"For Jehovah will have compassion on Jacob, And will yet choose Israel. And He shall give them rest upon their own land: And the stranger shall be joined unto them, And shall cleave unto the house of Jacob. And the nations shall take them, and bring them into their own place; And the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of Jehovah, As servants and as handmaids: And they shall take them captive, whose captives they were; And they shall rule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah shall give you rest from your afflictions, and from your disquiet, and from the hard servitude that was laid upon you; And you shall pronounce this parable upon the king of Babylon; and shall say: How has the oppressor ceased! the exactress of gold ceased! Jehovah has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers. He that smote the nations in wrath, with a stroke unremitted; He that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hinders. The whole earth is at rest, is quiet; they burst forth into a joyful shout: Even the fir trees rejoice over you, the cedars of Libanus: Since you are fallen, no feller has come up against us. Hades from beneath is moved because of you, to meet you at your coming: He rouses for you the mighty dead, all the great chiefs of the earth; He makes to rise up from their thrones, all the kings of the nations. All of them shall accost you, and shall say unto you: Are you, even you too, become weak as we? are you made like unto us? Is then your pride brought down to the grave; the sound of your sprightly instruments? Is the vermin become your couch, and the earthworm your covering? How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" (Isaiah 14:1-12,Lowth)
It would be well if everyone who is following these studies in Isaiah could keep with him for constant reference the article entitled, "The Time of the Promise," which accompanied the first lesson. (Editor's note: in this edition, this is the second article, and is entitled, "The Prophetic Setting") Each succeeding lesson would impress the truth there summarized more and more on the mind, until a glance at any part of the book of Isaiah would enable the student to see that it refers to the last days of this world's history.
Historical Background
Consider the condition of Israel in the time when this prophecy was written. They were not in captivity, but were dwelling in the land of Canaan, under their own king. We do not know at just what date this was written, but we know that it was not later than 700 BC. Isaiah prophesied during the reign of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, beginning at the close of the reigns of Uzziah. "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah." (Isaiah 1:1) "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And He said, Go, and tell this people, Hear indeed, but understand not; and see indeed, but perceive not." (Isaiah 6:1-9)
Jotham and Ahaz each reigned sixteen years, and Hezekiah twenty-nine years. "Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok." (2 Chronicles 27:1) "Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father." (2 Chronicles 28:1) "Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah." (2 Chronicles 29:1)
It was in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign that Isaiah had a special message for him, announcing his death, and later his restoration. We know this because at that time fifteen years were added to the king's life. "And I will add unto your days fifteen years; and I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant David's sake." (2 Kings 20:6)
The prophet had therefore been prophesying at least forty-six years, and this was 713 BC. He did not prophesy after Hezekiah's death, even if he did so long as that, since if he had it would have been mentioned in Isaiah 1:1. But even if he continued till the death of Hezekiah, his work was all at least 700 years before Christ, for Hezekiah died in 698 BC.
The Promised Rest
Now this little study of date is not a technical matter. It is a thing of vital importance. From it we see that this prophecy of Isaiah concerning the choosing of Israel, and bringing them to their own place, giving them rest in their own land, was uttered nearly a hundred years before they were carried away to Babylon. At the time the promise was spoken, the kingdom was enjoying prosperity, and the Israelites were dwelling safely in the land of Canaan; yet God promised that they should yet have rest in their own land. This is very significant.
