(Isaiah 47:1-15)
1 “Come down and sit in the dust,
Virgin daughter of Babylon;
Sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you will no longer be called tender and delicate.
2 Take the millstones and grind flour.
Remove your veil, strip off the skirt,
Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.
3 Your nakedness will be uncovered,
Your shame will also be exposed;
I will take vengeance and will not spare anyone.”
4 Our Redeemer, the Lord of armies is His name,
The Holy One of Israel.
5 “Sit silently, and go into darkness,
Daughter of the Chaldeans;
For you will no longer be called
The queen of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with My people,
I profaned My heritage
And handed them over to you.
You did not show mercy to them,
On the aged you made your yoke very heavy.
7 Yet you said, ‘I will be a queen forever.’
These things you did not consider
Nor remember the outcome of them.
8 “Now, then, hear this, you luxuriant one,
Who lives securely,
Who says in her heart,
‘I am, and there is no one besides me.
I will not sit as a widow,
Nor know the loss of children.’
9 But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day:
Loss of children and widowhood.
They will come on you in full measure
In spite of your many sorceries,
In spite of the great power of your spells.
10 You felt secure in your wickedness and said,
‘No one sees me,’
Your wisdom and your knowledge, they have led you astray;
For you have said in your heart,
‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’
11 But evil will come on you
Which you will not know how to charm away;
And disaster will fall on you
For which you cannot atone;
And destruction about which you do not know
Will come on you suddenly.
12 “Persist now in your spells
And in your many sorceries
With which you have labored from your youth;
Perhaps you will be able to benefit,
Perhaps you may cause trembling.
13 You are wearied with your many counsels;
Let now the astrologers,
Those who prophesy by the stars,
Those who predict by the new moons,
Stand up and save you from what will come upon you.
14 Behold, they have become like stubble,
Fire burns them;
They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame;
There will be no coal to warm by
Nor a fire to sit before!
15 So have those become to you with whom you have labored,
Those who have done business with you from your youth;
Each has wandered in his own way;
There is no one to save you.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Virgin daughter of Babylon;
Sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you will no longer be called tender and delicate.
2 Take the millstones and grind flour.
Remove your veil, strip off the skirt,
Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.
3 Your nakedness will be uncovered,
Your shame will also be exposed;
I will take vengeance and will not spare anyone.”
4 Our Redeemer, the Lord of armies is His name,
The Holy One of Israel.
5 “Sit silently, and go into darkness,
Daughter of the Chaldeans;
For you will no longer be called
The queen of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with My people,
I profaned My heritage
And handed them over to you.
You did not show mercy to them,
On the aged you made your yoke very heavy.
7 Yet you said, ‘I will be a queen forever.’
These things you did not consider
Nor remember the outcome of them.
8 “Now, then, hear this, you luxuriant one,
Who lives securely,
Who says in her heart,
‘I am, and there is no one besides me.
I will not sit as a widow,
Nor know the loss of children.’
9 But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day:
Loss of children and widowhood.
They will come on you in full measure
In spite of your many sorceries,
In spite of the great power of your spells.
10 You felt secure in your wickedness and said,
‘No one sees me,’
Your wisdom and your knowledge, they have led you astray;
For you have said in your heart,
‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’
11 But evil will come on you
Which you will not know how to charm away;
And disaster will fall on you
For which you cannot atone;
And destruction about which you do not know
Will come on you suddenly.
12 “Persist now in your spells
And in your many sorceries
With which you have labored from your youth;
Perhaps you will be able to benefit,
Perhaps you may cause trembling.
13 You are wearied with your many counsels;
Let now the astrologers,
Those who prophesy by the stars,
Those who predict by the new moons,
Stand up and save you from what will come upon you.
14 Behold, they have become like stubble,
Fire burns them;
They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame;
There will be no coal to warm by
Nor a fire to sit before!
15 So have those become to you with whom you have labored,
Those who have done business with you from your youth;
Each has wandered in his own way;
There is no one to save you.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
In these cultures, one of the worst positions would have been to be a widow, without children! Most people in the middle east will still have many children, because it is the children who will take care of the parents in their old age. And it is the husband who is in charge. Even still, in the middle east, women are considered second-class citizens without many rights. So without a husband and/or children, a woman is very helpless and vulnerable. And just so, without God in our lives, one is even more helpless than that.
With the Lord in our lives, we have someone who will protect us and provide for us, even in the midst of adversities! But just because the Lord will allow us to be tested by something or someone, doesn't give that "something" or someone an excuse to continue on in sin. Everyone who is not saved by Jesus' forgiveness, mercy and grace, will stand trial for everything they have done.
If one has put their faith and trust in people or in nature or in objects made by people... it is hopeless. Horoscopes, astrology, Ouija boards, Tarot card readers, "white" or dark magic... none of these will save or help you. None of these things are from God. It is the opposite of trusting in God. In fact, it is dabbling in the occult, which is part of Satan's realm. Everything and anything that is not from God or of God, is part of Satan's kingdom. This all leads to eternal death.
Yet it is never too late to turn (or return) to God, our Redeemer, the Lord of armies, the Holy One of Israel... Jesus Christ! Having a personal relationship with Him is the only way that lead to eternal life. This is true hope! Let us be and let us live out what the term "Christian" really describes - a Christ follower! And if we follow Jesus Christ, we should remember that He Himself said,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)
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