Isaiah 14:27

One of the themes of the previous chapters of Isaiah has been the fact that God is in control. Powerful rulers are not in control. People are not in control. God decides what happens and when it happens. God sets up, and God casts down when He chooses. The Bible says in Isaiah 14:27-32 “For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden. 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. 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. 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. 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.”

Who has the final authority in everything that takes place? God does. Human beings make their plans, and sometimes make their schemes, and human beings make their efforts, but God makes the final decision. Of course, God has given man a free will, such as to believe in Christ or not; but God retains His own will also. Once God purposes a particular outcome, no man “shall disannul it.” The Bible says in Romans 9:10-16, “And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” It also says in John 1:13-14, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

God lifts up countries and casts them down according to His will and in His time. God does the same with individuals. God is at work. That is one reason to honor and respect those that are in authority. As it says in Romans 13:1-7, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”

As another example of the fact that God is in control of all nations and of what happens to them, the Bible speaks about the country of Moab in Isaiah 15:1-9. It says, “The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off. In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly. And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him. My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction. For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing. Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows. For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beer-elim. For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.”

This judgment that God brought upon Moab certainly touched deeply the hearts of the people of that land. Consider the words that are used to describe the people once the judgment fell upon them: “weep,” “howl,” “sackcloth,” “weeping abundantly,” “cry,” “grievous,” and “cry of destruction.” The Lord certainly knows how to reach hearts and to touch hearts for whatever are His purposes. That is how people get saved. God must touch someone’s heart before they will come to Christ. Sometimes an individual must be cut down before that individual will look up. Jesus said in John 6:44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

One of the things that the people of Moab were “howling” about was their loss of material prosperity. It says in Isaiah 15:6-7, “the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing. Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away.” Job said in Job 1:21, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away.” That is one of the reasons to be thankful for everything that you have. You only have it because God gave it to you. Therefore, you should honor Him with your substance by dedicating its use to His glory. If God gives prosperity to a nation, and the people of that nation are not thankful to Him, He can take away that prosperity at any time. That is what God did with the land of Moab.

In Isaiah chapter 16 we are told even more about the judgment that came upon Moab. It says in Isaiah 16:1-14, “Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon. Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth. Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so. Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken. For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea. Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen. And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir-haresh. And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail. This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time. But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.”

Moab was a country that bordered on Israel, and Moab was often an enemy to Israel. God’s judgment against Moab shows that God will take care of the land that He promised to Abraham, and those people who fight against Israel will be fighting against God, and will lose. Of course, the detailed descriptions of the judgments against Moab remind us that the Lord is God of the whole earth. God sees the sins that everyone commits, and God must judge those sins because God is holy and just. Therefore, let everyone turn quickly to Christ for forgiveness because we have all sinned.

It is important to notice that in the midst of declaring these judgments and punishments, we are reminded of the mercy of God. It says in Isaiah 16:5, “And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.” The most important quality of the kingdom of Christ is that of “mercy.” Because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross of Calvary, every human being has the possibility of finding mercy by believing in Jesus Christ. That is why it is so important to repent of one’s sins. When we are in His kingdom, we will sing of the mercy of the Lord forever. Of course, the kingdom of Christ will have other great qualities in addition to mercy. As it says in Isaiah 16:5, it will have “truth,” “judgment,” and “righteousness.” The very things that are so lacking in this world will be in abundant supply in the Kingdom of God because of Jesus.

Notice the first phrase of Isaiah 16:14 as it declares the time in which judgment would be brought upon Moab. It says, “But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years…” God gave the time when the judgments would come on Moab. The things that happen in this world are on God’s timeline, whether those things be judgments or blessings. Things happen when God wants them to happen. That is why it says concerning the coming of Jesus into the world in Galatians 4:4, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” This same principle applies to every person who is born into the world. God decides who is born and when they are born, and then God has a plan for that life. And finally when the days of that life have come to their end, God decides when that end shall be. It says in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” You will die the year, the day, and the hour that God determines. Turn to Christ now, so that you will end up in the Kingdom of Christ when you die.

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