Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Isaiah 47:8-9 (NIV)
“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.’ Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells.”
Isaiah 47:8-9 (MSG)
“Well, start thinking, party girl. You’re acting like the center of the universe, smugly saying to yourself, ‘I’m Number One. There’s nobody but me. I’ll never be a widow, I’ll never lose my children.’ Those two things are going to hit you both at once, suddenly, on the same day: spouse and children gone, a total loss, despite your many enchantments and charms.”
**************************************
“Now, then, hear this, you who live a luxuriant life, you who dwell safely and securely, who say in your heart (mind), ‘I am [the queen], and there is no one besides me. I shall not sit as a widow, nor know the loss of children.’ But these two things shall come to you abruptly, in one day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come on you in full measure in spite of your many [claims of power through your] sorceries, in spite of the great power of your enchantments.” -AMPLIFIED
“Hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, who dwell securely: In the midst of her pride and arrogance (I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow), God brought another charge against Babylon. Judgment would also come because of the multitude of your sorceries, for the great abundance of your enchantments. Babylon was famous as a founding place and breeding ground for occult arts and practices.” ~David Guzik
In yesterday’s passage we were reminded that God is the Righteous Judge, Shofet tsaddiq.
“I became angry with my people, so I wounded my special ones.
I handed them over to you, and you took them captive. You showed them no mercy;
you even made the elderly suffer under your heavy yoke. You thought,
‘I will be the Mistress of Kingdoms forever.’ But you never considered what you were doing
or reflected on how all this would end.” -Isaiah 47:6-7 (The Passion Translation)
God noted Babylon’s sin and delivered her verdict. She was guilty, and sadly refusing to repent of her sin. Today’s text continues with God’s judgement against Babylon, and He points out something else she was guilty of, she was a lover of pleasure.
“You, pursuer of pleasure, resting in the thought, “No one exists in the world of any consequence except me. I’ll never feel as a widow or suffer the loss of my children.” Despite all your magic and charms, all of a sudden, in a single day, terror and death to the highest degree. In the midst of it all, your children and husband, too, will be gone.” -(VOICE)
Once again we find God instructing Babylon to listen up, and pay attention. He is about to tell her why sudden humiliation will come upon her. It is because she was/is a pleasure seeker. In fact, a pleasure lover, she lived solely to please her flesh, she made this her pursuit in life.
The sins of Babylon listed in our text are many:
1.) Her egotistical boasting.
2.) The fact that she claimed herself as God.
3.) Her reliance on the black arts, enchantments, and charms.
4.) The fact that she gave herself wholly to lustful, sinful pleasures.
5.) Her lies, and false claims about who she was and what she would allow.
These are but a few sins that stand out, I am sure we could name many more.
“O pleasure-mad kingdom, living at ease, bragging as the greatest in the world—listen to the sentence of my court upon your sins. You say, “I alone am God! I’ll never be a widow; I’ll never lose my children.” Well, those two things shall come upon you in one moment, in full measure in one day: widowhood and the loss of your children, despite all your witchcraft and magic.” -(TLB)
“Babylon was sensual (a lover of luxury) in that she assumed that what she enjoyed were her rights by virtue of her superiority. Her present condition had led her to think that she would always enjoy provision, protection, status, and security. But she could not avert the doom that would come on her because she had exalted herself to God’s place. The pleasure-loving lady of leisure would become a childless widow.” ~Thomas Constable
In the book of Revelation Babylon is mentioned once again, and her attitude has not changed. Babylon has become a representation of those who stand against God, and the persecuting powers of the world that stand against the children of God. John records for us in Revelation chapter 18 the eternal fall of Babylon. Take note, the Voice that speaks addresses the fact that Babylon is still a lover of pleasure. Here is but a portion of what will happen to that city that pursued pleasure to make her happy:
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not be a partner in her sins and receive her plagues; for her sins (crimes, transgressions) have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her wickedness and crimes [for judgment]. Repay to her even as she has repaid others, and pay back [to her] double [her torment] in accordance with what she has done; in the cup [of sin and suffering] which she mixed, mix a double portion [of perfect justice] for her. To the degree that she glorified herself and reveled and gloated in her sensuality [living deliciously and luxuriously], to that same degree impose on her torment and anguish, and mourning and grief; for in her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as a queen [on a throne] and I am not a widow, and will never, ever see mourning or experience grief.’ For this reason in a single day her plagues (afflictions, calamities) will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire and completely consumed; for strong and powerful is the Lord God who judges her. -Revelation 18:4-8 (AMP)
Paul, writing to Timothy, warned him to stay away from those who were lovers of pleasure. In fact, Paul told Timothy that this would be the characteristic of the last days:
“But you need to be aware that in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce. People will be self-centered lovers of themselves and obsessed with money. They will boast of great things as they strut around in their arrogant pride and mock all that is right. They will ignore their own families. They will be ungrateful and ungodly. They will become addicted to hateful and malicious slander. Slaves to their desires, they will be ferocious, belligerent haters of what is good and right. With brutal treachery, they will act without restraint, bigoted and wrapped in clouds of their conceit. They will find their delight in the pleasures of this world more than the pleasures of the loving God. They may pretend to have a respect for God, but in reality they want nothing to do with God’s power. Stay away from people like these!” -2 Timothy 3:1-5 (The Passion Translation)
“That’s why those who are still under the control of their old sinful selves, bent on following their old evil desires, can never please God.” ~Paul (Romans 8:8 TLB)
My friend, as children of God we have been instructed to live holy lives. Lives that do not pursue pleasing the flesh, but pleasing our Father. We are not to be lovers of pleasures, but lovers of God. Take some time today to do a heart check. What has your attitude been of late? Is it your goal to please God, or have you been pleasing the flesh? Take the time to assess your life and make things right with God.
“It is only the consecrated, Spirit-filled Christian who can have victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. It is the Holy Spirit who will do the fighting for you.” ~Billy Graham
My Prayer:
Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, I do not want to be a lover of pleasure. I realize that the pleasures of this life are not lasting, and they will never satisfy. I ask that you help me to stand against the temptations of the flesh of this life. I am holding out for eternity, where things will last, and I will be with you forever. I relinquish to you the control of my life. I choose to live a holy life, that will be acceptable to you. Please help me when I am faced with the temptations of this life to remember my commitment to you, and my goal of heaven. Help me to achieve the victory over the flesh. Thank you. Lord.
Growing with God 