Isaiah 14:5
The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers.
The LORD
This phrase refers to Yahweh, the covenant name of God in the Hebrew Bible. It signifies the personal and relational nature of God with His people, Israel. In the context of Isaiah, "The LORD" is the sovereign ruler over all nations, demonstrating His ultimate authority and power. The Hebrew word used here is "YHWH," which is considered sacred and is often translated as "LORD" in English Bibles. This highlights God's eternal presence and His role as the divine judge and deliverer.

has broken
The action of breaking signifies a decisive and powerful intervention by God. The Hebrew root word "shabar" conveys the idea of shattering or destroying. This indicates not just a simple act of breaking, but a complete and thorough dismantling. In the historical context, this reflects God's judgment against oppressive powers, showcasing His ability to dismantle the structures of evil and injustice.

the staff
The staff is a symbol of authority and power, often used by rulers to demonstrate their control and leadership. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, a staff was a common emblem of a king's rule. By breaking the staff, God is symbolically removing the power and authority of the oppressor. This act signifies the end of tyranny and the liberation of those who were under its control.

of the wicked
The term "wicked" refers to those who act in opposition to God's will and righteousness. In the Hebrew text, the word "rasha" is used, which denotes someone who is guilty of sin and injustice. This highlights the moral and spiritual corruption of those in power, whom God is judging. The wicked are often characterized by their exploitation and oppression of others, and God's breaking of their staff signifies His commitment to justice and righteousness.

the scepter
Similar to the staff, the scepter is a symbol of royal authority and governance. It represents the power to rule and make decisions. In the biblical context, the scepter is often associated with kingship and dominion. By breaking the scepter, God is dismantling the unjust rule and authority of the oppressors, emphasizing His sovereignty over all earthly powers.

of the rulers
This phrase refers to those in positions of leadership and control, particularly those who misuse their power for personal gain and to the detriment of others. The Hebrew word "moshel" is used, which can mean ruler, governor, or one who exercises dominion. In the context of Isaiah, these rulers are likely the oppressive leaders of Babylon, who have subjugated and mistreated God's people. God's action against them is a demonstration of His justice and His protection of the oppressed.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD
The sovereign God of Israel, who exercises authority and judgment over nations and rulers.

2. The Wicked
Represents those who oppose God and His people, often characterized by oppressive and unjust behavior.

3. The Rulers
Earthly leaders who wield power, often in opposition to God's will, and who are subject to His ultimate authority.

4. The Staff and Scepter
Symbols of authority and power, often used by rulers to exert control and enforce their will.

5. Isaiah
The prophet who conveyed God's messages to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, warning them of judgment and offering hope for restoration.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Earthly Powers
Recognize that all authority ultimately belongs to God, and He can break the power of the wicked at His will.

The Futility of Opposing God
Understand that those who wield power against God's purposes will ultimately face His judgment and be overthrown.

Hope for the Oppressed
Take comfort in knowing that God sees the oppression of His people and will act to deliver them from unjust rulers.

The Symbolism of Authority
Reflect on the symbols of power in your life and consider whether they align with God's righteous standards.

Trust in Divine Justice
Trust that God will bring justice in His perfect timing, even when wickedness seems to prevail.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of the "staff" and "scepter" in Isaiah 14:5 help us understand the nature of earthly power and authority?

2. In what ways can we see God's sovereignty over rulers and nations in today's world, and how should this influence our prayers and actions?

3. How does the breaking of the wicked's power in Isaiah 14:5 provide hope for those experiencing oppression or injustice?

4. What are some modern-day "staffs" or "scepters" that people might rely on instead of trusting in God's ultimate authority?

5. How can we apply the lessons of God's justice and sovereignty from Isaiah 14:5 to our personal lives and communities?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 2
This psalm speaks of the futility of rulers who plot against the LORD and His Anointed, emphasizing God's ultimate authority over earthly powers.

Daniel 2:21
Highlights God's sovereignty in setting up and deposing kings, reinforcing the theme of divine control over human authorities.

Revelation 19:15
Describes Christ's return and His authority to rule the nations, breaking the power of the wicked.

Proverbs 29:2
Contrasts the joy of the righteous when the wicked are overthrown, aligning with the theme of God's justice in Isaiah 14:5.