A similar thing is found in the history of David. "And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies; That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in your heart; for the Lord is with you. And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus says the Lord, Shall you build me a house for me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why don't you build me a house of cedar? Now therefore so shall you say unto my servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: And I was with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies out of your sight, and have made you a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime." (2 Samuel 7:1-10)
There we learn that when David, at the height of his power, the Lord having given him rest from all his enemies, proposed to build a house for the Lord, he received a great promise from God, a part of which was this: "Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime." (2 Samuel 7:10)
These things show plainly that the present land of Canaan, even though as fruitful as in the days of Joshua, is not good enough for an inheritance for God's people. David confessed that he was only a stranger and a sojourner in the land, and that was when the kingdom was at its greatest. "For we are strangers before You, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding." (1 Chronicles 29:15)
He considered himself as much a sojourner as were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Only when sinners are destroyed out of the land, so that the children of wickedness cannot afflict any more, do the meek inherit the earth, and delight themselves in the abundance of peace. "For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord,they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:9-11)
Sin is the True Captivity
"Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." (2 Peter 2:19) "Everyone that commits sin is the bondservant of sin." (John 8:34,RV) "His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be held with the cords of his sins." (Proverbs 5:22)
No man can be in bondage if he is not overcome by sin. Daniel was in Babylon for more than seventy years, but he was never in bondage. He would not yield to sin, and so instead of being a servant, he became ruler of the realm. His three companions were likewise free. So free were they, even in Babylon, that when they were bound with cords, and cast into a burning furnace, because of their loyalty to God, the fire that was designed for their destruction, merely burned the bonds, and allowed them to walk at liberty. They were "free indeed," for the Son himself made them free. (John 8:36) "Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if you be ready that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." (Daniel 3:13-25)
Thus we see that only sin can make one a captive in Babylon, and Satan is the author of sin; therefore when we read the promise that God's people shall take captive those by whom they were formerly taken captive, and shall rule over their oppressors, we know that it means victory over all their sins, and over all the power of the devil. It is the fulfillment of "the oath which God swore to our father Abraham, That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life." (Luke 1:73-75)
The victory is ours now, for: "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." (1 John 5:4)
A Future Deliverance
But there will come a time when Satan himself shall be bound, so that he can "deceive the nations no more." (Revelation 20:3)
Then, not only a part, but all of God's people, gathered out of all the lands, will burst forth into singing: "How has the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hinders." (Isaiah 14:4-6)
The promise is that they who seek after our soul, and desire our hurt, shall be turned back and brought to confusion; (Psalm 35:4) they shall "be as chaff before the wind: and ... the angel of the Lord [shall]chase them. Their way [shall be] dark and slippery: and ... the angel of the Lord [shall] persecute them." (Psalm 35:5-6)
The song of the redeemed upon Mount Zion must be learned here, for "The redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion." (Isaiah 51:11)
It will be a new song that they sing; but it is now, in this present age, that the Lord lifts us out of the horrible pit, and the miry clay, and sets our feet on the Rock, and establishes our goings, and puts a new song in our mouths. (Psalm 40:1-3)
The Real King of Babylon
This song of redemption is sung over deliverance from the power of the king of Babylon. Can there be any question as to who this king is? It is the one who smites the nations in wrath with a continual stroke. When he is laid low, "The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet." (Isaiah 14:7)
It is none other than the adversary, the devil, who goes about in the whole earth, to destroy the inhabitants thereof. Even he is to be brought low, although at one time he was "Lucifer, son of the morning, ... [but is] fallen from heaven." (Isaiah 14:12)
No chapter shows this identity between the real king of Babylon, and Satan, more fully than this one. Let this fact be fully grasped and held; let it be understood that the book of Isaiah was written for the last days, and that it applies specially to us, and the entire prophecy becomes simple, and may be read with pleasure and profit. "The prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience," (Ephesians 2:2) is Satan, "the god of this world." (2 Corinthians 4:4)
As he has gained the place which rightly belongs to God, in the hearts of men, it naturally follows that he rules in the nations that forget God.
In ancient times there were no nations on earth but unqualified heathen. Devil-worship was the worship of heathendom, and Satan was the real ruler in every kingdom. Now the leading nations of earth are professedly Christian, yet everyone is openly and decidedly at variance with the teaching of Christ. The precepts of God are defied, and those who will follow them and teach others to do so, are punished.
Consequently Satan, the author of confusion, because the originator of envy and strife,--the king of Babylon,--still reigns, and oppresses many, even of the people of God.
Power Over the Nations
But, "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:57)
God has visited the nations, "to take out of them a people for His name." (Acts 15:14)
Everyone who overcomes will be given power over the nations. "And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father." (Revelation 2:26-27)
But the necessary qualification for ruling the nations is the ruling of one's own spirit, (Proverbs 16:32) and this can be done only through Christ, who has been given "power over all flesh," (John 17:2) and in whom we are made complete. (Colossians 2:10)--Present Truth, March 23, 1899--Isaiah 14:1-12.