Isaiah 14:1-23 A Taunt for Babylon’s King

by Larry Ferrell | March 2, 2018
The word taunt is perhaps too precise and strong for the Hebrew word used here, but it does capture accurately the tone of the song which follows. It has the form of a funeral lament, but instead of expressing sorrow it communicates profound satisfaction, even delight. It celebrates, in this ironic fashion, the downfall of arrogance and oppression, represented here by the king of Babylon. It moves from the earth (vv. 4b-8) to Sheol beneath (vv. 9-11), to heaven above (vv. 12-14, momentarily down to Sheol again (v. 15), and finally back to the earth (vv. 16-21. Verses 22-23 confirm, in the form of a straight-forward judgment oracle, that what is anticipated in the song will indeed take place.

The cosmic sweep of the poem led some early interpreters, and many since them, to see here a symbolic description of the fall of Satan. But this reads too much into the text (and I think it does), it is equally misguided to reduce it to a description of the fall of a particular earthly monarch. The king of Babylon here, like Babylon itself in chapter 13, is a representative figure, the embodiment of that worldly arrogance that defies God and tramples on others in its lust for power. It is this which lies at the heart of every evil for which particular nations will be indicted in the following chapters. It also lies at the heart of all the horrendous acts of inhumanity which human beings and nations still commit against one another today. That is why the tone of this song should not cause us any embarrassment. This is no cheap gloating over the downfall of an enemy, but the satisfaction and delight which God’s people rightly feel at his final victory over evil. The same note of celebration is heard at the very end of the Bible (Rev. 18) where, again, Babylon is a cipher for all that opposes God and his purposes.

The pine trees and the cedars of Lebanon (v. 8) represents the peoples of northern Israel and Syria who were particularly exposed to aggressors from beyond the Euphrates and had suffered much at their hands. In verse 9 the shadowy remains of former rulers are pictured as greeting the fallen oppressor with astonishment in Sheol. For all his might he has proved to be no more enduring than themselves! The morning star, son of the dawn (v. 12) is probably the planet Venus, which seems to rival the sun in its early brightness but is soon eclipsed. The mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain (v. 13) is Mount Zaphon, where the Canaanite gods were reputed t meet, like the Greek gods on Mount Olympus. Isaiah boldly uses imagery from this pagan background to point to the essence of human pride: self-deification. The ultimate disgrace of the oppressor, in verses 16-21, is to be deprived of honorable burial, and to have no descendants to perpetuate his name.

Isaiah 14:1-23 Reflection Questions:
Have you ever expressed satisfaction or delight about something bad that happened to an enemy? What does Jesus say we should do?
Have we changed much since Isaiah’s day? What are some examples you see?
Could Isaiah use the same imagery in today’s world concerning the essence of human pride? What does Jesus say about our pride?

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Philippians 3:9 Your Goodness or God’s?

by Larry Ferrell | March 16, 2018
Philippians 3:9 is a summary of the Book of Romans, for it deals with the heart of salvation in one verse. The principles involved are these: First, there are two kinds of righteousness – the righteousness that comes from man and the righteousness that comes from God. Second, God cannot be satisfied with any righteousness that comes from human beings. Third, God is satisfied with His own righteousness, which He offers freely to all who believe in Jesus Christ. For those who do believe, this is the objective basis of salvation.

It’s not easy to describe the righteousness of God because it is an aspect of His character, and sin limits our knowledge of Him. Yet we know that the righteousness of God is related to the holiness of God and both are seen in the law of the Old Testament and in the ethical teachings of Jesus Christ. The law is NOT God’s righteousness; but it is an expression of it, just as a coin is an expression of the die in the mint that produced it. It’s important to emphasize that the righteousness of God that is seen in the law and in Jesus Christ is different from human righteousness. Human beings would like to think that they can attain God’s standard of righteousness merely by adding to their own, but since the two kinds of righteousness are different in nature, this is impossible. God teaches that there are two kinds of righteousness – His righteousness and human righteousness – and that the accumulation of human righteousness, no matter how diligent, will never take a person to heaven. It’s like trying to buy groceries with Monopoly money; it’s a different kind of currency than what is used in the real world. It’s the same spiritually. There are people who think they are collecting assets before God when they are only collecting human righteousness. God tells them that they must leave the play currency to deal in His goodness. Our goodness has no value in heaven. Most people will not believe that. Therefore, much of the Bible is given over to showing why human goodness will never please God. The Book of Romans is the primary example. The opening chapters of this book probe to the depths of human sin, exposing our spiritual illness and indicating why human remedies will not heal the soul.

God is looking at you heart and mine. What does He see? Does He see deeds, even religious deeds that are not backed up by the divine life within? Or does He see His own righteousness, imputed to you and beginning to work its way out into your conduct? You cannot fool God with human righteousness. If you are trusting this, He must say to you as He says to all, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Rom. 3:10-12). You must turn from your goodness to God’s.

God’s verdict upon the human race includes all people – the hedonist, the moralist, the most religious person, and you, whatever you may be. It is one that declares all human righteousness unable to satisfy the righteous standards of God. You are included in that judgment, but you may not be able to feel that the things God is saying about you are true. Are you sensitive to God’s verdict? Do you feel the truth of His statements? If not, there is a spiritual disorder in your life and God must begin to operate on it before you will come to Him. Perhaps He is doing that now! You may be feeling the most acute spiritual pain because of it, but you must know that your new sensitivity is the first step in your spiritual recovery. Your recovery will take place completely as you come to God to receive a righteousness that comes from God Himself and is entirely untainted by sin. That righteousness comes by faith in Jesus Christ. You must come to God through Him.

Philippians 3:9 Reflection Questions:
Will you accept God’s verdict upon your goodness and turn to Him for the righteousness He gives you by grace?
How is God working on your spiritual illness?
In what way are trying to please God with human goodness?

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