05.31.09
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General
| 15:24
Scripture: Isaiah 14:28 (NIV): "This oracle came in the year King Ahaz died:"
Thought: To me, God's messages to mankind are perfectly timed.
Question: Do I hear God's revealed messages?
An "oracle" is a divinely inspired revelation, or revealing of some message. God is working through His prophet, Isaiah, to reveal several "oracles" in this context. One was just completed regarding Israel's enemy, the Assyrians (Isiah 14:24 - 27), and another regarding their chief city, Babylon (Isaiah 13:1 - 14:23). Basically these oracles described doom for Assyria and her great city, Babylon.
Now we see God's information concerning Philistia, another of Israel's ancient enemies (tomorrow's verse!). Whereas Assyria was located to the east of Israel, with its main cities Ashur, Nimrud, Nineveh and Khorsabad near the upper Tigris River, and covering an area where modern day Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon lie, this new oracle is directed to Philistia, located to the southwest of Israel, where modern day Palestine is located. (In fact, the King James Version in Isaiah 14:29 (tomorrow's blog!) is translated "Palestina" instead of Philistia). Philistia was a much smaller area than the Assyrian Empire and lay straight west of the Salt Sea (today's Dead Sea), but only as a strip of land directly along the coast of The Great Sea (today's Mediterranean Sea) and extending down to the Nile River, bordering Egypt.
This oracle, or divine message of prophecy, "came in the year King Ahaz died." Now King Ahaz was a wicked King, the descendant of good King Uzziah. God in His wisdom and mercy, sends out a new oracle, or message of warning, just at the point of transfer of power from one king to the next. To follow wicked Ahaz would come Hezekiah, a king who proved to do that which was good and right in God's eyes.
The Philistines then are about to be warned at the "changing of the guard." The new successor, Hezekiah, is coming to power--what will he do with this enemy! How will God "operate" through Hezekiah on behalf of His chosen people?
God certainly watches and directs our history-making! There is no bland disinterest on God's part--no, He is fully involved. He will work all things to His purposes. Thank Goodness!
Prayer: Lord, God, open my understanding of Your delivered words! Help me to learn just what You want me to learn as I study these portions of history. Cause me to benefit, to grow closer to You, to grasp more truth, to become more enlightened. Lord, help me to appreciate the giving of Jesus Christ even more by studying all of Your Word! Amen.
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05.29.09
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General
| 17:33
Scripture: Isaiah 14:27 (NIV): "For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?"
Thought: To me, what God wills, will be!
Question: Have I ever been involved in an attempt to thwart God's plans?
It is a good endeavor when we seek to know more about God's will, God's plans and God's purposes. It is a good effort because it is God's plans alone that will be accomplished in the end. If a person wishes to come out on the winning side, he best team up with the Lord!
"For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?" The two "beings" in this phrase are "the LORD Almighty" and we who are the "who", that is, persons that God has created. To imagine the created being thwarting his Creator is ludicrous. There is no created person that can come against his Maker! (Webster defines "thwart" as "baffle, block, defeat, foil, outwit or frustrate.") Why do we humans even begin to entertain the notion that we could ever outwit God Almighty? Yet our actions and behaviors are a constant demonstration of that attitude. We are always off on our own, attempting our own ideas in our own strength, and never consulting with God! On occasion, as did Belshazzar, some may even try to actively resist God. Many have attacked God's chosen people, the Jews. What has happened to them?
It is good to meditate on our true position: we are the creatures while God is The Creator. God makes the plans and completes them while we put ourselves to pain and trouble struggling to contradict Him. How vain! Hence, the second rhetorical question: "His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" Once God determines to set a thing in motion, who are we to attempt to "turn it back"? We are utterly unable!
The Assyrian Empire/Babylonian Kingdom thought too much of their own ability, power and authority. They discovered their arrogance when God put a complete halt to all their progress: their leader was brought down, (Isaiah 14:4); their city was destroyed (Isaiah 14:22); the King's family was cut off (Isaiah 14:21) and the land was forever changed (Isaiah 14:23). Could any human being have "turned back" these events of God's? No! God Almighty is the ultimate King of kings!
