July 21 - Isaiah 13-16
In this section of Isaiah there are a series of prophecies against other nations. All of these prophecies show God's sovereignty over all of His creation. Our All- Powerful Lord created the world, and he has plenty of power and wisdom to control the events on the earth, so that His ultimate will is done. This does not do away with human choice. The sovereignty of God is greater when seen in the context of free will. He is strong enough and wise enough to bring about His ultimate will and still allow us to make our choices. Yes, there are times when God has to break in and cause something to happen against our wills, but those instances are far fewer than you might expect.
The first prophecy is against Babylon. This great super-power, which took Judah into exile, was going to fall to the Medes and the Persians. This was almost unthinkable. The splendor of Babylon was so wonderful, and the military power was so great. However, when the time came for God to punish them for their arrogance, he was completely able to raise up another power to accomplish that task. The Medes and the Persians gladly took over Babylon. They destroyed the glorious city, and they let Judah return from exile. That is a miracle, but it is how God works. It is like the fall of the Soviet Union in my lifetime. As a child I would not have thought that the USSR would cease to exist, but today the young people have no idea what the world was like when there were two super-powers in a cold war. God is truly in charge of history. (Isaiah 14:24,27)
Did you notice the prophecy about Lucifer in chapter 14? This is a good example of the law of double reference. Many times in the Old Testament God gives a prophecy that has two fulfillments. It refers to a present situation and a future situation. This prophecy is given in the midst of the prophecy against Babylon, so it obviously refers to the fall of the proud country from power. However, the ultimate reference is to the archangel Lucifer and how he exalted himself to try to be like God, and God brought him down to the lowest depths. It is telling of Babylon's sin of pride, but mostly, it is telling about the first sin to enter the universe, the sin of Lucifer's pride. We need to see the wonderful nature of God's Word in that it is alive and powerful, but we also need to see the destructive power of pride in this passage.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 17-20.
The first prophecy is against Babylon. This great super-power, which took Judah into exile, was going to fall to the Medes and the Persians. This was almost unthinkable. The splendor of Babylon was so wonderful, and the military power was so great. However, when the time came for God to punish them for their arrogance, he was completely able to raise up another power to accomplish that task. The Medes and the Persians gladly took over Babylon. They destroyed the glorious city, and they let Judah return from exile. That is a miracle, but it is how God works. It is like the fall of the Soviet Union in my lifetime. As a child I would not have thought that the USSR would cease to exist, but today the young people have no idea what the world was like when there were two super-powers in a cold war. God is truly in charge of history. (Isaiah 14:24,27)
Did you notice the prophecy about Lucifer in chapter 14? This is a good example of the law of double reference. Many times in the Old Testament God gives a prophecy that has two fulfillments. It refers to a present situation and a future situation. This prophecy is given in the midst of the prophecy against Babylon, so it obviously refers to the fall of the proud country from power. However, the ultimate reference is to the archangel Lucifer and how he exalted himself to try to be like God, and God brought him down to the lowest depths. It is telling of Babylon's sin of pride, but mostly, it is telling about the first sin to enter the universe, the sin of Lucifer's pride. We need to see the wonderful nature of God's Word in that it is alive and powerful, but we also need to see the destructive power of pride in this passage.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 17-20.