Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Isaiah 47:5 (NIV)
“Sit in silence, go into darkness, queen city of the Babylonians; no more will you be called queen of kingdoms.”
Isaiah 47:5 (MSG)
“Shut up and get out of the way, daughter of Chaldeans. You’ll no longer be called ‘First Lady of the Kingdoms.’”
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“Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you will no longer be called the queen of kingdoms.” -AMPLIFIED
“People who cover their faults and excuse themselves do not have a repentant spirit.” ~Watchman Nee
Isaiah has been recording for us a Message of judgement from God against the Babylonians. Yesterday’s text took a bit of an interlude. We found Isaiah bursting out in praise over his Redeemer:
“We have a Redeemer. Yahweh is his name,
the Commander of Angel Armies, the Holy One of Israel!” -Isaiah 47:4 (The Passion Translation)
In today’s text, we find Isaiah returning to God’s Message of judgement against Babylon. The rest of this chapter will be directed towards Babylon. We need to understand that God is bringing Babylon face-to-face with her sin and giving her the opportunity to repent.
“So you’d best go quietly, Babylon, daughter of the Chaldeans. Slink off into the dark. No one will ever again call you Queen of All Lands.” -(VOICE)
We find God directing Babylon to do two things.
1.) To sit quietly; this was the posture of one who was mourning. We can find evidence of Israel assuming this position in Lamentations. “The elders of the Daughter of Zion sit on the ground keeping silent; they have thrown dust on their heads, they have covered themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.” -Lamentations 2:10 (AMP)
2.) To go away into darkness; a sign of deep mourning and misery. Again, we can turn to Lamentations, and find evidence of this when Jeremiah declared: “I’m the man who has seen trouble, trouble coming from the lash of God’s anger. He took me by the hand and walked me into pitch-black darkness. Yes, he’s given me the back of his hand over and over and over again.” -Lamentations 3:1-3 (MSG)
God is giving Babylon the opportunity to repent, but, we will find that she will not. Remember, God has already informed Babylon, His virgin daughter, that she will be humbled. The first three verses of this chapter told us this:
“Come down, and sit in the dust, you virgin daughter of Bavel!
Sit on the ground, not on a throne, daughter of the Kasdim!
No longer are you to be called dainty and delicate.
Take the millstones, and grind meal; take off your veil, strip off your skirt,
uncover your legs, wade through the streams.
Your private parts will be exposed; yes, your shame will be seen.
I am going to take vengeance, and no one will stand in my way.” -Isaiah 47:1-3 (Complete Jewish Bible)
We find God reminding Babylon, that she no longer will be addressed as “The Queen of Kingdoms”, the Mistress of this World. Back in chapter 13, Isaiah gave us this prophecy about the fate of Babylon:
“Behold! I am stirring up the Medes against them, who neither value silver nor delight in gold.
They will slaughter the young men, and show no pity on infants nor compassion on children.”
God will overthrow Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Babylonians,
exactly as he did to Sodom and Gomorrah. Babylon will never rise again,
nor will it be inhabited for many generations. Bedouins will not even pitch their tents there, and shepherds will refuse to rest their flocks there.
Wild animals will roam there, and their vacant houses will be overrun by eerie creatures—
nothing but owls and goat-shaped demons dancing!
Hyenas will howl in her houses, and jackals will make their dens in her palaces.
Babylon’s time is up, and her days are numbered!” -Isaiah 13:17-22 (The Passion Translation)
“Sit in darkness and silence, O Babylon; never again will you be called “The Queen of Kingdoms.” -(TLB)
“No longer shall you be called mistress of kingdoms”. Very similar to John the Revelator’s Babylon who sits upon the hills and the mountains and all the kingdoms of the earth have committed adultery with her.” -Avraham Gileadi
God gives ample opportunity for the sinner to repent. Feeling sorry, or guilty over your sin, though, is not true repentance. Biblically, the definition of repentance not only means to feel remorse for wrongdoing, but to repent of that sin and change one’s behavior.
“The word repentance in the Bible literally means “the act of changing one’s mind.” True biblical repentance goes beyond remorse, regret, or feeling bad about one’s sin. It involves more than merely turning away from sin. Eerdmans Bible Dictionary includes this definition of repentance: “In its fullest sense it is a term for a complete change of orientation involving a judgment upon the past and a deliberate redirection for the future.” ~God Questions.org
In the book of Joel, we find God’s expectations when it comes to repentance. Joel records this Message from God to Israel:
“Even now,” says the Lord, “Turn and come to Me with all your heart [in genuine repentance],
with fasting and weeping and mourning [until every barrier is removed and the broken fellowship is restored]; rip your heart to pieces [in sorrow and contrition] and not your garments.”
Now return [in repentance] to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness [faithful to His covenant with His people];
and He relents [His sentence of] evil [when His people genuinely repent].” -Joel 2:12-13 (AMP)
And in the book of Acts, we find Peter speaking to the crowds that had gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost. He tells them this:
“So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day]…” -Acts 3:19 (AMP)
True repentance means not only a change of heart, but a change in our actions. Paul tells us this:
“God designed us to feel remorse over sin in order to produce repentance that leads to victory. This leaves us with no regrets. But the sorrow of the world works death.” -2 Corinthians 7:10 (The Passion Translation)
And true repentance also means in we choose to live in obedience to God. John told us this:
“You see, to love God means that we keep His commands, and His commands don’t weigh us down.” -1 John 5:3 (VOICE)
And true repentance also means that we pursue a holy life. Peter reminds us of this:
“So roll up your sleeves, get your head in the game, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”” -1 Peter 1:13-16 (MSG)
“The first condition is repentance, which means a change of mind. Formerly I thought sin a pleasant thing, but now I have changed my mind about it; formerly I thought the world an attractive place, but now I know better; formerly I regarded it a miserable business to be a Christian, but now I think differently. Once I thought certain things delightful, now I think them vile; once I thought other things utterly worthless, now I think them most precious. That is a change of mind, and that is repentance.” ~Watchman Nee
My friend, remember, repentance is not just feeling sorry for your sin, but turning away from it. It is a change of heart and mind. A willingness to do things God’s way, not our own. God is looking for a holy people, who are obedient to Him. Are you willing?
“Repentance, as we know, is basically not moaning and remorse, but turning and change.” ~J.I. Packer
My Prayer:
Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, I come to you in humbleness and repentance. I am a sinner. I have lived my life pleasing myself. In my pride, I have hurt not only you, but others, and even myself. I am sorry, Lord. please forgive me. I want to be obedient to you, and to your ways. I ask for your help to live a holy life. Help me to change, for I realize that true repentance involves a change. Lord, I realize there is no room for compromise. I choose you, Lord. I choose to pursue holiness, for you are holy. Please help me live a holy life that is acceptable to you. Thank you, Lord.
Growing with God 