Prayer: Father in Heaven, You are, along with Your Son, Jesus Christ, (Who is One with You), King of kings and Lord of lords! There is no higher authority than Yours, and I thank You for that. I thank You that You do not rule in cruelty. You are most kind. How I praise You, Father! Amen.
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05.28.09
Posted in
General
| 17:47
Scripture: Isaiah 14:26 (NIV): "This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations."
Thought: To me, God's control will result in goodness, rescue and peace worldwide.
Question: Do I believe God has a pre-determined global plan?
"...for the whole world..." The known world in that day was controlled by the Assyrians. Much like the Romans later on, as far as man could travel or see, the Assyrians ruled. Thus God states that His plan of "crushing" the Assyrians and "trampling" them down, (yesterday's verse), will extend as far as necessary to any and all that come against Israel, His chosen people. "The whole world" knew the grip of the Assyrian Kingdom. God's "plan determined", (to "crush the Assyrian in my land" and to "trample him down", yesterday's verse), will succeed "worldwide." And it did. It is a matter of historic fact.
"...this is the hand stretched out over all nations." God's plan is brought to fruition through His hand stretching out. To attribute the fall of the Assyrian Empire to any other reason is to skirt the truth. God directly acted against them because they had so hurt His Israelite people! This out-stretched hand, to me, is a hand of aid and fatherly protection. God takes care of His beloved ones. This "hand" is also used in Daniel 5:22 - 31, the recorded account of Belshazzar's demise, particularly in verses 24 - 28: "Therefore he (God) sent the hand that wrote the inscription. 'This is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. This is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign (Belshazzar's) and brought it to an end. Tekel: you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians'." And thus comes the end of the Assyrian/Babylonian Empire!
God's "hand" can be either protective, as we see concerning Israel, or it can spell out doom, as in the case of Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. The point we need to understand here is that God has thorough and overriding control of these events. His sovereignty is absolute. "...the plan determined..." is foreordained--it had been established ahead of time. For God to write with His hand on Belshazzar's banquet hall is to us a "prophecy"; but for God it is something He has known from before time, before the "foundation of the world." From before time God "determined" a plan "for the whole world" that was designed to achieve freedom from oppression for all who are "His people."
This is a far-reaching verse. It is a verse of reliability of promise. It is a verse that gives us a glimpse into the scope and power of God. It is surely a verse that can be applied to the future, as well.
Prayer: Sovereign Lord, I do not yet know the full impact of all Your plans, but by faith I believe Your plans are fully good and optimal. I trust You, Father! I am thankful Your "hand" is far-reaching--"over all nations"! Amen.
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05.27.09
Posted in
General
| 17:59
Scripture: Isaiah 14:25 (NIV): "I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders."
Thought: To me, God longs to set us completely free!
Question: Have I realized the freeing power of God's Hand upon my life?
Now we see very specifically what God had "planned", "purposed" and made to "stand" (yesterday's verse): it is the defeat of Belshazzar's people, the Assyrians. First we read of Belshazzar himself being killed (Isaiah 14:11), then his sons were to be slaughtered, (Isaiah 14:21), then the city of his kingship, Babylon, was to fall (Isaiah 13:19-22). Now all Assyrian people--everyone and anyone considered to be an enemy--will be attacked: "I will crush the Assyrian in my land..."
Notice whose land it is! It is not really even Israel's land--it is God's. "... in my land; on my mountains..." The land is defensible from all enemies because it belongs to God. It is His personal involvement that guarantees success and victory.
God will defeat the enemy right where the enemy is, which just happens to be in "His" land, Israel. Similarly, God will bring defeat to our enemy, Satan, working to attack him right where he is--in our thoughts, in our choices, in our habits, in our lives. If Satan has invaded us on any level, God "will crush" him right there. God will "trample him down" right there where God Himself should be enthroned. In this way the victory will be swift and solid--God is very close by.
