Isaiah 14:26

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: -CONFIRMATION OF THIS BY THE HERE-FORETOLD DESTRUCTION OF THE ASSYRIANS UNDER SENNACHERIB; a pledge to assure the captives in Babylon that He who, with such ease, overthrew the Assyrian, could likewise effect His purpose as to Babylon. The Babylonian king, the subject of this prediction, is Belshazzar, as representative of the kingdom, (Daniel 5:1.) This would comfort the Jews when captives in Babylon, being a pledge that God, who had by that time fulfilled the promise concerning Sennacherib (though now still future), would also fulfill His promise as to destroying Babylon, Judah's enemy. Verse 24. SURELY AS I HAVE THOUGHT, SO SHALL IT COME TO PASS. The Lord's thought (purpose) stands in antithe...

26._This purpose which is purposed upon the whole earth. _The Lord is not satisfied with one or two confirmations, and can scarcely refrain from proclaiming it more and more abundantly, because he knows well that our minds are naturally prone to distrust. No confirmation suffices for us, even though his promises be frequent and copious and solemn. God therefore wishes to remedy this disease, and that is the design of the repetition, so that we must not think that it is superfluous. They who suppose that the Prophet, or rather the Spirit of God, uses too many words, are not well acquainted with themselves. He declares, first, the will and purpose of God, and, secondly, his power. How comes it that we have any doubts about the word, but because we do not ascribe to God that power which belongs to him, or because we are not convinced of his power? These are the only two causes of our unbeli...

24-27 Let those that make themselves a yoke and a burden to God's people, see what they are to expect. Let those that are the called according to God's purpose, comfort themselves, that whatever God has purposed, it shall stand. The Lord of hosts has purposed to break the Assyrian's yoke; his hand is stretched out to execute this purpose; who has power to turn it back? By such dispensations of providence, the Almighty shows in the most convincing manner, that sin is hateful in his sight....

THIS IS THE PURPOSE - This is the sum of the whole design - a design that embraces the destruction both of the king of Assyria, and of Babylon. UPON THE WHOLE EARTH - The successive kingdoms of Assyria and Babylonia embraced the whole earth, and to destroy them would in fact affect all the nations....

EXPOSITION ISAIAH 14:1 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, AND HER SONG OF TRIUMPH OVER BABYLON. The destruction of Babylon is to be followed by the restoration of Israel, with the good will of the nations, and by their exercising rule over their late oppressors (Isaiah 14:1, Isaiah 14:2). In this time of rest and refreshment they will sing a song of triumph over Babylon. The song extends from Isaiah 14:4 to...

THIS [IS] THE PURPOSE THAT IS PURPOSED UPON THE WHOLE EARTH, c] Or, "counsel that is counselled". The Targum is, "all the inhabitants of the earth'' and the Septuagint version, "the whole world", meaning the Assyrian empire, and all states depending on it; as the Roman empire is called, Luke 2:1 for this purpose respects not the end of the world, and the judgment of it at the last day, as some have thought; but the preceding prophecy, purpose, or counsel, concerning breaking and trampling under foot the Assyrians, and delivering the Jews from subjection to them: AND THIS [IS] THE HAND THAT IS STRETCHED OUT UPON ALL THE NATIONS; of which the Assyrian army consisted, or which made up the Assyrian monarchy, or depended on it, and fell with it. "Purpose" denotes the counsel, will, and decree of God, about this business; and "hand" the execution of it. The Targ

Isaiah 14:1. _For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob._ This promise had a measure of fulfillment when Israel was brought back from Babylon; and still is it true that, when God's people come to their worst, there is always something better before them. On the other hand, it is equally sure that, when sinners come to their best, there is always something terrible awaiting them. The apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, «God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew;» and his declaration agrees with this prophecy, «The Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land.» I believe that there will be a far grander fulfillment of this prophecy in that day when God shall bring back his chosen people to

WHOLE EARTH This universality is significant and marks the whole passage as referring, not merely to a near judgment upon Assyria, but in a yet larger sense to the final crash of the present world-system at the end of the age. (See "Times of the Gentiles," (Luke 21:24); (Revelation 16:14); (Daniel 2:44); (Daniel 2:45) "Armageddon,"; (Revelation 16:14); (Revelation 19:17). No other such universal catastrophe on the nations is known to Scri

CHAPTER 14 Israel's Restoration and Blessing After Babylon is Fallen and the Burden of Philistia 1. _Israel's restoration and exaltation (Isaiah 14:1)_ 2. _The proverb against the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:3)_ 3. _The triumph over Lucifer (Satan) (Isaiah 14:12)_ 4. _Babylon's destruction (Isaiah 14:21)_ 5. _The Assyrian broken (Isaiah 14:24)_ 6. _The burden of Philistia (Isaiah 14:28)_ When the last great Babylon is

THE DESTRUCTION OF ASSYRIA. This is usually regarded as a genuine fragment by Isaiah, asserting, as in Isaiah 10:5, the approaching destruction of Assyria in Palestine, and uttered probably not long before Sennacherib's invasion in 701. Some take it to be post-exilic, mainly on the ground that, just as in the later eschatology, the judgment is to be inflicted on all the nations, while Isaiah limits his view to a much narrower horizon. It is also said to be put together out of Isaianic phrases. It is true that numerous parallels occur in the other prophecies, but the piece is so free and vigorous in style, that it does not make the impression of having been composed by a mere copyist. Nor was it possible for the Assyrian Empire to be broken up without affecting the other nations in a vital and far-reaching way. The view taken of a fragment like this necessarily depends to a large extent o...