Isaiah 14:21

Isaiah 14:21 says, Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.  God said that the children of Belshazzar would be destroyed by the Medes and Persians.  They would never rise up again to possess the land or build cities in it.  We might think it cruel for the children to be killed because of the actions of their parents, but physical death is never the important thing.  One’s relationship with God is, and if there were those who did believe in Him, they went to a better home.  This is why we must at least do our best to lead our children to Jesus Christ.

Verse twenty-two adds, For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord.  God said that He was going to completely destroy Babylon because of their wickedness.  Those who fight against God today, or who even just refuse to accept His gift of salvation, will one day be completely cut off from the kingdom of God. 

Verse twenty-three continues, I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts.  The land that the Babylonians possessed was to become a land filled only with the birds of the air, according to Matthew Henry.  When God’s judgment day comes, everything that people may have possessed in the world will no longer belong to them, no matter how they may have come to possess them.    

Verse twenty-four states, The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:  God stated that whatever He thought or proposed would come to pass.  The main thing that we need to understand is that God is the Creator and Sustainer of all and when God proposed a plan of salvation for fallen mankind, He brought it to pass through Jesus Christ.  This plan was in place from the beginning, since He gave people the free will to fail to be obedient to Him.

Verse twenty-five adds, That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.  At this point, God was speaking of destroying the Assyrians, but the broader implication is that He will destroy all His enemies when His final judgment comes.  There is no enemy that can stand against Him. 

Verse twenty-six continues. This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.  God here states that He is in control, not only of Assyria, but of the earth.  God delivered the people of Israel physically many times, but He has delivered each individual through all the ages but once, and that is by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty of sin for all.  Of course, we have to put our faith in Him for the gift of salvation to apply to us. 

Verse twenty-seven concludes, For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?  God asked who was going to defeat what God had proposed, and the answer is no one.  We may not accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, but that does not defeat His having died for our sins.

Verse twenty-eight says, In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.  This destruction of the Philistines was to begin when King Ahaz died, and Hezekiah replaced him.  A bad king was replaced by a good one.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we must then make Him Lord of our life, replacing whatever had ruled our life before, because we were ruled by sinfulness before . 

Verse twenty-nine adds, Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.  The people of Israel were to rejoice because the power of the Philistines over them that had occurred when Uzziah died, or abdicated, was about to be broken.  Uzziah had been like a serpent to the Philistines, and one of his descendants was now going to sting them once again.  As followers of Christ, He has already removed the sting of death from us, but one day those who do not put their faith in will feel the sting of everlasting punishment. 

Verse thirty continues, And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.  Isaiah said God was going to give the people of Israel plenty once more and that the Philistines would be left in famine.  If we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, and are obedient to Him, we will be spiritually filled, which is what will ultimately matter, and those who don’t will go away to everlasting punishment.  They will be starving spiritually.

Verse thirty-one says, Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.  Isaiah said that the Philistines would be left howling at the gate, while the Israelites would be enjoying peace.  One day, when God’s judgment comes, those who have rejected Jesus Christ will be left with wailing and gnashing of teeth in everlasting destruction, unable to enter the gates of heaven.

Verse thirty-two adds, What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.  When Israel was restored to power, other nations were going to take notice and ask how this had come about. The people of Israel were to tell them because God had founded Zion, and they were once again trusting in Him.  When people ask us why we are spiritually successful today, no matter our physical state, we must tell them that it is because we are a part of God’s kingdom and we put our faith in Him to deliver us from all our enemies, even death itself.