Isaiah 14: Is That You, Lucifer?

"How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star ("Lucifer" in the King James Version), son of Dawn!  How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!  You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the top of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.'  But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit (vs. 12-15).

In its original context, Isaiah seems to be referring to the king of Babylon undergoing a serious smiting for his hubris.  This rebuke comes within the framework of a larger "taunt against the king of Babylon" (vs. 4).  However, over the ages, this invocation of the "day star" or "Lucifer" has been taken to mean that the prophet is actually describing the fall of Satan here.

Is that what's happening in these verses?  This is a controversial suggestion.  Some scholars have championed this interpretation while others reject it.  I offer a definite "maybe" when it comes to my opinion!

The strongest evidence that Isaiah has more in mind than the pride of a mere earthly king didn't arise for centuries - until the time of Christ!  We have a declaration from Jesus in Luke 10:18 which seems to refer to this passage from Isaiah: "[Jesus] said to them, 'I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning."  Early church fathers, such as Origen, felt that Jesus was drawing from Isaiah's prophetic account and pointing to it as an indication that it is a spiritual description of Satan's fall.   That interpretation gives considerably more meaning and depth to the passage from Isaiah.

Others, such as Luther and Calvin, did not believe that the connection between Luke 10:18 and Isaiah 14:12 to be that strong.  Whether Isaiah is actually describing the fall of Satan in this passage or not, I cannot say for sure.  I do believe, however, that even if the prophet is confining himself to the fall of the king of Babylon, there are certain parallels that naturally come into play between this human figure and the fall of Satan.  Both fell victim to their own pride and suffered a great fall as a result.  This image of a star fallen from heaven to earth is appropriate in either case because that's what pride does - it goeth before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).  The prophet may have spoken of more than even he knew at the time, a realization that was only filled in when Jesus came along to comment upon it.