“Now, then, hear this, you who live a luxuriant life, You who dwell safely and securely, Who say in your heart (mind), ‘I am [the queen], and there is no one besides me. I shall not sit as a widow, Nor know the loss of children.’” Isaiah 47:8 AMP
Reflection: in the end, what happens to those who follow their own selfish ways?
Most of us have been around selfish people. Whether it is in business, at work, in traffic, in the neighborhood, or even closer to home, there are those who just cannot see anyone but themselves. For them, everything has to be evaluated with a perspective of how it benefits them. How they can get the most out of whatever situation. And, this hyper-selfish mindset seems to be on rise in society, perhaps as a result of a number of factors. Reduced parental involvement and control, lack of responsibilities for children, and real relationships replaced by the shallowness of social media where it is all about image of self. People presenting how well they are doing outwardly, while the inside is empty, hollow and hurting. The sad thing is that selfish people are by definition limited by self. They cannot learn from others as that will admit they don’t have the answers.
The Israelites were given over to the Babylonians, as the Lord was angry with His people. We read the words of the Lord ““I was angry with My people, I profaned [Judah] My inheritance And gave them into your hand [Babylon].” Isaiah 47:6a AMP. They were exiled to Babylon for about 70 years, before the Persian king Cyrus conquered Babylon and freed the Israelites. We read in Isaiah chapter 47, that although the Lord God orchestrated the exile to punish His people, He also saw how the Babylonians mistreated them. What is so interesting to read here is how conceited, how prideful and arrogant the Babylonians were, perhaps as a result of their conquering of other nations. And, we see this selfishness well summarized by the phrase “‘I am [the queen], and there is no one besides me.” All about me. But, for their selfish pride,
The Lord mocks them.
Although He gave them His people for punishment, for correction, we see here that it doesn’t remove their responsibilities for treating others right, even the captives. The Lord says of them “You showed them no mercy; You made your yoke very heavy on the aged. And you said, ‘I shall be a queen forevermore.’ You did not consider these things, Nor did you [seriously] remember the [ultimate] outcome of such conduct.” Isaiah 47:6b-7 AMP. And, here is the crux of the situation; they did not think of the future, the outcome, the end result of their conduct. They only focused on what they wanted in the moment, what was in their immediate selfish interests. Sound familiar?
We all have to answer to the Lord.
Selfishness is a self defeating strategy. Whether we are His children or not, He is the King of kings, Lord of lords, above all. The way of the Lord, that He showed us in the life of Jesus, is a way of obedience to the will of the Father, and of giving of self in the service to others. It is the antithesis of selfishness. That is what He has taught us to do, which is to follow Him. And, it is in the giving of self we find meaning in life. We can love, we can learn, we can grow, we have joy, and we reflect our Creator.
