ISAIAH LESSON 18


     We will begin by repeating Isaiah 14:16 They that see thee shall
narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the
man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;  Isaiah
14:17 "[That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities
thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners?"

     Most expositors believe this to be speaking, again, of the
Babylonian captivity and the fallen king of Babylon, literally. As I
said in the previous lesson, I believe this is speaking of Lucifer,
who was known of as Satan, when he did his evil on the earth. We, many
times, call him the devil, as well. All three are the same being and
all are evil. The evil people's hero has fallen. The devastation
caused by Satan through all the evil rulers of the earth are caught up
in this one statement. You see, it might be the evil king of Babylon
who carried out the evil on the earth, but it was Satan, himself, who
directed the evil. We mentioned Hitler in the previous lesson. He
struck fear in many a heart, and left devastation every where he went,
but there came a day when God said, it is enough. Hitler, the
Babylonian king, and all other wicked rulers come to the same fate as
Lucifer. They are thrown down to the pit. They may have struck fear in
the hearts of many when they were in power, but now they have no power
at all, and we wonder why we ever feared them. In defeat, they are no
more than any other man. They will suffer great punishment for the
cruelty they inflicted on others on the earth. Hitler and the
Babylonian king were under the influence of the devil, himself.

     Isaiah 14:18 "All the kings of the nations, [even] all of them,
lie in glory, every one in his own house."

     Kings, such as king David, are buried and remembered for their
greatness. An evil king is not remembered. It is good to forget their
evil life as soon as possible.

     Isaiah 14:19 "But thou art cast out of thy grave like an
abominable branch, [and as] the raiment of those that are slain,
thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as
a carcase trodden under feet."

     The Babylonian, or Hitler, were not buried with honor and pomp.
They did not receive a heroes' grave. Their branch is cut off and
thrown away. No one wants to be their offspring. A branch, such as the
verse above mentions, is burned or completely destroyed. They have
been dressed in fine garments, but they are blood stained and torn
now, of no use to anyone. Bodies of the fallen in battle in the time
of the Babylonians, many times, were just left to decay and be
forgotten. The main reason is no one claims the body of someone this
evil.

     Isaiah 14:20 "Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial,
because thou hast destroyed thy land, [and] slain thy people: the seed
of evildoers shall never be renowned."

     Evil rulers' monuments are torn down, they are not remembered
with fondness. God would not let an evil race continue on. Just as He
killed all in Sodom and Gomorrah, so the evil of the city would not
spread, God will not allow evil to continue from generation to
generation. He will stop their line of inheritance.

     Isaiah 14:21 "Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity
of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor
fill the face of the world with cities."

     The thing this is saying, to me, is that God does not want evil
to live on in the children of the evil one. He will not allow evil to
prosper and fill the cities with evil.

     Isaiah 14:22 "For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of
hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and
nephew, saith the LORD."

     This is just simply saying that their name will die out.

     Isaiah 14:23 "I will also make it a possession for the bittern,
and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction,
saith the LORD of hosts."

     The city of Babylon was thought to be indestructible. The hanging
gardens of Babylon, also, were thought to be one of the seven wonders
of the world. We find that world renown seldom remains. Babylon fell
and has never been rebuilt. It is in total destruction, as are many of
the evil kings who had reigned here. It fell to Cyrus of Persia, but
really God destroyed Babylon, as He will destroy any city, or people,
with the spirit of Babylon today. The spirit of Babylon is the spirit
of Satan, himself.

     Isaiah 14:24  "The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I
have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so]
shall it stand:"

     The Lord is not a man that He should lie. God is Truth. Every
thing He has said would happen, will happen. It may not happen in the
time frame that we wish it to, but it will happen.

     Isaiah 14:25 "That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon
my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off
them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders."

     Isaiah has stopped looking to the far future here, and is dealing
with the more immediate problem of the Assyrians. This breaking of the
Assyrian is a direct intervention by God. They will not be burdened by
the Assyrian. Their rule will cease shortly.

     Isaiah 14:26 "This [is] the purpose that is purposed upon the
whole earth: and this [is] the hand that is stretched out upon all the
nations."
     God is not just God of one little people, but is God of all
nations. They may be rebellious and serve other gods, but God is their
Creator and their God. When God stretches His hand forth, no one can
remove it, but Himself.

     Isaiah 14:27 "For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall
disannul [it]? and his hand [is] stretched out, and who shall turn it
back?"

     This just puts greater emphasis on what was said in verse 26. Man
may desire something contrary to the will of God, but once God has set
the plan, there is no turning back. There is no greater than the LORD,
so no one can turn Him back.

     Isaiah 14:28 "In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden."

     We learned earlier in these lessons, that the word translated
"burden" means prophecy. Ahaz died approximately 725 B.C.

     Isaiah 14:29  "Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod
of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall
come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit [shall be] a fiery flying
serpent."

     Isaiah is saying, that because one enemy is overturned, it does
not mean their troubles are over. Another more wicked will come forth
seemingly from the same root. Palestina is thought to be a region of
Syria. It could be Syria of the Philistines.

     Isaiah 14:30 "And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the
needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine,
and he shall slay thy remnant."

     God protects the poor and the needy. They shall have food. God
will bring famine to the Philistines. Another army will come to
destroy them, but they will be killed by the famine.

     Isaiah 14:31 "Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina,
[art] dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none
[shall be] alone in his appointed times."

     This is speaking to all of the cities of Philistia. They shall
all be destroyed. The smoke is the army of Assyria who overwhelms them
and destroys them.

     Isaiah 14:32 "What shall [one] then answer the messengers of the
nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people
shall trust in it."

     Zion, here, means the city of God and, also, means the church.
They may come for help, but the only help they will get will be safety
in Zion.  Those in the world who are wretched and poor of spirit, as
well as physically, shall find help in the Lord. Trust in the Lord
with all your heart, and you shall be saved.
                          Isaiah 18 Questions


1.  What will the people say, when they see the man who caused the
    earth to tremble?
2.  What other things does verse 17 say he did?
3.  Who does the author believe this is speaking of?
4.  Regardless of who does the evil on the earth, it originates with
    _______.
5.  What fate do these evil rulers have awaiting them?
6.  _________ was a good king who is remembered and highly regarded.
7.  What kind of branch is this evil one?
8.  What is done with this kind of branch?
9.  At the time of the literal Babylonians, what happened to those
    fallen in battle?
10. Why will they not be joined with them in burial?
11. What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah?
12. What happens to the children for the iniquity of their father?
13. What is verse 22 saying?
14. The ______ _______ of Babylon was thought to be one of the seven
    wonders of the world.
15. Who did Babylon fall to?
16. What is the spirit of Babylon?
17. The Lord of hosts is not a ______ that He should lie.
18. What time change is there in verse 25?
19. Who can remove God's hand, when He stretches it out?
20. Verse 28 says, the burden was when?
21. What will come from the root of the serpent?
22. Where is Palestina?
23. How will God defeat the Philistines?
24. What is Zion in verse 32?
25. Who shall find help in the Lord?