Our western culture could be like this…
Listen to this, you pleasure-loving kingdom, living at ease and feeling secure. You say, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other. [Isaiah 47:8NLT]
Where self-focused complacency develops, a culture becomes conceited and wants everyone to emulate it.
“Come down, virgin daughter of Babylon, and sit in the dust.” [Isaiah 47:1NLT]
Law is symbolised by Egypt. Pleasure seeking is symbolised by Babylon, whose end is not great.
You will be naked and burdened with shame. [Isaiah 47:3NLT]
Ultimately, the Lord lifts the lid and exposes what is within. Arrogance and abuse born of conceit will be exposed.
… your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray, and you said, ‘I am the only one…’ [Isaiah 47:10NLT]
A culture that grows powerful through knowledge uses that power to exercise its will and elevate itself. It begins to act as if it were a god.
A catastrophe will strike you suddenly, one for which you are not prepared. [Isaiah 47:11NLT]
The Lord shakes everything to prove its permanence. That which is not built on the foundation of Christ will eventually fall.
Where are all your … stargazers who make predictions ..? Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds. But they are like straw burning in a fire. [Isaiah 47:13-14NLT]
The experts make predictions as if they had divine insight. Ultimately, they will be proven fools and those who trust in them will share their fate.
So, what do I build my life on?