In this study, we’re going to look at just one verse — Isaiah 27:1. We are going to understand what is the Leviathan and also, what is God going to do.
Before we do that, let’s do a quick recap. In Isaiah 1-12 (“The Gospel According to Isaiah”), we read about the divided kingdom (Israel, Judah) looking to the nations for worldly security (Syria-Israel alliance vs. Judah). God is glorified in salvation and judgment and we saw how our world is still one of geo-political turmoil.
From Isaiah 13-23 (“Lessons from the Nations”), we read about how Isaiah addressed the nations. God reveals sovereign plans for human history in the form of oracles about the rise of Assyria and Babylon.
In this series in Isaiah 24-33 (“In God We Trust"'), Isaiah 24-27 speaks of “The Little Apocalypse” where Isaiah speaks of the “day of the Lord”. The decisive call is for faith
(A) Seeing “Leviathan” in Isaiah: struggle against spiritual opposition
Isaiah 27:1 begins with the phrase “in that day”. It’s a coming day of judgment. Isaiah also uses a threefold formula used to present “Leviathan” — “fleeing serpent”, “twisting serpent” and “dragon that is in the sea”.
Leviathan, in its imagery is a serpent. In Genesis 3:1, we are introduced to the crafty serpent. This is the first time that a specific animal is introduced. This serpent also has a character (“crafty”). Genesis 3:14 tells us that the serpent is cursed.
In Job 3:8, Job associates the day of his birth with the rousing of Leviathan. Thus, Leviathan is not just any ordinary creature. It is symbolic of spiritual unrest, rebellion, death and misery. Later in Job 26:12-13) Notice how he talks about chaos and evil in the world. By God’s power, He stilled the sea and shattered Rahab (Egypt).
Now, how does the sea (c.f. Isa 27:1) work in Scripture? (c.f. Gen 6:17) Scripture associates the sea with death and judgment. In Genesis 1, we saw the Spirit hovering over the waters, when the earth was formless and void. Thus, the sea has to do with chaos, destruction, no order and death. This makes sense from Israel’s POV, because they are a landlocked nation. The sea is always untamed, chaotic and unpredictable. It has potential for great wealth, but also great destruction.
John, while writing Revelation 13:1, picked up from Daniel 7:3. These are symbolic forces of death, destruction, chaos and rebellion that come out from the sea. This is why in the New Heaven New Earth, when God has made all things new, there will be no more sea (Rev 19).
Thus, when Isaiah writes Isaiah 27:1 and speaks of how in that day, He will deal decisively with the Leviathan that is in the sea, it is a symbolic reference of all that is evil, chaotic and opposes God. God will deal decisively with all these.
But, do we have a category for “Leviathan”? We acknowledge our sins, but do we believe that this world is falling apart because of my sin? Our sin condition is a problem, and because we are sinners, we sin. We are rightly under God’s wrath. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Yet, we are a part of a bigger world and all of our sins, compounded, is destroying this world. Do we have a category for the brokenness that is beyond just my personal sin? If we do not have this sense, Jesus’ death becomes my personal Saviour. We hope that Jesus forgives our sins and we look forward to leaving this broken world. Does this describe your Christianity?
Our struggle is against our flesh and the world! Leviathan represents all of it.
Why do you need a category for Leviathan? We need to understand that God isn’t just going to bring us out of troubles. He is doing more! He is making all things new.
How else does the Bible speak of “Leviathan” and what does it signify? In Isaiah 30:7, Isaiah makes the connection between Rehab and Egypt. Earlier, in Exodus 12:12, God will judge not only the Egyptians and their ruler, but also all the gods of Egypt. In Egyptian understanding of their own power base, they are strongly tied to the Nile and the symbol is a serpent. But here, we need to see that it is not just the serpent, but is also the Leviathan. We take reference from what Isaiah does. Isaiah writes about how God breaks the Egyptian power structure.
In Job 41:1, 34, the Lord asks a series of rhetorical questions to Job, asking him if he can deal with Leviathan like the Lord can. The description here is not meant for us to image and draw it out. Rather, this is a creature of enormous power and force. It is a beast that cannot be tamed and if we stood before it, we would tremble. In Job 41:33-34, the description moves into something spiritual. Thus, it is not just a big fish but stands for something more.
What is Isaiah trying to say in Isaiah 27:1? God is going to deal with every last spiritual opposition and He will crush it. Leviathan chiefly represents that spiritual opposition of the world and the devil.
