Don’t Predict the Future

“Persist now in your spells … Let now the astrologers … save you from what will come upon you. Behold, they have become like stubble, fire burns them; they cannot save themselves from the power of the flame.” – Isaiah 47:12-14 NASB

During the time of Isaiah, the Babylonians had every reason to feel confident and secure. A powerful army protected their vast empire. Babylon itself was the largest and most fortified city in the ancient world.

In her book about Babylon, Joan Oates describes how Babylonians believed that people were created to serve the gods. “Each Babylonian had his own personal god or goddess to whom he offered prayers and sacrifices.” Priests regularly recited incantations and performed rituals to ward off evil powers, understand the future, and seek to change the course of events.

Men who practiced divination could become powerful. Babylonians believed that the gods “shaped the destinies of mankind,” and through divination, they could “ascertain the will of the gods.” And they looked for omens everywhere, from the actions of animals to celestial events as common as rain and thunder.

Many people today are like these ancient Babylonians, looking for comfort and direction through false religions and various occult practices. They think that they can have their personal gods and even predict the future. But, as Isaiah warned the Babylonians, there is only one God. He is sovereign. The Creator. We must serve Him and Him alone.

Make sure you place your hope completely in God. Do not hope in the prophets and gods of this world or be distracted by idols and false religions. God knows the future. Trust completely in Him and His Word.

Reflection Question: Are you placing your full and complete trust in God alone?