For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Isaiah 14:1-8     

1 The Lord will have compassion on Jacob;
    once again he will choose Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.
Foreigners will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
2 Nations will take them
    and bring them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.

3 On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labour forced on you, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

How the oppressor has come to an end!
    How his fury has ended!
5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked,
    the sceptre of the rulers,
6 which in anger struck down peoples
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued nations
    with relentless aggression.
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;
    they break into singing.
8 Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
‘Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.’

A. Find Out:

1. What will the Lord do for Israel & who will join them? v.1
2. What reversal will take place? v.2
3. What day is coming? v.3
4. Against whom will they taunt then and why? v.4
5. What will the Lord have done and with what result? v.5-7
6. How will even Lebanon join in? v.8

B. Think:

1. How will there be a turnabout in respect of Israel? v.1,2
2. How will there be a turnabout in respect of Babylon? v.3-

C. Comment:

Sometimes when a prophet starts receiving revelation from heaven, the ‘edges’ of it become blurred or it overlaps so that there are more than one thing being referred to, or one thing refers to several fulfilments. This passage has a number of aspects that are not clear for these reasons.

First there is reference to Israel being returned to their own land, which is straight forward, but then it says that other nations will join them (v.1). Is this a prophetic reference to the work of Jesus so that people from all nations become part of God’s true people? Are the servants (v.2) actually servants of the Lord, rather than servants of Israel, because otherwise this has never been fulfilled?

Next comes a change that focuses back on Babylon. When that other turnabout takes place, there will also be a deriding of the king of Babylon. Babylon, which had been used to bring judgement on Israel, is now brought low herself, so that peace comes to the whole area (v.7). Even Lebanon (v.8), that had known invading armies pouring through, chopping down the mighty pines and cedars, breathes a sigh of relief as all that comes to an end.

For Israel this is a time of relief from all the suffering and turmoil and bondage of war (v.3). This is clearly a time of peace brought by the Lord, a mighty work of God for His people!

D. Application:

1. Powerful nations are no problem for the Lord!
2. When the Lord decrees peace, it will come!

Passage: Isaiah 14:9-17     

9 The realm of the dead below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you –
    all those who were leaders in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones –
    all those who were kings over the nations.
10 They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
‘You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.’
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,
    along with the noise of your harps;
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms cover you.

12 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!
13 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.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
    to the depths of the pit.

16 Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:
‘Is this the man who shook the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,
    who overthrew its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?’

A. Find Out:

1. Who does Isaiah envisage greeting the king of Babylon? v.9-11
2. How is ‘he’ referred to? v.12
3. What had ‘he’ once aspired to? v.13,14
4. Yet what has happened? v.15
5. What do his onlookers ponder over? v.16,17

B. Think:

1. What point is being made in v.9-11,16,17?
2. What had been in his heart that caused the downfall?

C. Comment:

Once again we find ourselves with a prophecy that we are left wondering over. Prophecy is sometimes like that. It is not absolutely clear. Even prophecy today sometimes leaves you with this feeling, that you will only really understand it after it has been fulfilled.

At one level this prophecy is quite clear and obvious. We saw in verse 4 that it was directed against the king of Babylon, and then in verses 4 to 8 how he was told his end had come. In these verses now, that is spelled out very graphically. Isaiah envisages the underworld of death being stirred up to greet him, all the other ‘great’ leaders of the past who have similarly been brought to nothing. When they look at this pitiful figure entering the courts of the underworld, they wonder and think, was this person who was the cause of so much death and carnage in his time on earth?

But there seems something else here. Verses 12 to 14 are very personal with five uses of “I” as Isaiah describes the aspirations of this one. It is at this point that theologians down through the ages have wondered about this being, is this a hidden description of Satan? A being from heaven (v.12a)? Morning star, or shining one (v.12b)? Is this an angelic being who thought too much of himself and has now been cast down to the earth from heaven (v.12c)? If it is, it tells us that it was pride that was at the heart of Lucifer’s fall, and it warns us, to avoid pride which can be our downfall also.

