The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 47:5-7,
"Sit in silence, go into darkness,
queen city of the Babylonians;
no more will you be called
queen of kingdoms.
I was angry with my people
and desecrated my inheritance;
I gave them into your hand,
and you showed them no mercy.
Even on the aged
you laid a very heavy yoke.
You said, 'I am forever—
the eternal queen!'
But you did not consider these things
or reflect on what might happen."
As Isaiah's prophecies continue to look ahead toward the Babylonian captivity of Judah, we learn of the fate Babylon herself will receive from the hand of the Lord.
Although a wicked people who engaged in sorcery and arrogance, she was the Lord's tool to bring his judgment upon Judah. All this would take place a little more than a century after the prophecy.
We read of the wickedness of the Babylonian people,
"You have trusted in your wickedness
and have said, 'No one sees me.'
Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you
when you say to yourself,
'I am, and there is none besides me.'" Verse 10.
We also read of their sorcery in verse 12a,
"Keep on, then, with your magic spells
and with your many sorceries,
which you have labored at since childhood."
As I say, although the Babylonians were a wicked people, the Lord used her as his hand-selected tool to bring his judgment to his own people Israel. Sometimes you hear that God has no use for wicked people and has nothing to do with them. How about this example?
There are other examples of the Lord using wicked people to bring his judgments against his own people, only later to destroy them for their enthusiasm in fulfilling that role, "Disaster will come upon you", verse 11a. Note in the passage above,
"I was angry with my people
and desecrated my inheritance;
I gave them into your hand,
and you showed them no mercy.
Even on the aged
you laid a very heavy yoke."
queen city of the Babylonians;
no more will you be called
queen of kingdoms.
I was angry with my people
and desecrated my inheritance;
I gave them into your hand,
and you showed them no mercy.
Even on the aged
you laid a very heavy yoke.
You said, 'I am forever—
the eternal queen!'
But you did not consider these things
or reflect on what might happen."
As Isaiah's prophecies continue to look ahead toward the Babylonian captivity of Judah, we learn of the fate Babylon herself will receive from the hand of the Lord.
Although a wicked people who engaged in sorcery and arrogance, she was the Lord's tool to bring his judgment upon Judah. All this would take place a little more than a century after the prophecy.
We read of the wickedness of the Babylonian people,
"You have trusted in your wickedness
and have said, 'No one sees me.'
Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you
when you say to yourself,
'I am, and there is none besides me.'" Verse 10.
We also read of their sorcery in verse 12a,
"Keep on, then, with your magic spells
and with your many sorceries,
which you have labored at since childhood."
As I say, although the Babylonians were a wicked people, the Lord used her as his hand-selected tool to bring his judgment to his own people Israel. Sometimes you hear that God has no use for wicked people and has nothing to do with them. How about this example?
There are other examples of the Lord using wicked people to bring his judgments against his own people, only later to destroy them for their enthusiasm in fulfilling that role, "Disaster will come upon you", verse 11a. Note in the passage above,
"I was angry with my people
and desecrated my inheritance;
I gave them into your hand,
and you showed them no mercy.
Even on the aged
you laid a very heavy yoke."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment