Isaiah 47:8-10
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.”
This passage of Isaiah is directed at Babylon and her false sense of security, but it has truths for those of us who sin sexually. Babylon is pictured as one who has a false sense of security, thinking that she is greater than others, and will have a good future (verse 8). Likewise we often get lulled by fantasies of importance and think that the future will be filled with pleasure. But our world can crumble very quickly, and persuasive words will not save us (verse 9). Verse 10 identifies several of the false beliefs that can lead to our ruin. One is the belief that we can keep sin hidden ("no one sees me"). The truth is that God sees everything, and will reveal everything in due time. The other issue is the deceit of knowledge. We generally desire wisdom and knowledge, and the Bible does encourage us to pursue wisdom in other verses. But not all knowledge is equal; God wants us to pursue knowledge of good, not knowledge of evil. Knowledge can also lead to conceit, where we think we can outsmart anything, even God Himself. This seems to be the fault in verse 10, where it says "your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one besides me'". The truth is that God will always be greater and smarter than me, so I must mix my knowledge with humility.
God, my knowledge has sometimes led me astray. Please give me your wisdom, and help me to humbly give You the glory.
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.”
This passage of Isaiah is directed at Babylon and her false sense of security, but it has truths for those of us who sin sexually. Babylon is pictured as one who has a false sense of security, thinking that she is greater than others, and will have a good future (verse 8). Likewise we often get lulled by fantasies of importance and think that the future will be filled with pleasure. But our world can crumble very quickly, and persuasive words will not save us (verse 9). Verse 10 identifies several of the false beliefs that can lead to our ruin. One is the belief that we can keep sin hidden ("no one sees me"). The truth is that God sees everything, and will reveal everything in due time. The other issue is the deceit of knowledge. We generally desire wisdom and knowledge, and the Bible does encourage us to pursue wisdom in other verses. But not all knowledge is equal; God wants us to pursue knowledge of good, not knowledge of evil. Knowledge can also lead to conceit, where we think we can outsmart anything, even God Himself. This seems to be the fault in verse 10, where it says "your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one besides me'". The truth is that God will always be greater and smarter than me, so I must mix my knowledge with humility.
God, my knowledge has sometimes led me astray. Please give me your wisdom, and help me to humbly give You the glory.