55. The LORD Yet Choose Israel

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Hymns: 375 Speak, Lord, in the Stillness 376 O to Be Like Thee! 377 More Like the Master

Isaiah 14:1-15

1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. 2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. 3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, 4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! 5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. 6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. 7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. 8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. 9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 10 All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

The LORD Yet Choose Israel

OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION

The history of Israel, the nation chosen by God to be His representative and witness on earth to all the world’s nations, is the story of redemption for God’s people and the ultimate triumph of God and His people over the forces of darkness that this world represents. We learn from our text in verses 11-15, the spirit of the Antichrist, the Satanic spirit, the Luciferian spirit that opposes God and His people, that spirit is pride, the rebellion of the creatures against their Creator. This began in heaven when the most perfect of God’s archangels exalted himself against God. It is that prideful spirit that manifests in the form of the Serpent in the Garden of Eden to tempt Adam and Eve.

By five heinous thoughts of self-exaltation, Lucifer or Satan rebelled against his Creator.

The LORD saw the rise of the rebellious spirit in his heart – 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Lucifer sought in his blinded audacity to challenge God – yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Lucifer was raised to be so nigh to God but as a result of his pride was cast down to the lowest hell.

God’s redemption plan through His Christ will yet triumph and Christ will sit in the throne of Israel in Jerusalem to rule the nations of the world. He is the true Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Isaiah hinted at Christ coming to deliver man from sin, to deliver and straighten wayward Israel, in the prophecy of the virgin birth in Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. And Christ’s reign in Isaiah 9:6-7 (KJV) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

The psalmist rightly observed when he said in Psalm 33:6-15 (KJV) By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.

Chapter 13 and 14 gives the judgment of God on Babylon, the archenemy of Israel. When Isaiah gave the prophecy, the Assyrians were gathering force, the Babylonians were still unheard of. He predicted their downfall and Israel’s deliverance after their first captivity and the spirit of the antichrist that works against the people of God.

  • Israel shall Yet Possess the Land (v1-3)

1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. 2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

Jacob means “usurper”, describing a man of sin before God would save and sanctify him and change his name to “Israel”, “prince of God”. Israel’s slippery slide into immorality and idolatry during the reign of King Solomon, transgressing the commandments of God, led ultimately to her deportation from the land.

The Babylonians were God’s instrument of chastisement for His people. Here in this prophecy, Isaiah predicts their return to the land after their exile in Babylon.

The LORD will have mercy upon His people and allow them to return to the land, cleansed from the sin of idolatry and sanctified from immorality especially highlighted in the book of Nehemiah where they married foreign wives. These wives were put away.

 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 (KJV) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Israel’s return to the land after their captivity was by the auspices of Cyrus the Persian king who decreed the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem – 2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place…

2 Chronicles 36:22-23 (KJV) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.

The land of Israel is called “land of the LORD” for God owns the land and Israel is God’s steward possessing the land.

The Lord will send the Medo-Persians to destroy the Babylonians and send His people back to the land – and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

Daniel, the Jew, was made ruler over the land – Daniel 5:29 (KJV) Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. Daniel 6:2 (KJV) And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.

Ezra 1:1-3 (KJV) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.

The prophecy spoken here is not simply speaking of the first captivity rather alluded to their subsequent return during the time leading to Christ’s return to rule the world from Israel.

3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,

Truly, war brings utmost pain and sorrow, fear and hard bondage. Isaiah predicted their deliverance. As the LORD delivered them from Egyptian bondage to give birth to the nation, likewise we observe the Holocaust during the 2nd World War giving way to their repossessing of the land on 14 May 1948.

EJ Young observed well, “In the time of the deliverance the people will sing a song in which the downfall of the king of Babylon is celebrated.”

Rest given to the people is rest given by the Lord when the LORD will restore Israel, healing them of their sins.

  • Babylon shall Be Utterly Defeated (v4-6)

4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! 5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. 6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

Israel shall raise a poem, a song, and they will rejoice over the downfall of the enemy, the king of Babylon. The Babylonian city was glorious called the golden city full of precious treasures, yet it has been overthrown. The LORD has broken their stranglehold upon God’s people. Israel shall be freed. The dominion of the Babylonians shall cease, and their rule by anger and fury shall come to an end. The LORD raise another superpower to subdue them.

  • Rejoicing on Earth at the Fall of Babylon Like All Other Proud Kings (v7-11)

7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. 8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.

When unjust oppressors are subdued, the people rejoice. Just as it was at the end of the 2nd World War, the subjugated nations rejoice, when their captors surrendered.

