““How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ‘Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble? Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?’ “The kings of the nations lie in stately glory, each in his own tomb, but you will be thrown out of your grave like a worthless branch. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will be dumped into a mass grave with those killed in battle. You will descend to the pit. You will not be given a proper burial, for you have destroyed your nation and slaughtered your people. The descendants of such an evil person will never again receive honor. Kill this man’s children! Let them die because of their father’s sins! They must not rise and conquer the earth, filling the world with their cities.” This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “I, myself, have risen against Babylon! I will destroy its children and its children’s children,” says the Lord. “I will make Babylon a desolate place of owls, filled with swamps and marshes. I will sweep the land with the broom of destruction. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sworn this oath: “It will all happen as I have planned. It will be as I have decided. I will break the Assyrians when they are in Israel; I will trample them on my mountains. My people will no longer be their slaves nor bow down under their heavy loads. I have a plan for the whole earth, a hand of judgment upon all the nations. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken— who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him?” This message came to me the year King Ahaz died: Do not rejoice, you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken— that the king who attacked you is dead. For from that snake a more poisonous snake will be born, a fiery serpent to destroy you! I will feed the poor in my pasture; the needy will lie down in peace. But as for you, I will wipe you out with famine and destroy the few who remain. Wail at the gates! Weep in the cities! Melt with fear, you Philistines! A powerful army comes like smoke from the north. Each soldier rushes forward eager to fight. What should we tell the Philistine messengers? Tell them, “The Lord has built Jerusalem; its walls will give refuge to his oppressed people.””
Isaiah 14:12-32 NLT
The hubris of the created being is extreme. What was created for a purpose seems doomed to jealousy and territorial posturing regarding it. Perhaps it is an inevitable part of creating a machine that takes ownership. Is it even possible to steward a portion of creation without the difficulty of worshipping it? Here we see two truths about this. Israel did not steward what God gave them, and so punishment was imminent. In like manner Babylon also was a bad steward and so destruction would fall to them. They were both instruments of God, in his specific capacity, and both rightly fell to judgment. We also see that the Spirit of Babylon is to blame as well. A thinly veiled reference to Lucifer is carried out as the Shining Star who sought to erroneously ascend. He became territorial and jealous in his ownership and he too had to fall and be humbled. This is not simply a prophecy of things to come. It is a revelation of what has happened. It explains the ever present truth. Man, nor creation, is not worthy to wield the throne. When he does, it is as a puppet. With God’s hand removed, his reign has no life. Our attitude should be as David. “What is man that he is mindful of us? We are but clay in the potter’s hand.” Anything less invites destruction from the one who has a right to his jealousy. It is a lesson for anyone who has been given any authority, and a warning to them as well. Fear God first and he will give you all that you should want.
JOSH McGARY.COM 