“You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’”
~ Isaiah 47:10
Hi James and Ellen,
What two countries seem to be these days always in the news? These two countries are located not that far away from each other. These two countries are located a long ways away from where you live. These two countries are Israel and Iraq. Israel and Iraq have been making history ever since Abram moved from Ur to a land area called Canaan. Ur was probably located in what is now Iran versus in southern Iraq. God promised Abraham that He would always have Abraham’s extended family call Canaan’s land area as their very own land. Canaan’s land area would become known as Israel. Abraham’s extended family is known today as Israelites. God chose the Israelite people group to be His specially chosen guys, gals and kids. During the time when Abraham lived on planet Earth, today’s countries of Iraq and Iran were in an area which was called the land of the Chaldeans. Do you know when Abraham lived on planet Earth? Abraham lived on planet Earth over 4000 years ago. Not long after Abram settled in Canaan, there was a confrontation between Abram and four kings who had captured Abram’s nephew. Abram’s nephew’s name was Lot. These four kings were from areas which is now Iraq and near Iraq. Abram managed to catch up with the four kings and recaptured what and who the four kings had taken – including Lot. The guys and gals who are living in the area of what is now Iraq have for a very long time not liked the guys and gals who God chose to be His especially chosen guys and gals. God had two countries become powerful over the time when His specially chosen guys and gals became more and more rebellious against Him. One country was Assyria and the other country was Babylonia. The name for Babylonia today is Iraq. After God allowed His specially chosen guys and gals to have kings, God would have Israel become split into two nations – Judah and Israel. Judah was more faithful to God than what Israel was. 722 years before Jesus was born, Assyria captured Israel and carried away to be their captive slaves God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids who lived in Israel’s land area. About the time that Israel was captured by the Assyrians, a new prophet began prophesizing in Judah. This prophet’s name was Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet for a long time. Isaiah means Jehovah saves. God had Isaiah warn His specially chosen guys and gals who lived in Judah to not be disobedient like Israel had been. Isaiah lived during King Hezekiah’s reign. Until he became really sick and almost died, King Hezekiah was obedient to God. Your grandpaa thinks that Isaiah probably influenced King Hezekiah to be obedient to God during the years that Hezekiah was king. After God allowed King Hezekiah to live another fifteen years, Hezekiah decided to show off everything that he had accumulated to some guys who had traveled from Babylon to visit Judah. Babylon was not Judah’s friend at this time. How do you think God felt when He saw King Hezekiah showing everything that He had given Him – after everything that He had done for him?
God had Isaiah write in what is now Isaiah 47 what He was going to do to the guys and gals who were living in Babylon. The portents that God had Isaiah write would happen years after they were written – after the Babylonians had overrun Judah to take God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids back to Babylonia to be their slaves. By the time that Babylon captured the guys, gals and kids who were living in Judah, Isaiah had been sawed in half. Your grandpaa hopes that you are not tired of learning the history of God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids. Would you really know your ma and dad if you did not know where they were born, where your ma and dad have lived and the different things that your ma and dad have done. To really get to know a guy, gal or kid, it is good to find out different things about the guy, gal or kid. Your grandpaa’s first year in school was in a one room rural schoolhouse. From second grade through eighth grade, your grandpaa went to the Christian school that is in Volga, South Dakota. After graduating from Volga’s public high school, your grandpaa went two years to Dordt College. Dordt College is a Christian college in Sioux Center, Iowa. Your grandpaa began studying twelve years later at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Your grandpaa has graduated three times from Moody Bible Institute. Your grandpaa has found that the more that he peruses the Bible the more that he learns which has your grandpaa wanting to explore the Bible even more. Your grandmaa and grandpaa hope that you will find reading and studying the Bible to be just as important for you to do as your grandpaa’s ma and dad did. Your grandpaa’s ma and dad read the Bible after every meal.
God’s message to the Babylonian guys and gals was a forewarning. God warned the Babylonian guys and gals that because of the way that they would treat His specially chosen guys and gals that their country would never be seen again as a great nation. The Babylonian guys and gals thought that their nation would last forever. God had Isaiah inform the Babylonian guys and gals that He was going to destroy their country and that no guy, gal or kid would be spared. God told the Babylonian guys and gals through Isaiah that what would take place would change their lives in a matter of days. The Babylonian guys and gals were into sorcery, magic spells, astrology, stargazing and other things which are totally against what God desires guys and gals to do. Guys and gals who do not trust in God are doing what verse 10 tells you “You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’” Israel today is still being attacked by countries and people groups who hate God’s specially chosen people. Your grandpaa believes that it is God’s desire that you find out everything that you can about what He has done and is doing on planet Earth.
Isaiah 47 (93)