more devastating consequences .
God alone must be given supreme place of influence in our minds and hearts. He alone loves us enough to give Himself to be one of us (Emmanuel). Our salvation is in Him and He was willing though it cost Him more that we’ll ever know even in eternity.