Isaiah 14:12-14 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Are You Like the Devil?
Isaiah 13:1 begins with “the burden of Babylon” in which God declares His judgment of the arrogance of that empire and its king. The Bible predicts that after this judgment people will look at the king of Babylon in awe that such a mighty one was now in such humility. Then right in the middle of this “burden,” Isaiah 14:12-14 says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Are these words speaking of the king of Babylon or are they speaking of the devil? Lucifer is a name that means “bright one,” and yet the bright one is revealed to be a “five I-d” monster: I will, I will, I,I,I. I’m never more like the devil than when I’m full of myself. The same is true of you as well. When your life is defined by worry, anger, or envy, it is because your life is defined, at that moment at least, by a focus on self. The more full of self we are the more like the devil we are because that was the quintessential, original sin- pride.
If you were to meet the devil on the street today would you be able to identify him by his actions? What would those actions be? Would the action be something like selling drugs to a minor? Or could it just be the pride and arrogance that characterizes so many of even God’s people?
Pride is an abomination to God, and pride is focusing on self when we should be focused on God. If I am focused on self, I can never see others clearly. When I’m focused on God, I can see both myself and those for whom Christ died just as clearly as is possible. In fact, I can see as clearly, in a sense, as God Himself because I’m seeing those people as God sees them. I am never more like the devil than when I am full of myself. And I am never more like the Lord Jesus than when I am full of the spirit of God.