Page 36 - Isaiah Student Worktext

Chapter 14 Main Idea: Prediction of the fall of Babylon with a secondary prophecy of the
judgment on Satan.

V. 1-3 Even though God allows the captivity and defeat of Israel, in the end, He chooses Jacob, or Israel.

Again, this has a broader fulfillment than just the defeat of Babylon. This also points to the end times,
with the ultimate triumph over evil.

V. 4-8 This is a celebration of the defeat of Babylon, the ‘golden city’ which has ceased. The Lord has
broken the staff and the scepter, symbolic of power, of those who had oppressed Israel.

The result is that the whole earth is at rest and quiet. We can clearly see from this that the fulfillment is
yet to come. There has never been a time when the whole earth was at peace.

Even the trees will rejoice because there is no woodsman to come up against them.

V. 9-11 Again, two applications here. Throughout history, evil rulers have made life miserable for the
people. But here is the simple truth: they may appear to win for a time, but ultimately, they can never
defeat the final enemy, death.

Caligula is considered one of the evilest of Roman emperors, engaged in perversion, great cruelty and
extravagant misuse of public funds. He was knifed in the ribs by the Roman guards.

Hitler comes to mind…we know his crimes. He swallowed poison, shot himself in the temple and had his
minions burn the building so that his body wouldn’t be mutilated as Mussolini’s was.

Mao Zedong suffered a series of heart attacks and finally died.

The point is that death comes to all, whether an ancient Babylonian king or a modern-day dictator.

Death also comes to the grand master of evil, the devil.

These verses address this…hell is excited to have the one responsible for them being there to join them.
They will mock him as he becomes just as weak as they are. His former arrogance is now covered in
maggots and worms.

V. 12-15 ‘Lucifer’ means ‘morning star’, a name sometimes given to the planet Venus. Luke 10: 18.

Satan’s plan was to ascend to heaven and take the power of God from Him, or at the very least to
become like Him.

The reality is that he will be brought down to the deepest depths.

V. 16-17 Satan may have desired the adulation of the people, but what he gets will be mocking. Like
most of Isaiah, this also has a contemporary fulfillment. An Assyrian emperor, Sargon II, who strutted
and swaggered, was killed on the battlefield.

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