Isaiah 14:1-27
Because of His compassion for the small remnant of His people, God will overthrow the mightiest empires (Isaiah 43:3-5). Nothing is too difficult for Him when the deliverance of those He loves is at stake. So let us not be afraid! All the help His children need is available from Him, not because of our faithfulness, but His.
After Babylon, it is a question of its king. And we are present at a particularly gripping scene. In thought Isaiah transports us into the abode of the dead and imagines the consternation aroused by the arrival of this noble person. "Well! well! You too!" declare with astonishment those who knew him at the height of his power! In this king of Babylon we recognise the head of the fourth Empire (Roman) also called "the Beast". However, from v. 12 the thought of the Spirit goes beyond this agent of Satan to focus attention on Satan himself. "How art thou fallen from heaven . . .!" What a deep mystery that pride should be seen in Lucifer, the angel of light! Having become the prince of darkness, he still knows how to disguise himself as an angel of light in order to deceive (2 Corinthians 11:14). Today he still causes the earth to tremble by the power of darkness and still does not set free his prisoners (vv. 16, 17; Isaiah 49:24-25). But God will soon bruise him under our feet (Romans 16:20; Ezekiel 28:16-19).