Isaiah 40 (Part 17) - Isa 40:23-24 - God Brings Kings and Judges to Nothing

Watch the video of this Bible study on YouTube: Isaiah 40 (Part 17) - Isa 40:23-24 - God Brings Kings and Judges to Nothing For a master copy of the outline and the other sermons in the series, click here: Isaiah 40. To listen to the previous sermon in the series, click here: Part 16 To listen to the next sermon in the series, click here: Part 18 XXIII. Isa 40:23 1. "That bringeth the princes to nothing;..." A. Jesus is the King of kings (1Ti 6:15; Rev 1:5; Rev 19:16). i. All authorities are subject unto Him (1Pe 3:22). ii. He sets them up and brings them down as He pleases (Dan 2:21; Dan 4:17; Psa 75:6-7). B. God brings the princes (the mighty) to nought by the preaching of the gospel by His weak servants (1Co 1:18-29). i. Nought n. - 1. Nothing. ii. God shattered the Roman Empire by establishing His kingdom by the preaching of the gospel (Dan 2:44). C. The princes of this world come to nought (1Co 2:6). i. They do so because they know not the word of God (1Co 2:7-8). ii. Because they knew not Jesus Christ, nor the scriptures, they fulfilled them in condemning Him (Psa 2:1-12 c/w Act 13:27). iii. This was their and Satan's undoing (Heb 2:14). D. God reproves kings for His people's sake (Psa 105:14-15). E. Any weapon they form against God's servants will not prosper (Isa 54:17). F. God brought the following princes to nothing when they persecuted His people, became proud, or sinned against Him: i. Pharaoh (Exo 14:26-30). ii. Ahab (1Ki 21:20-22; 1Ki 22:34-35). iii. Sennacherib (Isa 37:33-38). iv. Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 4:28-33). v. Belshazzar (Dan 5:1-7, 25-30). vi. Herod (Act 12:21-23). G. God leads princes away spoiled (brought to nothing) (Job 12:18-19). H. At the end of time the kings of the earth will once more gather themselves together to battle against Jesus Christ, and He will bring them to nothing one last time (Rev 17:12-14; Rev 19:19-21). 2. "...he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity." A. Judges of the earth include kings, princes, and nobles (Psa 2:10; Pro 8:16). B. Judges are supposed to justify the righteous and condemn the wicked (Deu 25:1; Isa 1:17). C. They judge for the LORD, not for man (2Ch 19:5-6). D. Judges should know the laws of God (Ezr 7:25). E. Judges have a tendency to become corrupt (Isa 59:14-15; Mic 7:2-3; Zep 3:1-3). F. Judges who condemn the righteous and justify the wicked are an abomination to God (Pro 17:15). G. When judges judge unrighteously, God makes them as vanity. i. Vanity n. - 1. a. That which is vain, futile, or worthless; that which is of no value or profit. ii. God makes them fools (Job 12:17). Sound familiar? US Supreme Court? iii. When judges become corrupt and start taking bribes, God removes them (Isa 1:23-25). iv. God then replaces them with righteous judges (Isa 1:26). v. So when you see violent perverting of judgment and justice, just remember that God sees it and is in control (Ecc 5:8). 3. Kings and judges of the earth are powerful men, but they are nothing in comparison to God (Isa 40:18). 4. God brings them to nothing without breaking a sweat. XXIV. Isa 40:24 1. "Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble." 2. The kings and judges of the earth are like the rest of mankind which God will cut off when He pleases (Isa 40:6-7).