Day 279: Isaiah 47- The Facade of False

Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne,  O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate. 2 Take the millstones and grind flour, put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers. 3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one.
4 Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name— is the Holy One of Israel.
 
5 Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called  the mistress of kingdoms. 6 I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy. 7 You said, “I shall be mistress forever,” so that you did not lay these things to heart or remember their end.8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart,  “I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children”:

9 These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments. 10 You felt secure in your wickedness; you said, “No one sees me”; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart,    “I am, and there is no one besides me.”


11 But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you,  for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly,  of which you know nothing.12 Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror. 13 You are wearied with your many counsels;  let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you.
 
14 Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! 15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction,  there is no one to save you.
 
Meditation
The search for security can lead us into self-sufficiency and materialism. God’s grace invites us to turn to Him and His promises for security. The revelation of God’s coming to those who reject Him should comfort all whose trust is in God alone.
 
Babylon was the most powerful empire in the Ancient Near East but it is also a symbol of humanities organized defiance against God (14:3-23; Revelation 18).   Babylon sees herself as “the mistress (queen) of kingdoms” (5) and believes they are invincible (7), leading to self-indulgence and rejection of caring for the weak and vulnerable (8, 6). Babylon is independent, self-sufficient, proud of her wisdom and knowledge, and places faith in creation rather than the Creator (8-13).
 
Self-sufficient security is an illusion, removing God from His sovereign throne and replacing him with ourselves and things of the world. Babylon says (twice!) “I am, and there is no one beside me…” (8, 10). These are God’s exact words (45:5) and communicate that God Himself has been replaced.
 
Self-sufficient security is short lived. Babylon will be judged: Left in the dust (1), becoming a slave (1-3), widowed and bereaved (8-9), and powerless (12-15). The fortress built on sand will wash into the sea of God’s sovereign judgment (Matthew 7:26-27).
 
Only God’s covenant faithfulness offers the security we need. Respond to His gracious invitation- “Come to Me”.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Where are you self sufficient in your search for security? Where do you put more trust than in the Lord’s promises and covenant care?
 
-How does the revelation of God’s judgment on Babylon act as grace inviting you to return to the Lord for security?
 
-Build your house on the rock, the person and word of Jesus Christ. How can you strengthen the foundation you have in the security of God’s promises in His word and presence in Christ? Name a practical step.
 
Key Verse
8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart,  “I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children”