“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.’
But evil shall come upon you,
which you will not know how to charm away;
disaster shall fall upon you,
for which you will not be able to atone;
and ruin shall come upon you suddenly,
of which you know nothing.
“Stand fast in your enchantments
and your many sorceries,
with which you have labored from your youth;
perhaps you may be able to succeed;
perhaps you may inspire terror.
You are wearied with your many counsels;
let them stand forth and save you,
those who divide the heavens,
who gaze at the stars,
who at the new moons make known
what shall come upon you.
Behold, they are like stubble;
the fire consumes them;
they cannot deliver themselves
from the power of the flame.
No coal for warming oneself is this,
no fire to sit before!
Such to you are those with whom you have labored,
who have done business with you from your youth;
they wander about, each in his own direction;
there is no one to save you.” Isaiah 47:10-15
Ah, when we settle too deeply in wicked ways, we can become blinded to them. Sorcery and horoscopes may not tempt, but pretending we are gods is a common and ruthless snare. The Lord warns against unchecked wisdom of the world, and selfish thinking, and enchantments with temporal gloss. Gossip, greed, and discontent relentlessly tease. We can become so steeped in these habits and hang with others who are too that we fail to recognize our wandering.
The father of lies would have us believe our sins will never be found out and deceive ourselves and those we love. At first hint of conviction, our flesh is prone to hiding in secrecy and shame. We prefer the darkness over discovery.
But God sees through our veneer. He uncovers the ugliest intents of the heart, and handles it with amazing love and grace. Deceit doesn’t end well unless we allow Him to expose it and flood His light in to transform.
Where is our security? In too-long-coddled rebellion that has us convinced it’s normal and ok? Has the Lord kindly startled that security into conviction, or brought consequences to crack our shell of defense and lead us to repentance? How do we respond? Do we keep trying to charm away the ruin we’ve caused in relationships, the fallout of poor choices, or even His wooing? Would we instead humble ourselves so He can bring us into the light and lift us up? (Romans 2:4; James 4:10)
“Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
full of pity, love, and pow’r.
Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
true belief and true repentance,
every grace that brings you nigh.
Let not conscience make you linger,
nor of fitness fondly dream;
all the fitness He requireth
is to feel your need of Him.
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
lost and ruined by the fall;
if you tarry till you’re better,
you will never come at all.” ~J. Hart (1759)
Lord, I come.
As the rain and snow 