“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.”
– Isaiah 47:9
Isaiah 47:9 is God speaking the nation of Babylon. With all of its sorceries and enchantments, it had grown in power in the world. It had grown in prestige. It was the nation that other nations were jealous of because it had all of these things.
Isaiah 47:9 Calls Us to Put our Hope in God Alone
God can remove pictures of power and prestige in this world in an instant. We need to put our hope in Him alone.
God speaks to Babylon and he says, “In a moment, in a matter of a day, you will lose,” and he specifically mentions the loss of children and widowhood that will come upon them in full measure. As I was reading this I couldn’t help but to think about the pictures of power and prestige in the world in different countries, different nations, different rulers, different companies. All kinds of different pictures of power and prestige. We need to view them all with proper perspective. In a moment, in a day, any one of them, all of them could come crashing down.
You think about empires in the world built over decades and centuries. In the economy of God, all it takes is a minute, a day for them to totally fall. This is a good reminder to us not to put our confidence in, hope in any nation, any picture of power or prestige in the world, any ruler like that. God can remove all of that in an instant. We need to put our hope, our confidence in God alone. It is his power, his prestige, if I can use that term, his glory, his might, his love, his plans, his purposes. That is what will last forever. He will last forever, and so put your hope, your trust in him and view pictures of power and prestige in the world in their proper perspective.
This Verse Reminds Us of God’s Glory and Honor
God, I pray for this for even my own country. I pray that you would help us to realize that any power, any wealth we have, you could take away in a minute. It could be totally gone in a minute. I pray for this for all kinds of countries around the world with power, and prestige. God, I pray for humility in these nations. I pray for humility upon our leaders. We would look to you as the only source of power, the only one who deserves prestige, and glory, and honor. God, help us, we pray, to view the power and prestige of this world in its proper perspective.
Lord, help us to trust in you. Keep us from being deceived, from fooling ourselves into thinking that this stock is where we need to put our life. That this nation is where we need to put our hope. That this ruler or leader is the answer to what we need. God, all of these things, stocks fall, nations fall, leaders fall. You alone stand. Help us to put and keep our confidence, our hope, our trust totally in you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