This is not just an idea in the Old Testament. Turn to 1 Peter 5:8-10 and hear the concern in the heart of the apostles. Peter calls the people to be sober-minded and watchful. We are called to be alert and ready to respond anytime. What is the risk? Paul makes it clear that we are fighting a spiritual battle (c.f. Eph 6:10-12) . Many of us may not even be aware of this war! Has it crossed your mind that your Christian life is much more complicated than your sin, struggle and waiting to go to heaven? Perhaps, we are involved in something far more complex! Why else will we need to be sober-minded? Are you aware that we have an enemy? Do we know what his goals, objectives and plans are?
Read 2 Corinthians 2:10-11. Are you ignorant? What does Leviathan want of you? Can you think of anyone that is in the trap of the devil’s schemes? We can often see it in other people but not in us?
(B) Sovereign LORD over “Leviathan”: serenity as we watch and wait
What will the LORD do on “that day” to “Leviathan”? On that day, Leviathan would be punished and slain by God, “with his hard and great and strong sword”. There is judgment to this, as the word “punish” has a moral quality to it. Notice also how comprehensive it is. To punish and not to slay it is for evil to still persist. To slay without punishing is for it to be destroyed, but not have a right judgment or vindication.
It is not hard to convince people of the doctrine of sin in 2022. Just look at the world we live in, both on a personal level and also at a national level. And yet, what solution does the world have? Nothing. No global justice systems of multilateral agreements can right those wrongs. All we have is to go to God and ask Him to punish evil and right wrongs. Do we do so? Or do we dissociate and say that we are unable to even interact with it, because it will consume us and destroy us? Only He is worthy to punish and slay.
God’s power over Leviathan is not just expressed in Isaiah 27:1, but is consistently shown throughout the Old Testament.God works salvation and divides the sea which contains Leviathan (Ps 74:12-15). This brings to mind the Exodus, where God’s people are brought out of Egypt. This is also the pattern in the Bible, where Leviathan is the spiritual rebellion associated with Egypt, the enmity with God that God deals with decisively in the Exodus. There is no greater act than the Exodus in the OT.
In Psalm 74:14, Moses also accurately recounted how the Israelites plundered the Egyptians on the way out. In this psalm, the psalmist is commenting on the Exodus narrative and is expanding Bible content. He recognises that God is King from of old.
Similarly, in Psalm 104:24-26, the psalmist expresses the understanding that God is the creator and He rules over all, including the Leviathan. The Leviathan is described as God’s plaything, frolicking in the sea as God intended. God has that kind of power and relationship over the Leviathan. It is the exact opposite tone from Isaiah 27:1, and serves to point us to the greatness and bigness of God. This is a God that is so big, He plays with the Leviathan.
What are we to learn from here? One thing it shows us is that Christianity is not a dualistic religion! Satan, Leviathan are created creatures. Have you had an opportunity to remind yourself of this? What makes Christianity not dualistic? Colossians 2:13-15 gives us confident, because it tells us how God decisively deals with the spiritual forces of this world. God dealt decisively with it on the cross. Jesus “disarmed the rules and authorities and put them to open shame, by trumping over them in him” (Col 2:15). He didn’t just save us from our sins. He also broke Satan’s hold on us. We need not fear going back to our old ways and back to sin. We need not fear sin and this world. In Jesus, we are free. Yet in this life, we still groan as we wait for the final victory. We look forward to the fulfilment of Revelation 20:2-3 and Revelation 20:10, where the Lord will lock up the Leviathan for 1000 years before it is released and thrown in a pit for eternal torment. Without going into the details of this prophecy, we can confidently see that God has absolute power over the Leviathan, and evil and chaos will be dealt with comprehensively.
Are you confident that your God has authority over this Leviathan? All this chaos in the world has not escaped His control! Do you believe that? Are you confident of that? Do you live your life knowing that we have breath in our body to be His representatives here? That’s the only reason why we are alive!
In today’s study, we only looked at 1 verse. But it is a challenging one. It challenges us to have a category for the Leviathan and place our hope and trust in God, that He will deal ultimately and finally. What would happen if we didn’t have a category for “Leviathan” and spiritual opposition in our walk with God? What would it look like for you to be mindful of “Leviathan”? How does God triumph over “Leviathan” ultimately and finally – and how can we remind ourselves of this?