Isaiah 14:1,2 - The Lord will have compassion

14:1

We have here a somewhat unhelpful chapter division as this is all part of the same message. The judgement on Babylon is intrinsically linked with God’s compassion on Judah. We find the same pattern in Revelation. There is an awful lot of judgement upon evil in Revelation, but it is also about the salvation of God’s people. God’s judgement upon evil is an essential part of the gospel message. The salvation here is for Judah and Israel, so there is an implicit reuniting of the divided kingdom. But there is more than that, for “foreigners will join them”. All nations will be blessed, and there will be unity between all who belong to the Lord.

14:2

Now this verse may jar with some of us, for it speaks of Israel taking possession of the nations, making servants of people, and captives of their oppressors. One of the things that we must say is that Jesus showed us a very different way of exercising authority to what we find in the world. So verses like this should be read in light of the Jesus model of servant rulership, not the world’s model of lording it over people. Also, the world may well persecute us, but it is a Biblical truth that in the end it is God’s people who will rule. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.