OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES THE OPPRESSORS OF HIS PEOPLE

Continuing with the next verse in book of Isaiah chapter 14, we look at verse 20 which reads this way;

Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people.

This verse is speaking of the king of Babylon who is standing in for Satan, the oppressor of God's people.

The image is presented where a chaotic and undignified scene of a dead person being stepped on by passing crowds of people unfolds.

The honors of a formal and orderly funeral that are given to world leaders are denied to him and the reason given for this exemption is that during his reign, he destroyed the land and murdered his own subjects.

Also given the name, 'the Assyrian, this person is judged severely for the rebellion and reign of mayhem that he fostered against the Lord's people.

As verse 25 says;

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.”

8

OUR FATHER WHOSE VICTORY IS ABSOLUTE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 19 says this;

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.

The king of Babylon, in judgement for his actions, is brought down to the lowest pit after being cast out of the normal state of repose for a world leader.

A diginified tomb rejects him and he is trampled underfoot and covered with the dead who have themselves have done wicked things and cast down into the lowest pit.

This judgement is metted out because of the destructive and murderous practices of his regime and as verse 20 says;

Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people.

20

OUR FATHER WHO IS THE JUDGE

The book of Isaiah chapter 15 16 verse 12 3 says this;

“Make up your mind,” Moab says. “Render a decision. Make your shadow like night—at high noon.

Hide the fugitives, do not betray the refugees.

The people of Moab, facing a destroyer who  came to ruin them, scattered from the land of Moab in convoys of refugees.

In this verse, Moab sent a petition for asylum to the nation of Israel who was their neighbor.

As Israel vacillated on whether to grant asylum, Moab pressed her to make a decision one way or another. 

Moab asked Israel to discreetly conceal the refugees from those who sought to destroy them.

Israel is then prophetically counselled to provide refuge to the people of Moab because the day of the destroyer will come to an end.

Those who acted in mercy and love for their neighbor in distress will be noted by the throne that will be established in love as verse 5 says;

In love a throne will be established;  in faithfulness a man will sit on it—one from the house of David—one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE WORD IS ETERNAL

The book of Isaiah chapter 40 verse 8 says this;

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

This verse speaks metaphorically of grass and flowers with the grass representing human beings on earth and the flowers representing the good works that they do that make humanity beautiful.

Even if human beings wither away and their righteous and faithful works are shed, the word of the Lord God will endure forever.

This paralells the words of the Lord Jesus in Mathew chapter 24 which says;

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Word of God is eternal.

Amen.

6

OUR FATHER WHO ANSWERS THOSE WHO FAST ACCORDING TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

The book of Isaiah chapter 58 verses 4 - 7 says this;

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves?

Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

This passage reprimands God's people for improperly handling the institution of fasting.

Whereas fasting provides a priority channel into the administration of heaven, there are ways to nullify the efficacy of fasting where we sustain an;

• atmosphere of contention
• atmosphere of strife
• atmosphere of violence

The rudiments of fasting (like humbling oneself, dressing in sackcloth and covering with ashes) are not supposed to be the only components of the practice.

Here, the Lord gives a full prescription of fasting beyond the basics;

• Mitigate the effects of injustice
• Remove entanglements of oppression
• Free the oppressed from their captors
• Destroy the strongholds of oppression
• Provide food for the hungry
• Provide shelter for the wanderers
• Provide clothing for them with no clothing
• Be attentive to the needs of our neighbours

Fasting that includes adherance to these provisos will garner the attention of the Lord and when we need Him and reach out to Him, He will respond as it says in verse 9;

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

Amen.

33

OUR FATHER WHO PREPARES HIS PEOPLE

The book of Isaiah chapter 13 verse 4 says this;

Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude!

Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together!

The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war.

This verse describes the tumult of the assembling together of the great army of the Lord Almighty to rise up against Babylon who was the enemy of God.

Preceded by a covert action to incapacitate the nobles and leaders of the kingdom of Babylon, those who have been prepared by the Lord are mustered together and this gathering is thunderously noisy.

This spiritual army is brought together from all over the earth. They are an international force comprised of those on earth and those in heaven as verse 5 says;

They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens—the Lord and the weapons of his wrath—to destroy the whole country.

Their target is the rebellious kingdom of Babylon whose ambition was the total usurpation of the earth in the service of godlessness but the day of reckoning approaches as verse 7 says;

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

2

OUR FATHER WHO KNOWS THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTIONS OF THE HEARTS OF ALL BEINGS

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 13 says this;

NIV :

You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God;

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.

