Isaiah 46-48
“I am, and there is no one besides me.” That sounds like it must be God speaking, right? But it isn’t. That’s the voice of Babylon in her arrogant self-confidence. Here it is (twice!) with a bit more context:
Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures,
Isaiah 47:8-11a
who sit securely,
who say in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me;
I shall not sit as a widow
or know the loss of children”:
These two things shall come to you
in a moment, in one day;
…
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,
…
Clearly, this prideful attitude on Babylon’s part does not serve her well, and the LORD declares His judgment against her. One might hope that we would learn from Babylon’s demise, but I look around, particularly at our own dear U.S.A., and I wonder…