“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” (Isaiah 14:12)
The Hebrew reads HELEL BEN SHACHAR. It is easy to spot that HELEL is part of HELEL-UJAH, meaning “Praise the Lord.” Therefore this being would best be thought of as “Praiser”, or “Praise-Master”, or using today’s nomenclature, “Worship Leader”. It’s a pity that versions have used Lucifer, Morning Star, Daystar, Shining one, instead of recognising the root meaning of HELEL, thereby hiding a most important truth.
BEN mean son of, and SHACHAR is the usual word for darkness, but of the sort that just precedes dawn. The implication is that HELEL was created in the very beginning, one of the first of the heavenly host. C. S. Lewis, in his first Narnia story had Aslan the Lion singing the Creation, and it was taking place first of all in darkness, but gradually the landscape was lit with the first light of early dawn. It is reasonable to assume Lewis understood this passage in Isaiah.
But this Worship Leader has “fallen from heaven”. Ezekiel writes of HELEL, “Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour.” (Ezek.28:17) The Bible doesn’t reveal this being’s actual name, but calls him “the Dragon, that Serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan.” (Rev.20:2) So we know who we are talking about.
HELEL’S original office was one of great responsibility. He was to organise heaven’s worship. He was expected to gather the heavenly hosts to sing praises to the God of Creation. He was a being of great beauty, and being “up front”, as are most “worship leaders”, he was the focus of attention. Sadly this was his downfall. He began to cream off some of the worship to himself, thereby corrupting his office, until God’s patience ran out, and he was thrown out of the highest heaven into the middle heaven, where he has been living ever since.
But HELEL was indignant. He believed his office could not be filled by anyone but himself. We read of him saying in his heart, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:13-14)
This sets the scene, and is as far as I wish to go at the moment. Our focus is now on MUSIC, which is clearly of the greatest importance in the heavenly realms, and should also be here on earth. More next time.
