Crushing the Serpent's Head
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 14:1-15
How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!
Isaiah 14:4
Immanuel comes to deal a fatal blow to the devil, whose obsession is to keep the nations in chains and darkness. God will deal not only with nations that have been oppressors; God will also deal with the evil one, who has lurked behind the scenes to deceive the nations throughout history. In some ways our reading for today can be seen as God’s judgment on Satan. You see, in the Bible, the powerful, excessive, oppressive Babylon is sometimes described as a symbol of the kingdom of this world—that is, the kingdom of Satan.
“How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth… You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God … I will make myself like the Most High.’” The devil, Satan, was thrown down from heaven because he wanted to take the place of God. And he not only deceived himself but now in his rage wants to deceive others and pull them away from God (see Revelation 12:7-12).
But the offspring of the woman came to crush the serpent’s head. And because of Christ, the devil is now weakened and bound, and the nations have been freed to respond in faith to the good news of salvation.
As disciples of Jesus, we can experience that freedom too. The Lord has dealt the fatal blow to our enemy.
Almighty God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit —thank you for freeing us from bondage to sin and Satan. We look forward to the day when the oppressor’s fury will be over. Amen.
About the author — Victor Atallah
Rev. Victor Atallah is the broadcast team leader for The Back to God Hour Arabic ministry and the general director of Middle East Reformed Fellowship. These meditations are based on texts of Arabic broadcasts aired a few years ago and an Arabic commentary on the book of Isaiah prepared for publication. Rev. Atallah and his wife, Lisa, live in Larnaca, Cyprus, where The Back to God Hour Arabic ministry is based. The ministry reaches Arabic-speaking people throughout the Middle East and North Africa, introducing them to Jesus Christ, Savior of the nations.
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