AMP :

“But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God;

I will sit on the mount of assembly In the remote parts of the north.

Revisiting this verse, having noted that the inner thoughts of the king of Babylon as he formulated his plan to fulfil his ambition were known and revealed in this passage, we see that he wants to ascend to heaven which implies that he is plotting his ascension from a position on earth.

He then decides that he would then need to gain dominance over the denizens of heaven called the stars of God.  

He then describes the topography of heaven that will serve as his headquarters once he has gained rulership in heaven.

In the next verse ( verse 14 ), the ultimate goal is revealed. From the highest point in heaven, the king of Babylon then intended to raise himself higher that the clouds of heaven so that he would then be in a position that would be equivalent to the God who is the creator of heaven and earth.

‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

But having plotted these things in his heart, his plan is discovered and he is cast down to the pit as verse 15 says;

But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.

24

OUR FATHER WHOSE JUDGES HIS OWN PEOPLE FIRST

The book of Isaiah chapter 9 verse 11 says this;

But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them and has spurred their enemies on.

This verse, speaking of God's people who in arrogance, plan how they would recover from judgement even better than they were before and in response, the Lord galvanizes the enemies of his people to bring greater judgement upon them but they do not return to God.

As verse 13 says;

Yet the people do not turn back to Him who struck them, Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.

8

OUR FATHER WHO SENT HIS SON TO SAVE THE WORLD

The book of Isaiah chapter 9 verses 4 - 5 says this;

For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

This passage prophetically looks ahead to the time when the reign of oppression over God's people by the kingdom of darkness will be brought to an end because the instruments of oppression (namely the yoke, the bar and the rod) will be destroyed.

The blood-soaked accoutrements of war like boots and uniforms will be burned up and eliminated.

The reason given for this dramatic change of fortune for God's people is that the great Son of God will arrive as described in Isaiah chapter 9 verses 6 - 7;

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Amen.

6

OUR FATHER IS THE ULTIMATE JUDGE OVER ALL EXISTENCE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 19 says this;

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 trampled underfoot,

This verse speaks of the final resting place of the anti-christ.

Any semblance of dignity or noteworthiness will  be stripped away. His personal tomb will reject Him and he will suffer the fate of those he killed.

He will be thrown into a mass grave among the innumerable who have fallen with him.

The memory of him will be trampled and erased as he descends  to the very bottom of the pit and covered with the dead.

4

OUR FATHER WHOSE PEOPLE SHOULD CONCERN THEMSELVES WITH THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The book of Isaiah chapter 5 verse 9 says this; 

The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing: “Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions left without occupants.

This verse is speaking of the judgement that will descend upon the God's people whom He had carefully cultivated but who paid no heed to the Lord.

They concerned themselves with increasing their holdings and displacing everyone else out of the land.

As such, the great mansions they had built as monuments to themselves would lie desolate as judgement descends.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER KNOWS THE INNER THOUGHTS OF EVEN THE MIGHTY ANGELS

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 13 says this;

“But you said in your heart,

‘I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God;

I will sit on the mount of assembly

In the remote parts of the north.

This widely known verse is a revelation of the inner thoughts of Lucifer when his selfish ambition to rule over creation was conceived in his heart.

By the impetus of his own will, he planned to escalate himself up to heaven from the location where he had been appointed to rule over.

In his attempt to promote himself, he intended to raise his throne above the stars of God (which is a class of beings who participated in the creation of the universe as well as all those who oversee the gatherings of God's people) as described in Job chapter 38 verses 6 - 7;

On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

Lucifer then planned to place himself at the focal point of the heavenly gathering place that is situated in a distant and secure area of the north sector of heaven.

2

OUR FATHER WHO IS THE FINAL JUDGE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 11 says this;

All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.

This verse, in revealing the scene of the fall of the king of Babylon (standing in for Lucifer ) into the pit, describes how the magesterial entourage that included musical accompaniment, was brought down with him into the realm of the dead.

His dignity is stripped away and a bed of maggots and worms becomes his resting place.

Have mercy on us o God.

14

 OUR FATHER WHO IS VICTORIOUS

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 9 says this;

The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you—all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones—all those who were kings over the nations.

This verse, speaking of the former world leaders operating from the realm of the dead on the throne, describes the anticipation that these leaders experience as they await the arrival of the king of Babylon who has been cast down into the lowest part of their realm.

The realm itself tries to organize a greeting party to mark the arrival of the anti-Christ to try to honor him as he descends.

When he arrives, they all realize that he is weak and defeated and has no power to help them as verse 10 says;

They will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.”

The Lord is the victor.