"His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders." Whether it is the physical enemy of an Assyrian in your back yard, or the spiritual pressure and presence of Satan, or one of his ambassadors, in your will or heart, it doesn't matter. God can take away that "yoke"--He can remove that "burden." It is extremely liberating to have God do this! A yoke chokes and limits free movement. To be so bound by the enemy is oppressive--your life is under their control. A burden on your shoulders is an unnecessary weight. God longs to unload us so we can be free to serve Him.
God has always wanted that which is best for us. God is ever available to quickly "crush" and "trample" down our enemy. See the place where God victoriously tramples the enemy; it is upon God's "mountain"! When we are lifted up "to the top" into God's presence, then we are enabled to overcome all the tactics of the devil. It is only in Christ Jesus that we can be so lifted. In Christ we can become completely free, even as Jesus pointed out in John 8:36: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Prayer: Lord God, thank You that You make a way for all of us, through Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be free of the yoke and burden of the enemy's bondage, in whatever form it oppresses us. There is amazing liberty in being bound to You through Christ! There is absolute freedom when we meet You on Your "mountain." Amen.
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05.26.09
Posted in
General
| 22:04
Scripture: Isaiah 14:24 (NIV): "The LORD Almighty has sworn, 'Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.' "
Thought: To me, nothing is as sure as the sworn oath of God Almighty.
Question: Am I trusting that God's words are true?
What a magnificent verse! God swears an oath--a promise from His own lips as given through His prophet, Isaiah: "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be..." God's word is infinitely reliable. We can count on it as being more solid and true than even the material world we touch and see every day. Mark 13:31: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." God's words=God's spoken promises=God's Holy Word=the Logos (Christ, the Living Word).
This solid prediction of reliability upon His spoken word falls in place here near the end of our context regarding the promised destruction of the City of Babylon. As God had revealed to Isaiah, the prophecies of the destruction of Belshazzar, his seed and his city, did come true! History is a written record of this! Can we forever trust God's spoken oaths? Yes, indeed! Forever!
"Surely, as I have planned, so it will be..." Plans are all around us, mostly our own. But it is only the plans of God that will outlive, as it were, the plans we make. Proverbs 19:21: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." God does not so much attempt to destroy our plans as He works "behind the scenes" to combine them and/or direct them to His purpose. What we may regard as haphazard or out of control is going to be subject to the hand of God: He will bring all things into His grand purpose. Romans 8:28 supports this idea also: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Good is worked toward those who love God. Contrarily, however, we see in this context that God does not work "good" for Belshazzar or his sons or his city, Babylon. They did not "love" God, obey Him or consult Him. Neverthless, God's destructive purposes for these evildoers, will stand just as firmly as do His good intentions. The point is this: God has His purposes over all things: good or evil--He will weave both together toward His will.
"...as I have purposed, so it will stand." If we sneak a peek ahead to Isaiah 14:27, we'll see the same idea expressed. "For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out; and who can turn it back?" There will be no undoing of the purposes of God, either by God Himself (Who will always do what is perfectly just and right), or by man's efforts to make changes. Regarding the fall of Babylon, all we have to do is examine the historical records: all that happened is exactly what God originally "purposed." The recorded facts indeed "stand"! And what evildoers have sown, God has allowed them to reap.
Prayer: Mighty Father, I worship Your strength of purpose and Your immutability. I am so glad You never change! I am so glad Your plans will succeed and that Your good purposes will stand. I am also glad that Your plans to destroy evil will not be altered. Amen.
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05.20.09
Posted in
General
| 19:01
Scripture: Isaiah 14:23 (NIV): " 'I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,' declares the LORD Almighty."
Thought: To me, it is effortless for God to sweep an entire population away into destruction if needed.
Question: Is my life in danger of becoming "a swampland"?
Here is the fate and destiny of the once great city of Babylon. Because of her evil persecution and assaults against God's chosen people, Israel, God deals a heavy-handed response. Babylon's king is destroyed, his sons and heritage are cut off, the name "Babylon" is completely removed and now the entire area where "she" (Babylon) once stoon is reverted to a wild zone: "a place for owls and into swampland." It will become a place unfit for human occupation--only certain animals can survive there now. Babylon has become a wilderness.
