SOAP 01/15/2016; Isaiah 14:12

Today's reading: Genesis 37, 38; Psalm 7; Luke 15*

S) "¹² “How you have fallen from heaven,
O ^[g]star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!"

Isaiah 14:12 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Isaiah 14

O) The footnote on [g] is that this term in Hebrew is "Helel" or "shining one" and it is the only place in the Old Testament the term is found. In the Latin Vulgate, the word was translated to "lucifer," which means "morning star." In the King James Version, this word was inexplicably capitalized as if it was a pronoun, despite the fact that this word in Latin simply means day, venus, or morning star. In the Latin Vulgate, it occurs just as "lucifer" three times (above, Job 11:17, and 2 Peter 1:19), none of which were transcribed as a proper name. It occurs twice more in the form "luciferum" (Job 38:32 and Psalm 109:3), but it is not translated as any kind of pronoun there, either. Now, when we break down all 5 verses, we see that only the one above is talking about a person. In context, we see that the person above is certainly Nebuchadnezzar, who was king of Babylon at the time of its writing. If we compare this prophecy (vv. 4-21) to what we know about this king from other Scripture (and especially from Daniel 4), then we see this whole prophecy from Isaiah fits very well with what we know happened to Nebuchadnezzar. So, why has this passage been tied to satan? Why has his name become popularized as "Lucifer"? Well, for that, we need to compare this passage to two others (Luke 10:18 and Revelation 12). In Luke 10:17, the disciples had just come back from casting out demons in Jesus' name. His response to them starts with his observation that he was watching satan "fall from heaven like lightning," before He went on to correct their cause for rejoicing from exorcism to their own eternal lives. Then, in Revelation 12, we see several descriptions, of what appear to be historical accounts of satan and what he has done, and what was done to him. In v.8 it says "there was no longer a place found for them in heaven." In v.9, the text says he was "thrown down to the earth" along with his angels. Reading a little farther in that same passage, we see that satan used to stand before God accusing the brethren, which also calls to mind the opening chapters of Job.

So, the traditional view that satan held some kind of attempted revolution in the ancient past, which is when he was cast out of heaven and became God's nemesis, isn't really scripturally founded. It's possible that those traditional views are actually what happened (although the timing should certainly be held in question, based on Scripture). It's also possible that this passage from Isaiah is also about satan. However, in light of careful exegesis, it seems pretty irresponsible to read this much into a prophecy that can easily be corroborated by the book of Daniel.

A) First, I must remember to be careful when studying the Bible, not to bring preconceived notions and traditions of man, but instead mine the Scriptures and carefully study what they plainly say. Beyond a warning about careful study, this verse also reminds me to be careful of pride. As much fun as it is to dig into the Latin Vulgate, I cannot overlook the much simpler lesson, that this verse is still about someone and his condemned pride. This was an honored king. This honorific, this name "star of the morning" isn't too different than a title Jesus Himself took in Revelation 22:16 (although the Latin is translated differently than "lucifer"). In a similar way, I have been given a name, a title of sorts, because I am a Christian. I have a name similar to that of Jesus Christ. In fact, in a more direct way, I am named for Him. There is a deadly temptation because of that, to think more highly of myself than I ought. If I do that, surely my pride will cost me, and I would have no right to expect a fate any better than what Isaiah described about Nebuchadnezzar.

P) Father, like this ancient king, my pride was dooming me. Unlike with this ancient king, Your grace found me before my pride cost me too much. Even still, this verse stands as another stern warning to me, that I cannot exalt myself to a place that is rightly, and solely, Yours. Help me to keep my mind on context when I read Your word, God. Open my eyes and ears, that I may gain every insight from Scripture, that You would have me gain. Please give me wisdom and understanding, and help me to carefully search the Scriptures for truth. I rely on Your word, Lord, and I cannot afford to misunderstand You. Be glorified in my life, by my study and my humility. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.