Amen.

4

 

OUR FATHER WHO SURPRISED HIS SON WITH A VASTE EXPANSION OF THE SCOPE OF HIS REWARD

The book of Isaiah chapter 49 verse 4 says this;

But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”

This text is excerpted from a first person narration of the experience that the Lord Jesus had leading up to His death on the cross. 

Here, the Lord is recalling the conversation that He, Jesus the Son of God, had with His heavenly Father shortly before His death on the cross.

The Lord Jesus tells us that He, having lived a perfect life of following the law and doing everything that He saw His Father do, looked around Him and saw that He has been abandoned by His followers and that the mission that He been sent on to save the nation of Israel, had seemingly failed.

Israel, instead of embracing Him as their promised Messiah, had rejected Him and His message of the coming kingdom of God. They accused Him of blaspheme and sentenced Him to death to save their nation from political jeopardy.

Continuing with the telling of the experience from His point of view, the Lord Jesus said to His Father that all that He had worked so diligently for had not materialized and it was all for nothing but He recognized that it was His Father who would be the ultimate judge of the outcome of His mission and ascribe the fitting reward for His effort.

The Lord Jesus then records His Father's reply to His concerns in verses 5 - 6;

And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. 

I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Wow!

4

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES HIS OWN PEOPLE FIRST  

The book of Isaiah chapter 17 verse 4 says this;

NIV - “In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away.

AMP - “Now in that day the [former] glory of Jacob [Israel—his might, his population, his prosperity] will fade,

And the fatness of his flesh will become lean.

This verse, speaking of the day of judgement of the former ally of Israel, Syria, Israel's own greatness will fade and any reserves of value will be erased.

Judah is told that because he has forgotten the God of his salvation, the things that he plants will look promising while it grows but at harvest time, will render nothing. Verses 11 - 12 say it this way;

Because you [Judah] have forgotten the God of your salvation And have not remembered the Rock of your Stronghold—Therefore you plant lovely plants. And set the grounds with vine slips of a strange god, In the day that you plant it you carefully fence it in, And in the morning you bring your seed to blossom;Yet [promising as it is] the harvest will be a heap [of ruins that passes away] In the day of sickness and incurable pain.

This condition is a form of delusion that sets in when effort and patience seem assured to bring a harvest but after all the output, nothing is yielded. 

Amen.

20

OUR FATHER WHO CAST DOWN THE ONE WHO SOUGHT TO USURP HEAVEN'S THRONE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 12 says this;

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!

This well known verse, referencing the king of Babylon, standing in for Lucifer who is being expressed as the man lawlessness or the anti-Christ, having oppressed and destroyed the nations of the earth, is described as having been cast down from heaven to the earth.

This scene is mirrored by the  event that the Lord Jesus witnessed and described to his disciples in Luke chapter 10 verse 18;

He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

It appears that there is a principle in the universe that says that if you see a spirit being fall, authority over that Spirit is accrued to you.

Thus, because Jesus witnessed Satan fall from heaven, Jesus rightfully gained authority over the entire kingdom of Satan and this is why Jesus, when "the seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”, the Lord was able to say to them in verse 19;

 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

8

OUR FATHER WHOSE SON ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND SAT AT HIS RIGHT HAND AND FROM THENSE HE SHALL COME TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

The book of acts chapter 1 verse 9 says this;

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

This verse, speaking of the ascension of the Lord Jesus from the Mount of Olives, describes the Lord's departure as a 'lifting up" in plain sight of everyone  into the sky until He was obscured from view by a cloud.

It is this same scene in the clouds that act as the staging area at the Lord's final return as described in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 16 - 17;

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO WORKED SALVATION FOR THE WHOLE WORLD

Psalm 98 verses 1 - 3 says this;

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

This passage prophetically exhorts us to worship the Lord with fresh new songs  and with adoration because of the Lord, through His manifold wisdom, worked a great plan of salvation. 

And this plan of salvation, which encapsulated the children of Israel and people of all the nations, was accomplished through the Lord Jesus who underwent the sentence of death on a cross for the sins of the world.

He then rose again on the third day and he ascended into heavenly places far above rule, authority and dominion and every name that is invoked. 

And thus, the plan of salvation was made universal and applicable to all nations and God made His salvation known to all nations and revealed His righteousness because Jesus, who was the exact image of the Father, was absolutely perfect in His life on earth even unto the point of death.

Let us sing praises to Him who saved us.