D. Application:

1. Beware pride. It will be your downfall.
2. Never, in any shape or form, compete with God. He alone is Lord.

Passage: Isaiah 14:18-27

18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.
19 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,
20     you will not join them in burial,
for you have destroyed your land
    and killed your people.

Let the offspring of the wicked
    never be mentioned again.
21 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.

22 ‘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.
23 ‘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.

24 The Lord Almighty has sworn,

‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.
25 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.’

26 This is the plan determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
    His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

A. Find Out:

1. How is Babylon’s king different from others who have died? v.18-20
2. What will happen to his family? v.21
3. What will the Lord do to Babylon? v.22,23
4. Who also will the Lord deal with? v.24,25
5. How far will His judgement go? v.26
6. How certain is it? v.27

B. Think:

1. Why is Babylon’s king to be treated differently?
2. What is the fate decreed for Babylon?
3. Who else is in the Lord’s sights?

C. Comment:

The condemnation of the king of Babylon continues. Previously we saw that others in the underworld would marvel that such a dictator could be brought to nothing and now that ‘nothingness’ is expanded upon. Other kings’ bodies lie in state, honoured, but this king’s body will be thrown out, that is how ignominious his death will be (v.19). Why? Because he was the cause of bodies being strewn all over the place and left without a grave, and so he too will be the same!

Even more than that, his name will not be continued, for his family will be included in this judgement and will all be killed (v.21). Even more than that, the place of his greatness, Babylon, (v.22,23) will be utterly destroyed so his name will not be carried on their either (implied).

Then it is as if the eyes of the Lord traverse the nations and He turns to Assyria (v.25). It’s as if He says, and don’t think you’re going to get away with what you’ve done, just because I’m focusing on Babylon! You too, who trampled on my people, on my land, will be trampled underfoot. Then it’s as if He lifts His eyes to the whole world (v.26) and adds, and all of you too who have stood against my people, you’ll all be held to account. I am going to include all nations who oppressed my people. You will all be held accountable!

D. Application:

1. Opposing God’s people means opposing God. Beware!
2. God will hold all such nations accountable.

Passage: Isaiah 14:28-32

28 This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died:

29 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 darting, venomous serpent.
30 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.

31 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.
32 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.’

A. Find Out:

1. When did this word come & who was told not to do what? v.28,29a
2. Why? v.29b
3. What will happen in Israel and Philistia respectively? v.30
4. What were the Philistine cities to do and why? v.31
5. What had the Lord decreed? v.32

B. Think:

1. Read 2 Kings 16:1-20 & 2 Chr 28:1-27
2. What sort of king had Ahaz been?
3. Why should the Philistines not rejoice that he is dead?

C. Comment:

The next word that comes to Isaiah comes after the death of Ahaz, which is significant. It is in fact a word to the Philistines who lived to the south west of Judah. They had always been a thorn in the side of Judah and Israel, and now that Ahaz is dead they were rejoicing that his reign has ended and Judah might now be weak. The fact was that Ahaz had been an ungodly king who had turned to other nations for help and had received help from them. His death is perhaps seen as God’s judgment because he had been strong in his occult worship, which made him a fearful neighbour for Philistia.

The attitude of the Philistines was that Judah would now become weak but the Lord disabuses them of this idea and warns them that the next king will appear worse to the Philistines, not because he will be ungodly but simply because he will be stronger. There will be peace and security in Judah (.v30) but the curse of famine in Philistia. More than that, they will suffer an invader from the north (v.31), who is not identified. When that nation sends envoys the Philistines will not be able to answer and (implied) will become prey to them.

In the meantime Jerusalem will become secure because the Lord has decreed that and the people of God will find refuge in the strength that is there. All of the hopes of the Philistines against Judah are thus brought to nothing. The Lord has spoken!

D. Application:

1. Be careful how you interpret the activities of nations. It may be God!
2. Don’t let your pride lead you into wrong assumptions.