Exodus 14:13-14
Illustrates God's deliverance of His people from oppressive rulers, paralleling the breaking of the staff of the wicked.
The False StaffW.M. Statham Isaiah 14:5
Song of Redeemed IsraelE. Johnson Isaiah 14:1-23
An Image of the SoulF. Delitzsch.Isaiah 14:4-23
An Ode of TriumphProf . E. R. Driver, D. D.Isaiah 14:4-23
Deliverance from an Evil DominionR. Macculloch.Isaiah 14:4-23
Destruction of the King of BabylonIsaiah 14:4-23
HellProf. S. R. Driver, D. D.Isaiah 14:4-23
HellW. Day, M. A.Isaiah 14:4-23
Impious Expectations DisappointedProf. J. Skinner, D. D.Isaiah 14:4-23
LuciferProf. J. Skinner, D. D.Isaiah 14:4-23
PrideR. Macculloch.Isaiah 14:4-23
Sin and its HumiliationsW. Clarkson Isaiah 14:4-23
The BitternJ. Duns, D. D., F. R. S. E.Isaiah 14:4-23
The Bosom of DestructionIsaiah 14:4-23
The Church's Exultation Over Her FoesF. B. Meyer, B. A.Isaiah 14:4-23
The Golden CityR. Macculloch.Isaiah 14:4-23
The Proverb Against the King of BabylonSir E. Strachey, Bart.Isaiah 14:4-23
People
Ahaz, Isaiah, Jacob, Lucifer, Saraph
Places
Babylon, Lebanon, Philistia, Zion
Topics
Broken, Ceased, Evil-doers, Golden, Rod, Rulers, Scepter, Sceptre, Staff, Stick, Wicked
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 14:5

     5513   sceptre

Isaiah 14:3-6

     8739   evil, examples of

Isaiah 14:3-23

     4215   Babylon

Isaiah 14:5-6

     8791   oppression, nature of

Library
The victory of Life (Preached at the Chapel Royal. )
ISAIAH xxxviii. 18, 19. The grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee. I may seem to have taken a strange text on which to speak,--a mournful, a seemingly hopeless text. Why I have chosen it, I trust that you will see presently; certainly not that I may make you hopeless about death. Meanwhile, let us consider it; for it is in the Bible, and, like all words in the Bible, was written
Charles Kingsley—The Water of Life and Other Sermons

The Life and Death of Mr. Badman,
Presented to the World in a Familiar Dialogue Between Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Attentive. By John Bunyan ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The life of Badman is a very interesting description, a true and lively portraiture, of the demoralized classes of the trading community in the reign of King Charles II; a subject which naturally led the author to use expressions familiar among such persons, but which are now either obsolete or considered as vulgar. In fact it is the only work proceeding from the prolific
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The First Trumpet.
The first trumpet of the seventh seal begins from the final disturbance and overthrow of the Roman idolarchy at the close of the sixth seal; and as it was to bring the first plague on the empire, now beginning to fall, it lays waste the third part of the earth, with a horrible storm of hail mingled with fire and blood; that is, it depopulates the territory and people of the Roman world, (viz. the basis and ground of its universal polity) with a terrible and bloody irruption of the northern nations,
Joseph Mede—A Key to the Apocalypse

The Evil of Sin visible in the Fall of Angels and Men.
1 When the great Builder arch'd the skies, And form'd all nature with a word, The joyful cherubs tun'd his praise, And every bending throne ador'd. 2 High in the midst of all the throng, Satan, a tall archangel, sat, Amongst the morning stars he sung [1] Till sin destroy'd his heavenly state. 3 ['Twas sin that hurl'd him from his throne, Grov'ling in fire the rebel lies: "How art thou sunk in darkness down, "Son of the morning, from the skies!" [2] 4 And thus our two first parents stood Till sin
Isaac Watts—Hymns and Spiritual Songs

Epistle xviii. To John, Bishop.
To John, Bishop. Gregory to John, Bishop of Constantinople [1586] . At the time when your Fraternity was advanced to Sacerdotal dignity, you remember what peace and concord of the churches you found. But, with what daring or with what swelling of pride I know not, you have attempted to seize upon a new name, whereby the hearts of all your brethren might have come to take offence. I wonder exceedingly at this, since I remember how thou wouldest fain have fled from the episcopal office rather than
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Epistle xxi. To Constantina Augusta .
To Constantina Augusta [1593] . Gregory to Constantina, &c. Almighty God, who holds in His right hand the heart of your Piety, both protects us through you and prepares for you rewards of eternal remuneration for temporal deeds. For I have learnt from the letters of the deacon Sabinianus my responsalis with what justice your Serenity is interested in the cause of the blessed Prince of the apostles Peter against certain persons who are proudly humble and feignedly kind. And I trust in the bounty
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