Sing to God a song of praise

For our salvation His Son He gave

Shout for joy to God our King

Burst into jubilant songs for Him

Let the whole world and sea resound

For God's righteous justice will ever abound

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHOSE WAYS ARE WAYS OF JUSTICE

Psalm 99 verse 4 in the NIV says this;

The King is mighty, he loves justice— you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right.

This verse references the King of Zion who is exalted over all nations and who is enthroned  between the two cherubim at the focal point of all existence.

The text describes Him as mighty or exceedingly strong and because He Loves justice, in his strength He has set justice to be the standard by which His kingdom operates.

The Living Bible version says it this way;

This mighty King is determined to give justice. Fairness is the touchstone of everything he does. He gives justice throughout Israel. 

Amen.

12+

OUR FATHER WHOSE GREAT DAY APPROACHES

The book of Daniel chapter 12 verses 11 and 12 says this;

“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

This passage sets out a schedule that can be counted out on a calendar to mark  the amount of time that those who await the Lord's hope.

There will be a day when the daily sacrifice is banned and from that day till the abomination that causes desolation is set up in the temple, 1,290 says will go by.

After that, another 45 days will pass during which God's people will have to endure a time of great distress before the day of the Lord arrives.

Have mercy on us O Lord.

4

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGEMENT AGAINST THOSE WHO STRIKE HIS PEOPLE IS FEARSOME 

The book of Obadiah chapter 1 verses 5 - 6 says this;

“If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night—oh, what a disaster awaits you!—would they not steal only as much as they wanted?

If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? 

But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged!

This passage uses two metaphors to accentuate how thorough the destruction of Esau shall be when judgement is brought against them.

When thieves target a person's home, they don't take everything. Instead they pick and chose what they deem valuable and though it is a bona fide disastor for the person, at least the robbers leave what they don't want. They would take your laptop but they would at least leave your couch behing.

Similarly, when thieving harvesters visit a person's vineyard to loot a harvest of grapes, even though it is a great loss, at least they leave behind a few grapes that they did not bother to reach for. 

In contrast, the calamity that will be visited on the nation of Esau (who in this case, stands in for the kingdoms that will array themselves against the kingdom of God to wreak havoc on the people of God and unjustly refuse to support them on their day of adversity), will be absolute and permanent. Verse 10 says it like this;

Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.

Verse 18 suggests that it will be prayers of God's people that will accompliah this;

Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame;

Esau will be stubble, and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will be no survivors from Esau.”

The Lord has spoken.

Revere the Lord whose power can erase nations and kingdoms.

9

OUR FATHER WHO GREAT DAY WILL BE PRECEDED BY AN ATTACK ON HIS PEOPLE BY THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS

The book of Joel chapter 1 verses 8 - 9 says this;

Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the betrothed of her youth. 

Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the Lord

In this passage, the people of God, from the bride of Christ to the priests of Israel, are instructed to mourn because of the onslaught of an invading army of darkness that is systematically tearing away the protective covering of the vines and the fig trees where the vines represent the church and the fig tree represents the nation of Israel.

A great disruption happens to bring shortages of the distribution of the word of God throughout the world leaving millions without a way to learn about God and a scarcity of encounters with the Holy Spirit and the joy of the people of God withers away. As verse 10 says;

The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed,  the new wine is dried up, the olive oil fails.

At this time, when these things are occurring,  the day of the Lord approaches as verse 15 says;

Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

4

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDED A PERFECT SACRIFICE

Psalm 111 verse 3 says this;

Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.

In extolling the Lord our God, this verse specifies the refulgent and awesome deeds that he does. 

We are all witness to the inconcievable design of the natural order and the placement of we humans in it. We are witness to the splendor and incomparable wonder of our planet and all who dwell in it.

We are then confronted with the plan of salvation that was designed to redeem us out of the darkness into which we had fallen.

In this plan, God Himself undertook the role of a suffering servant who, though innocent, was condemned to death so that he would experience death for us that we might have life.

This majestic undertaking demonstrated the absolute perfection of God who, tested by the agony of death on a cross, did not relent at any point in His fierce determination to complete the task of providing salvation for the whole world through His obedience to the mandate He had.

As the rest of the verse says, "His righteousness endure forever"

Truely, the righteousness that the Lord Jesus showcased during His life, throughout His ministry and then in obedient submission to death on a cross, is an enduring eternal righteousness.

If this righteousness remained intact under the duress of a drawn-out excruciating execution, it will endure forever.

Praise our wonderful God.

Amen.

4 

OUR FATHER RESERVES THE AUTHORITY TO LIFT UP KINGS AND TO TEAR THEM DOWN.