"I will sweep her with the broom of destruction..." This is a well-worded description, isn't it? Sweeping is an action to clean out a place, and God has set out to do His "housecleaning." The filth of Babylon is on its way out! God even names His "broom": it is "destruction." Sometimes the only way to progress toward improvement is to tear down the former and utterly replace it. God is doing just that with Babylon; she is not worthy of rehabilitation at all--it's "trash the whole thing and start over fresh!" Except there is no "new Babylon." God elects to allow the area to go wild where only animals dare live--a "swampland", useless to mankind.
We need to remember Who is in control of our planet! We need to remember Who has authority over our cities! We need to remember Who sets up and brings down our leaders--kings, presidents, governors, what have you. We need to remember Who decides whether or not the next generation will live and carry on the family name. We need to remember that God commands holiness among His people and He will utterly destroy evil in His time. His Name is the LORD, Almighty.
Prayer: God and Father of all, I thank You for Your strong, sovereign control. I rejoice that wicked places and evil intentions are swept away in destruction by Your command. I also greatly rejoice that Jesus Christ, Your Son, is a wonderful, safe harbor from any destruction or condemnation due to sin or failure, as I confess it to You. I make my claim in that harbor, Lord! Amen.
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05.19.09
Posted in
General
| 19:13
Scripture: Isaiah 14:22 (NIV): " 'I will rise up against them,' declares the LORD Almighty. 'I will cut off from Babylon her name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,' declares the LORD."
Thought: To me, only God knows how to completely eliminate evil; I'm glad He promises to do it and glad He follows through.
Question: Do I fear that God may cut me off because of my sins?
Who will God rise up against? It is "the sons" of Belshazzar, as seen in yesterday's verse. God commanded their "slaughter" (in yesterday's verse) and now He personally "will rise up against them" to guarantee their elimination. How dreadful to have the Living God seeking your destruction! This is the consequence of Belshazzar's evil attempt to "be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14). We should all heed this lesson: God will maintain His Kingship and fiercely protect Holiness. He will be thorough and unrelenting in His handling of wickedness. Psalm 7:11: "God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day."
" 'I will cut off from Babylon her name..." First, Belshazzar is destroyed, then his sons are ordered slaughtered, and now God will cause the very name of the city "Babylon" to be "cut off." Is there a city named Babylon today? No! All that remains of ancient Babylon, according to Wikipedia, is "a mound, or tell, of broken mud-brick buildings and debris in the fertile Mesopotamian plain between the Tigris and Euphrates River, in Iraq." Some reconstruction efforts are on the drawing board for Iraq, to draw tourism to the former site of ancient Babylon, but no name is currently created. Saddam Hussein had attempted to erect monuments there, but only in his own name--not the name of "Babylon." God has indeed erased the name of "Babylon"!
" 'I will cut off...survivors, her offspring and descendants' " If one thoroughly studies the history of ancient Babylon, it becomes clear again that God has fulfilled His word on this matter: Babylon was wiped out! The famous hanging gardens of Babylon, known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, are only a memory. No trace of them remains today. And can anyone alive today trace their ancestry back to this city? Personally, I cannot answer that question; but if God is as equally thorough as He has been regarding the geographic elimination of Babylon, I'm sure He fulfilled His word regarding the last part of this verse, as well!
God is sending a strong, clear message. It is a warning we should all heed. No kind of evil will long endure in the presence of God's righteous Holiness. Some judgments come suddenly--some are left to the end of time--but irregardless of when God delivers on His promised action, the end is the same: wickedness will not endure.
Prayer: Righteous Father, thank You for Your victorious Holiness! Thank You for the complete elimination of evil, both in name and substance. Have Your own way, Father! May many disconnect from their sins today while there is time, confessing them to You and receiving the blood of Jesus to wash them away forever. Amen.
