Isaiah 47:8-15
They thought they were unique to history and unique among the nations.
Only God is unique and self-sufficient.
47:8
“widow” refers to a nation who has no provision, no support and no protection.
“without children” refers to a nation who has no hope of ever receiving support and protection in the future.
47:9
Cyrus Will Conqueror
In a single day
Amazing Distraction
of the Final Generation
This is something that the founders of
But in the final days of the last generation the Babylonians were too busy enjoying their final moments of freedom to notice something so obvious that it really was never considered a threat.
Demons: No Knowledge
of Future, No Power to Change Future
“Sorceries” refers to seeking information about the future through demons.
This is worthless knowledge though because:
1) Demons can not see the future, only God knows the future
2) If
demons could see the future they would have no power to alter it, only God
has power to alter history (Demons only hope is to manipulate men wills.
When they obey or disobey the commands of the Word God will adjust his direction of history. Example: Balak, Balaam and
47:10
Four Misleading Views
These things are mentioned as being part of
a) trusting in wickedness – Magic is based on the idea that everything is connected to everything else. So if you have the correct knowledge then you will know what to do in order to manipulate situations to get the knowledge that you want. In other words knowledge of the world controls situations. There is no need for morals or righteousness as long as you have the correct information. Thus, you can live in wickedness and trust knowledge. This is the same thing the secular humanists believe.
b) believes “No one sees me” – does not recognize and live with the understanding that the sovereign God sees all we do and responds accordingly. They can then make their own standards of right and wrong. There is no one higher than the Babylonians to hold them to an absolute standard. Today we see the same thing as we debate and vote and make judicial rulings on what is right and wrong with no regard to what God has established. We as a culture believe “no one sees us” because there is no God overseeing us. Psalm 10:11; 94:7;
c) Mislead by the wisdom and knowledge obtained through their false gods and their witchcraft. What they have discovered or developed with their false world view will mislead them and prevent them from finding the truth.
d) Their view that they are “I am” and there is no one greater than them. They are a god unto themselves.
47:11
“Disaster” (problems, enemies, situations) will come to them but the Babylonians will not know how to deal with their “disasters”. That is probably why they just drank and partied in their final days. They did not know how to prevent the inevitable.
Importance of Bible
Study
This is why we study the Word of God verse by verse.
Bible study may not tell us how to solve all our problems but it does prepare our hearts.
Study helps prepare our hearts, attitudes, wills, and world views so that we live righteous and humble before the God of all creation.
By living in fellowship with God it will be easier to see the answers to the problems that arise from within his creation.
We do not want to be individuals or churches or a nation
like
Three types of Disasters
There are three types of disasters that
1) Disaster that they will have no answer for
2) Calamity that they are powerless against
3) Catastrophe they cannot foresee
Three Weakness
Babylon will Have
1) They will not have the knowledge to prevent it.
2) They will not have the power (finances) to ward it off (in context it refers to being able to buy or spend your way out of a problem.
3) They will not have the foresight to see it coming
47:12
Practices Learned as
Children
The Babylonians (and, other nations) continue in the false ways they learned as children.
This reference to “childhood” would refer to:
a) from
the founding of the nation of
b) from
the childhood and education of the adults living in the fourth and final
generation of
As children they would have learned them from their parents.
They did not develop witchcraft as children, but instead they would have learned it from their culture, from the previous generation.
This then would line up with the teaching of the four generations.
Since they are facing national elimination this must be the fourth generation.
Magic Spells Succeed
and “cause terror”?
If their goal was to terrorize others with their magic spells then they where trying to manipulate situations and control
history through demonism.
47:13
Exhaustion from
Worthless Strategy Meetings
The only thing that comes from their efforts is exhaustion from going around and around in circles but making no progress.
Crunch Time for the
Religious Leadership
Their religious leaders are told to give them solid answers
now in the time of need.
Their astrologers make vain and worthless predictions every month.
In a time of peace and prosperity it really doesn’t matter what they say.
But, now the nation needs solid answers to meet their three needs.
The nation needs from their religious leaders:
1) knowledge
2) power
3) foresight
Of course, their religious guidance is as worthless as the god they follow.
47:14
The religious leaders are so worthless that even as they burn up like worthless stubble they can’t even produce a good fire.
This is like saying their advise is not worth the paper it is written on.
47:15
Religious & Philosophical
Education of the 4th Generation’s Childhood is Useless
A warning to the fourth generation that the philosophy and false religion handed down to you from the culture of the third
generation does not have the answers you are looking for.
Without a change everything goes on in their error with no hope of finding salvation in time or in eternity.