The book of Isaiah chapter 19 verse 4 says this;

I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

In this verse, the Egyptians, who were an actual oppressive force over the people of God when they had sorjourned to Egypt and had been turned into slaves, are standing in for the systems of oppression over God's people.

The text describes a method by which an oppresive power is visited upon with judgement where a harsh and cruel master is placed over the harsh and cruel masters.

The difficulties and agonies that they impose on their victims are now imposed on them through the placement of a harsh leader over them.

That with which they had afflicted those who were under them, settled on their own heads.

This brings discouragement and disunity to the oppressive society and ultimately causes their disassembly. 

4

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES THE WICKED ANGELS

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 9 says this;

The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you— all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones— all those who were kings over the nations.

In revisiting this passage, having looked at two aspects of the descent of the king of Babylon into the realm of the dead namely;

• The contrast between the heights to which he aspired to ascend and the depths of the pit into which he fell

• The failure of the hope that the kings of the earth had in him when they saw that he was now as feeble as they themselves were

We will now look at the descent itself and the conditions that brought about the fall of the king of Babylon.

The king of Babylon, an Anti-Christ figure, also called 'the Assyrian', having gained dominance over the nations of the earth,  is judged for the wickedness, cruelty and devastation that he brought to the whole world.

This judgement broke the authority that was being wielded as verse 5 and 6 say;

The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression.

Defeated by the Lord, the king of Babylon is relegated to the realm of the dead and so, as verse 12 says;

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!

Having 'fallen' and been 'cast down', the Assyrian is then 'brought down' to the 'depths' of the pit as verse 15 says;

But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.

Then, having reached the depths of the pit, he is brought down further and covered over in worms as verse 11 says;

All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.

And he is also covered with the bodies of those who had been slain as verse 19 says;

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.

As he falls, the deceased kings who inhabit the realm of the dead ponder his fate as they gaze upon him as he descends.

10

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES FALSE PROPHETS

The book of Ezekiel chapter 13 verse 4 says this;

Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins.

This verse is an indictment against the prophets of God's people who were operating out of their own imaginations and following their own spirits rather than following the Spirit of God.

Their abdication of the office of the true prophet caused these 'foolish' prophets to be blind to the breaches in the spiritual fortifications of the people of God and as a result, on the day of the Lord, the walls did not hold up against the assault of the enemy.

In this state, the false prophets are compared to jackals or scavengers that haunt the ruins of the civilization they were pretending to provide oversight for while opportunistically living off the people therein.

4

OUR FATHER WHO FAVORS THE RIGHTEOUS WHO ABIDE IN HIS PRESENCE

Psalm chapter 4 5  verse 10 2 says this;

Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

This verse records the psalmist asking his Lord for attention so that he can bring his prayers before Him early in the morning.

The psalmist then articulates the posture that is required to bring such prayers before God.

• Articulate the requests before God
• Wait expectantly
• Be righteous before God
• Be humble before God
• Be honest
• Travel to the house of God
• Be reverent towards God

The Lord will grant favor to the righteous who follow  these practices as verse 12 says;

Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO FIRST JUDGES HIS OWN PEOPLE

The book of Jeremiah chapter 5 verses 2 - 3 says this;

Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’  still they are swearing falsely.”

Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.

This passage speaks of the people of Jerusalem who should have been righteous but instead were perpetrating evil and were treacherous toward the Lord.

Even though they feigned religious observance of the ways of God by using the buzz words of spiritual talk, inwardly, they were deceptive and unjust. 

Even though the Lord moved to correct them by chastisement but they were unresponsive to the Lord's discipline.

They just doubled down on their resolve to continue with only what pleased them and they rejected the calls to renounce their evil ways and to return to the Lord.

In their case, the Lord had tallied the population to see if there was even one righteous man in their midst and He had resolved to relent on His destruction of Jerusalem if even a singular righteous person could be located.

Even searching among the poor and among the influential had yielded no one who was righteous and so destruction was imminent.

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OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES BUT LEAVES A REMNANT

The book of Ezekiel chapter 9 verse 10 says this;

So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”

The severe judgement of death that was being brought to Jerusalem was triggered by these things that were found abundantly in Jerusalem;

• Bloodshed
• Perversion
• Injustice
• Slandering the Lord

The Amplified version says it this way;

The wickedness (guilt) of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of blood and the city is full of perversion and injustice; for they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land; the Lord does not see [what we are doing].’

The people in Jerusalem at the time, were already a remnant but that remnant, by practicing great evil, invited judgement upon themselves and were to be reduced to an even smaller remnant of people who had been repulsed by the things that were happening in their city.

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Amen.