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05.16.09
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General
| 17:54
Scripture: Isaiah 14:21 (NIV): "Prepare a place to slaughter his sons for the sins of their forefathers; they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities."
Thought: To me, God has every right to stem the tide of evil and wickedness: He'll do just what is necessary.
Question: Have any sins of my parents or grandparents "haunted" my life?
God's prophecy, voiced through Isaiah, against Babylon, now becomes somewhat of a command: "Prepare a place to slaughter his son..." Whose sons? Belshazzar's!--that last, wicked King of Babylon who, akin to the spirit of Satan, arrogantly puffed himself up to brutally conquer Israel. God is rectifying this most unjust situation! Belshazzar will die, (see Daniel 5), and will be denied a decent burial. His memory will be erased, and to insure that, his offsrping will be killed.
Belshazzar's sons are executed "for the sins of their forefathers." The Old Testament law is clear in this principle: where the father commits gross evil, the children will also pay for those sins. Look to Numbers 14:18: "The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." This truth is first presented in Exodus 20 during the initial giving of the 10 commandments (verse 5): "You shall not bow down to them (graven images or idols) or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me." It is reiterated to Moses in Exodus 34:6 and 7: "And he (God) passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation'." A principle repeated so often and worded so precisely must be taken seriously! Comes the question, "Does this Old Testament law apply to New Testament times?" In my opinion, yes! God does not change in His basic character and nature, and certainly, these verses describe an aspect of His character. It is His nature to mete out justice this way, which, I believe, is a way that parallels another strong biblical truth: "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." In other words, the man who sows evil will reap that evil back in and through his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The curse, (some call it the "generational curse"), keeps going! (Of course, any curse of any sin can be broken and forgiven by the blood of Christ!!)
God commands Isaiah and the people to slaughter Belshazzar's sons following the defeat of Babylon, as a "keeping" or "fulfilling" of this godly principle. Their slaughter moves to completely destroy Belshazzar's evil, even as it will continue in his children, sown into their lives by the seed of their wicked father. It is a purification process, a Holy purging, if you will, of the insidious contagion of sin as it repeats from father to son.
"...they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities." Even as Belshazzar was condemned for having overthrown Israel's cities (in Isaiah 14:17), so God overthrows any attempt that might be made in the future by Belshazzar's seed to erect "evil" cities. God understands how to nip an issue in the bud! They must not be allowed "to rise", "to inherit the land" or "cover the earth with their cities." It must be prevented before it begins.
Prayer: Holy God, Your purity is deep and thorough--both within Your own nature and out from You as You set standards for us. We are to "be holy" even as You are holy. I thank You, Father, that the only way any of us can "be holy" is to be covered in the precious, holy blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ. He cleanses us unto Holiness! Amen.
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05.13.09
Posted in
General
| 18:23
Scripture: Isaiah 14:20 (NIV): "you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people. The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again."
Thought: To me, it is good and logical that God forgets those who perpetrate evil.
Question: How do I treat my environment and the people around me?
Remember, this entire context, beginning in Isaiah 13:1 and flowing through to Isaiah 14:23, is a prophecy against Babylon. Babylon is the chief city of the Assyrian Empire, and had, as its last King, Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar. Remember also, that woven in and out of this lengthy context are prophetic references to Lucifer, (Satan, the devil), whose evil spirit has influenced Belshazzar heavily. Their fates are similar!
In yesterday's verses, we saw Belshazzar denied a tomb, "covered with the slain" and treated "like a corpse trampled underfoot." It seemed to indicate his infamy and that he would die in dishonor, his evil deeds destroying his reputation. Today's verse elaborates further on this sense of humiliation: "you will not join them in burial..." Who are these that Belshazzar will not join? The very ones he has murdered! As stated yesterday, Belshazzar is "underneath" them in position in the pit, but he is also below them in the status, shall we say, of God's judments. Those poor murdered victims of Belshazzar will receive more honor in their proper "burial" than will Belshazzar, their murderer. God awards to us all just as we have sown. His justice is perfect in this way. We need not worry or fear that God is whimsical in His judgments--no, He is perfect. He simply allows us to receive exactly what we have given out to others.