Isaiah uses the imagery of trees to bring forth the people of world-wide rejoicing. Here the scene is broadened from merely the demise of the Babylonian kingdom rather it speaks of the demise of the Antichrist kingdom.

Even the trees rejoice, they would not have to be cut down as rams to take down cities. It is observed that the cedars gave to Lebanon her greatest renown but after them came the cypresses. Nebuchadnezzar had built a road for obtaining cedars. Once the enemy is dead, the trees need not fear that a woodcutter will come to cut them down.

Their enemy removed, and so the entire creation join in song.

On Earth, all was quiet and still and there was singing.

9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 10 All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

But hell beneath, the place where the wicked is judged, is fluttering to receive the tyrant. EJ Young said well, “This place has a lively interest in the tyrant and looks with expectation to his arrival. The shadows of the underworld …”

All the evil kings will be sent to hell, a picture of torment well described by our Lord in the scene of the rich man who knew not Christ and was found in hell at his death –  Luke 16:23-24 (KJV) And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Indeed, in hell, the fire burns perpetually and the worm never dies, a description of the decomposing of the body in the grave.

Pomp, glory and pride can lead not to God but only to worms. Isaiah wisely uses this strong language that we may consider our own condition, and align ourselves not with one whose doom is sure but with Him in whose hand is all power and strength. [EJ Young]

  • Tracing Sin to the Rebellion of Lucifer Against God (v12-15)

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Lucifer failed to fend off the subtlety of pride, lifted himself up failing to give all glory for his beauty to his Creator God, schemed in thought to rebel against the authority of God to make himself a name by the 5 “I will” statements, cannot escape the knowledge of God and was mournfully condemned by God into everlasting punishment on earth and later in hell without recourse! How much more man needs we to watch and repent from the subtlety of the sin of pride, the parent of all sin which God can forgive if only he repents.

“Pride is the ground in which all other sin grows, and the parent from which all the other sins come.” And also Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

It was the sin of pride, the haughty spirit that caused the most beautiful and perfect of God’s creature, the “anointed cherub” to fall.

When we achieve success, our success can get into our head and we think that it is “I” and “me” that has achieved this great feat. The Christian writer Andrew Murray also observes that pride is ‘the root of every sin and evil.”

When Lucifer fell, he did not fall alone. In Jude 6 we are told that other angels fell with him, Jude 1:6 “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” The parallel verse, 2 Peter 2:4 “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”

When Satan was cast down to earth, he tempted man. He had the intention to kill a man through his lies. His falsehood brought about the fall of man. Satan lied, and man believed. And Man died!

This death is threefold: (1) physical death (2) spiritual death (alienation from fellowship with God), and (3) eternal death (eternal condemnation in the lake of fire).

BEWARE OF THE SUBTLE PROMPTINGS OF THE SIN OF PRIDE (verse 13-14)

The root cause of Satan’s sin was his pride. The centre of PRIDE is the letter “I”. We in verses 13-14 the conception of sin begins first in the heart with the five-fold self-exaltation and we shall see the fourfold condemnation in verses 12 & 15. It was “I will” versus “God’s will”.

Notice it began in the heart, no actions taken yet. Sin is first conceived in the heart. Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

A haughty spirit, a proud heart, not seen by others but known only to oneselves and definitely to God. How we need to nip it in the bud and repent immediately. For he allowed the wicked thought of rebelling against His Creator God to fester in the heart, notice the development of thought – I will ascend into heaven, I will then exalt my throne above the stars of God, then I will sit upon the judgment seat of God and I will ascend above the heights of the clouds and finally I will be like the Most High. The anointed cherub of God wanted to be like God.

The scheming of the heart to rebel against God starts with a mere thought. How we need to guard our thoughts, brethren.

From the fall of Lucifer, we learn of the subtlety of the sin of pride. It begins with a thought. Left unchecked, it results in the most drastic fall. For the fallen angel, there is no recourse, unlike men.

BE SURE OF THE CONDEMNATION THAT COMES WITH THE FESTERING OF PRIDE (verses 11, 12 & 15)

The condemnation of Satan was thorough. The word “How” is an interrogative adverb expressing mourning and reproach. How sad it is to see the fall of one that was made for the express Glory of God spurning that great privilege. Ezekiel 28:15 says “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

The prophet Jeremiah made a good observation when he said, Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

God searched the heart of his trusted angel, the perfection of his creation and found Lucifer wanting.

This chapter of Isaiah is a description of God’s condemnation of the King of Babylon who was used by God to punish idolatrous Judah in verse 4. Isaiah 14:4 “That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!”

CONCLUSION

May God’s comfort come to His people who may suffer unjustly for God can right all wrongs. Amen.