Swept Away, by the Broom of God
Greetings in the Lord!
The past several weeks I've been led to read from Isaiah chapter 14. It is a hopeful message to those that love the Lord, that though they have been oppressed harshly by the "oppressor", God is turning the tables on the situation.
"The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land....Nations will take them and bring them to their own place." Isaiah 14:1-2.
However, the majority of the chapter does not highlight the restoration and deliverance of Israel, but rather, talks about the "oppressor" and of their coming defeat.
"How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression."
With violence and cruelty the oppressor of the land exerts force over the innocent, trying to establish himself as a ruler and bring glory to himself and his own agenda. The interesting thing about Isaiah 14:12-14 is that it is often likened to the devil himself--how he sought to elevate himself above God.
"You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain'" (verse 13). So we can know that the spirit that drives these madmen is straight from the devil himself. Interestingly, the "sacred mountain" referenced in this passage is also translated as "the north", meaning Mount Zaphon of northern Syria. Given what's going on in not just the north but all of Syria, that is an interesting reference indeed!
However, in verses 8-12 we read that these self-proclaimed leaders of "nations" will be cut down. "The grave 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;...They will all respond, they will say to you, "You have become weak, as we are;...All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps...." (verses 9-11).
When people come to look upon these fallen, the ones who previously terrorized and pursued violence to no end, people will say,
"Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?"
"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 descended to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people." Isaiah 14:16-20.
So when we read the news of all those pursuing an evil agenda in places like Nigeria, Syria, and elsewhere, we can know that the Lord has a day already placed on a calendar for their end. And if you are one who is being enticed to follow such leaders, you need to honestly ask yourself---"Whose agenda am I really following? To whose glory, ultimately?" For the Lord Himself says, "I will rise up against them," declares the Lord Almighty. "I will cut off from (them) her name and survivors, her offspring and descendants....I will sweep her with the broom of destruction," declares the Lord Almighty....Even the pine trees and the cedars of Lebanon exult over you and say, "Now that you have been laid low, no woodsman comes to cut us down." Isaiah 14:22-23, 8.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
The past several weeks I've been led to read from Isaiah chapter 14. It is a hopeful message to those that love the Lord, that though they have been oppressed harshly by the "oppressor", God is turning the tables on the situation.
"The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land....Nations will take them and bring them to their own place." Isaiah 14:1-2.
However, the majority of the chapter does not highlight the restoration and deliverance of Israel, but rather, talks about the "oppressor" and of their coming defeat.
"How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression."
With violence and cruelty the oppressor of the land exerts force over the innocent, trying to establish himself as a ruler and bring glory to himself and his own agenda. The interesting thing about Isaiah 14:12-14 is that it is often likened to the devil himself--how he sought to elevate himself above God.
"You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain'" (verse 13). So we can know that the spirit that drives these madmen is straight from the devil himself. Interestingly, the "sacred mountain" referenced in this passage is also translated as "the north", meaning Mount Zaphon of northern Syria. Given what's going on in not just the north but all of Syria, that is an interesting reference indeed!
However, in verses 8-12 we read that these self-proclaimed leaders of "nations" will be cut down. "The grave 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;...They will all respond, they will say to you, "You have become weak, as we are;...All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps...." (verses 9-11).
When people come to look upon these fallen, the ones who previously terrorized and pursued violence to no end, people will say,
"Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?"
"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 descended to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people." Isaiah 14:16-20.
So when we read the news of all those pursuing an evil agenda in places like Nigeria, Syria, and elsewhere, we can know that the Lord has a day already placed on a calendar for their end. And if you are one who is being enticed to follow such leaders, you need to honestly ask yourself---"Whose agenda am I really following? To whose glory, ultimately?" For the Lord Himself says, "I will rise up against them," declares the Lord Almighty. "I will cut off from (them) her name and survivors, her offspring and descendants....I will sweep her with the broom of destruction," declares the Lord Almighty....Even the pine trees and the cedars of Lebanon exult over you and say, "Now that you have been laid low, no woodsman comes to cut us down." Isaiah 14:22-23, 8.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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