SPIRITUAL GEMS: Week of December 29, 2025 to January 4, 2026, ISAIAH 14-16, Answers.

SPIRITUAL GEMS: December 29, 2025 - January 4, 2026, ISAIAH 14-16, Answers.

Let's look for hidden gems (10 mins.)

Isaiah 14:1, 2. How did Jehovah’s people turn “those who held them captive” into “prisoners”? (w06 12/1 10 par. 10).

This prediction was fulfilled in servants of God such as Daniel, who held a high office in Babylon during the Medo-Persian rule; Esther, who became queen of Persia; and Mordecai, who was appointed prime minister of the Persian Empire. Thus, those who had once been prisoners rose to positions of authority in the very countries where they had been taken as slaves and came to command the inhabitants of those nations.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Jehovah’s people “made prisoners those who had held them captive” when Jehovah elevated faithful servants such as Daniel, Esther, and Mordecai to positions of authority and power in the very empires that had enslaved them. These servants held high positions under Medo-Persian rule. In this way, those who had been taken captive came to give orders and exercise authority over the nations that had previously dominated them.

Jehovah transformed his people from captivity to authority over those who had previously dominated them. By elevating faithful servants like Daniel, Esther, and Mordecai to high positions in the very empires that had enslaved them, under Medo-Persian rule, the Jews came to command those nations.

What spiritual gems have you found in this week's Bible reading?

Isaiah 14:1. It shows us that Jehovah's mercy is unconditional. The people had to demonstrate true remorse for their wickedness, which had brought about the severe divine punishment. If they confessed their sins openly and sincerely, Jehovah would forgive them. In the same way, if we trust in Jehovah, we will confess our mistakes and he will forgive us.

Isaiah 14:3. The anguish of living in exile will disappear once the people are freed from the literal chains of slavery. Israel will no longer suffer the pain and anguish of living among those who worship false gods. The same is true for us: when we came to know the truth and escaped the prison of this world, we began to worship the true God, Jehovah, and that makes us very happy.

Isaiah 14:13. The pride of Babylon was similar to the attitude of Satan, the god of this system of things. But just as the Babylonian dynasty met a humiliating end, so too will Satan's arrogance end disastrously.

Isaiah 14:21. Babylon will fall forever, and its ruling dynasty will be uprooted; it will never rise again. Future generations in Babylon will suffer because of the error of their ancestors. Therefore, how important it is that we have no connection with it, for it will be destroyed forever.

Isaiah 14:22. In accordance with the prophecies, Babylon eventually became mere heaps of stones. According to the Hebrew scholar Geronimo, by his time Babylon was nothing more than a desolate land where all kinds of wild animals roamed. It remains desolate to this day. How important it is to wait for Jehovah to fulfill his promise, in which the wicked will no longer exist on earth.

Isaiah 14:27. Isaiah says that the hand of the Lord is stretched out against all the nations. So, although these prophecies were initially fulfilled in ancient times, they are also fulfilled in general terms in the end times, when the Lord stretches out his hand against all the kingdoms of the earth. Well in advance and with complete certainty, the Almighty God, the Lord, reveals his plan; no one can turn back his outstretched hand.

Isaiah 16:5. Many meek people have left modern-day Moab and submitted to Jesus for life. They find great comfort in knowing that Jesus will reveal justice to the nations. Let us hope that we will be among those nations to whom Jesus will reveal justice.

Isaiah 16:7. The Moabites will mourn for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth, possibly one of the city's main products. The pastures will dry up, and the waters of Dimon will run red with the blood of slain Moabites. How important it is not to be mixed up with the symbolic Moabites of our time, lest we suffer the same fate.

Isaiah 16:11. Isaiah, certain of the execution of the judgments, expresses a profound feeling. Like the vibrant strings of a harp, his heart stirs with sorrow at the grim message directed to Moab. The time for Jehovah to carry out evil always arrives; one only needs a little patience to see it.