How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of
the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the
nations! (Isaiah 14:12).
A popular though possibly misguided usage of this verse is
as evidence that Satan began his career as an angel who, because of his
prideful challenge to God’s sovereignty, was thrown out of heaven. Jesus may
have alluded to the writings of Isaiah when he said, I saw Satan fall like
lightning from heaven (Luke
10:18); language which should
probably be taken more figuratively than literally. Both the king of Babylon
(though Babylon was barely getting started at the time of Isaiah ben Amoz) and
Satan ruled powerful empires and were seemingly invincible.
Yet Isaiah says the ruler of Babylon, domineering as he may
be, is subject to the power of God. In fact, chapters 13-23 are Isaiah’s oracles
against the nations (which have
parallels in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Zephaniah and Zechariah), which testify
that all nations and powers are subject to Yahweh, as is Satan and his kingdom.
If we don’t see it now, one day we will: Is this the man
who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble? (v. 16) No matter what the threat, one day we will look back and say, I
was afraid of that? God really is faithful.
Enemies only look invincible when we look ahead, not when we
look back.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
As you look ahead to the
coming weeks, what threat feels overwhelming? Thank God that one day you’ll be
looking back on all of this.
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