That the Ruler Should Be, through Humility, a Companion of Good Livers, But, through the Zeal of Righteousness, Rigid against the vices of Evildoers.
The ruler should be, through humility, a companion of good livers, and, through the zeal of righteousness, rigid against the vices of evil-doers; so that in nothing he prefer himself to the good, and yet, when the fault of the bad requires it, he be at once conscious of the power of his priority; to the end that, while among his subordinates who live well he waives his rank and accounts them as his equals, he may not fear to execute the laws of rectitude towards the perverse. For, as I remember to
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Doctrine of Satan.
I. HIS EXISTENCE AND PERSONALITY. 1. EXISTENCE. 2. PERSONALITY. II. HIS PLACE AND POWER. 1. A MIGHTY ANGEL. 2. PRINCE OF POWER OF THE AIR. 3. GOD OF THIS WORLD. 4. HEAD OF KINGDOM OF DARKNESS. 5. SOVEREIGN OVER DEATH. III. HIS CHARACTER. 1. ADVERSARY. 2. DIABOLOS. 3. WICKED ONE. 4. TEMPTER. IV. OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS SATAN. 1. LIMITED POWER OF SATAN. 2. RESIST HIM. V. HIS DESTINY. 1. A CONQUERED ENEMY. 2. UNDER ETERNAL CURSE. VI. DEMONS. THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN. Throughout the Scriptures Satan is set
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible

The Disciple, -- Master, Some People Say that the Comfort and Joy that Believers Experience...
The Disciple,--Master, some people say that the comfort and joy that believers experience are simply the outcome of their own thoughts and ideas. Is this true? The Master,--1. That comfort and abiding peace which believers have within themselves is due to My presence in their hearts, and to the life-giving influence of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. As for those who say that this spiritual joy is the result only of the thoughts of the heart, they are like a foolish man who was blind from his birth,
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

The Power of God
The next attribute is God's power. Job 9:19. If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong.' In this chapter is a magnificent description of God's power. Lo, he is strong.' The Hebrew word for strong signifies a conquering, prevailing strength. He is strong.' The superlative degree is intended here; viz., He is most strong. He is called El-shaddai, God almighty. Gen 17:7. His almightiness lies in this, that he can do whatever is feasible. Divines distinguish between authority and power. God has both.
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Sargon of Assyria (722-705 B. C. )
SARGON AS A WARRIOR AND AS A BUILDER. The origin of Sargon II.: the revolt of Babylon, Merodach-baladan and Elam--The kingdom of Elam from the time of the first Babylonian empire; the conquest's of Shutruh-nalkunta I.; the princes of Malamir--The first encounter of Assyria and Elam, the battle of Durilu (721 B.C.)--Revolt of Syria, Iaubidi of Hamath and Hannon of Gaza--Bocchoris and the XXIVth Egyptian dynasty; the first encounter of Assyria with Egypt, the battle of Raphia (720 B.C.). Urartu
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7

Use to be Made of the Doctrine of Providence.
Sections. 1. Summary of the doctrine of Divine Providence. 1. It embraces the future and the past. 2. It works by means, without means, and against means. 3. Mankind, and particularly the Church, the object of special care. 4. The mode of administration usually secret, but always just. This last point more fully considered. 2. The profane denial that the world is governed by the secret counsel of God, refuted by passages of Scripture. Salutary counsel. 3. This doctrine, as to the secret counsel of
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Holy War,
MADE BY SHADDAI UPON DIABOLUS, FOR THE REGAINING OF THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD; OR, THE LOSING AND TAKING AGAIN OF THE TOWN OF MANSOUL. THE AUTHOR OF 'THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.' 'I have used similitudes.'--Hosea 12:10. London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms in the Poultry; and Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Bunyan's account of the Holy War is indeed an extraordinary book, manifesting a degree of genius, research, and spiritual
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. A representation of a system of things pre-determined in order that the obligations of the Covenant might be discharged; various exhibitions of the Covenant as ordained; and a description of the children of the Covenant as predestinated
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Opposition to Messiah in Vain
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision. T he extent and efficacy [effects] of the depravity of mankind cannot be fully estimated by the conduct of heathens destitute of divine revelation. We may say of the Gospel, in one sense, what the Apostle says of the Law, It entered that sin might abound (Romans 5:20) . It afforded occasion for displaying the alienation of the heart of man from the blessed God, in the strongest light. The sensuality, oppression and
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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