Belshazzar will not be joining his victims in their kind of burial, "for you have destroyed your land and killed your people." If this wicked king only produced destruction, loss and misery, especially through the ravages of war, then that is what will be meted out to him upon his death: destruction, loss and misery! His burial, or lack thereof, rather, will be his disgrace--it will be denied him entirely.
"The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again." What a concise yet dark statement! Rather than a solid rock memorial that will withstand the assaults of time and attempt to immortalize those worth remembering, poor Belshazzar will be trampled underneath the feet of his victims and his children "will never be mentioned again." Psalm 88:5 captures the same essence: "I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care." God forgets those consigned to the pit but remembers His own that He raises to heaven to be with Him. Matthew Henry says it this way: "True glory (that is, true grace) will go up with the soul to heaven, but vain pomp will go down with the body to the grave: there is an end of it."
No decent burial, only recurring destruction and killing, belong to Belshazzar! His offspring, as well, will be entirely forgotten. So is the fate of one who listens to Satan's ways and would rise to become "like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14).
Prayer: Lord, God, You are perfect in Your judgments and justice. Help me to heed the impact of these verses--verses that warn us all of the way our deeds determine our destiny. Thanks be to the blood of Christ that can erase past evils, if we will only run to Christ with our failures and relinquish them to Him. Amen.
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05.12.09
Posted in
General
| 18:27
Scripture: Isaiah 14:18 and 19 (NIV): "All the kings of the nations like in state, each in his own tomb. 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 descend to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse tramples underfoot,"
Thought: To me, a good life reputation--one that will endure past our years on earth as a positive influence to others--is vitally important.
Question: Will those still living respect me at my death?
The King of Babylon, Belshazzar, was not a good king. In Daniel chapter 5 God finds Belshazzar quite lacking in merit! Belshazzar has taken Satan's tempting suggestions to conquer and plunder, allowing his sense of ambition at any cost, to drive him forward. God, however, has come to Israel's rescue and put a stop to the evil intentions of Belshazzar. The verses just previous have described Belshazzar's descent into the grave where he is met with surprised looks. Here in death he is not such a big cheese at all!
The prophet Isaiah explains: "All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb." Many kings find honor in death. Their reputations were such that they are buried with respect, dignity and appreciation. "But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch;"... Belshazzar is not honored. Isaiah uses the same imagery here that Christ used in John 15:6: "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such brancehes are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." Belshazzar's life accomplishments have not earned him any "points" with God. Quite to the contrary, Belshazzar is "cast out"--rejected from a godly inheritance. The end of any who become like "a rejected branch" is fire and burning! This clearly speaks of the doom and destruction of hell!
"...you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descent to the stones of the pit." Belshazzar has climbed to fame on the backs of people he has killed. His hands are covered in their blood. He bears the weight of the many lives he has snuffed out, and that weight pushes him down to hell, to its very bottom, it seems, where the "stones" lay. In David's famous psalm of forgiveness sought, David cries out to be saved from what the scriptures call "bloodguiltiness." (Psalm 51:14: "Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.") But Belshazzar was not one to seek that forgiveness at all, and so the blood of his victims remains upon him and he is charged with bringing them to their death. What a weighty responsibility! "Like a corpse trampled underfoot,..." Again we see a picture of non-recognition in death. There is no noteriety in the passing of this wicked king--he is "stepped on", "trampled underfoot" by others more noble, more worthy than he. The one who murders and kills will find himself "underneath" those he killed after death: they are more worthy than the one who took their lives.
What a sad allottment to the memory of Belshazzar, to be known in infamy as a king who rebelled against God Almighty!
Prayer: Great God of heaven and hell, I tremble at Your power! You alone have the authority to seal us in the destiny that we alone have determined by our choices. We answer to You only, Father. Help me to live day by day with the realization that everything I choose has a bearing on how I will die! Amen.
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