8 “Now, then, hear this, you sensual one,
Who dwells securely,
Who says in [c]your heart,
‘I am, and there is no one besides me.
I will not sit as a widow,
Nor know loss of children.’
9 “But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day:
Loss of children and widowhood.
They will come on you in full measure
In spite of your many sorceries,
In spite of the great power of your spells.
10 “You felt secure in your wickedness and said,
‘No one sees me,’
Your wisdom and your knowledge, [d]they have deluded you;
For you have said in your heart,
‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’
11 “But evil will come on you
Which you will not know how to charm away;
And disaster will fall on you
For which you cannot atone;
And destruction about which you do not know
Will come on you suddenly.12 “Stand fast now in your spells
And in your many sorceries
With which you have labored from your youth;
Perhaps you will be able to profit,
Perhaps you may cause trembling.
13 “You are wearied with your many counsels;
Let now the astrologers,
Those who prophesy by the stars,
Those who predict by the new moons,
Stand up and save you from what will come upon you.
14 “Behold, they have become like stubble,
Fire burns them;
They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame;
There will be no coal to warm by
Nor a fire to sit before!
15 “So have those become to you with whom you have labored,
Who have trafficked with you from your youth;
Each has wandered in his own [e]way;
There is none to save you.
When we see something repeated, God is trying to make a point. So it is with vv. 8 & 10, where Babylon says in her heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” It is the pinnacle of arrogance as there is only One who can say such things. Makes me think of the Princess Bride where the wicked prince tells the princess (to be), “I would not say such things if I were you!”
Except in the princess was right, and when said of this “queen” it is all too true. She should not say such things, nor should we. We must remember that we are not the pinnacle, we are not even a rock that one could depend upon.
There is indeed only one, and we see echoes of this as the passage continues in vv. 12-15. Not only was Babylon proud, but all she trusted on were in the same company, soon to be brought to nothing. We see the ultimate fulfillment of this in the fifth chapter of Daniel, where Belshazzar is holding a feast. He brings out the gold and silver vessels that were taken from the temple in Jerusalem, to show his might and the splendor of his rule.
Suddenly, God (or an angel) writes a message on the wall. Belshazzar calls all the conjurers, diviners, and wise men to interpret the writing. He promises them great wealth and power if they can do so, but none can. The king was “greatly alarmed” and his nobles “perplexed”, but it was all for nought. Ironically, it was the queen who said, “Hey guys, don’t freak out! There is a man I heard about “in whom is a spirit of the holy gods.”
Truthfully, she didn’t know what she was talking about either, but she knew someone who would. Belshazzar promises Daniel the same rewards, and Daniel comes and interprets the message, but there is a profound difference in his response, summed up in v. 23, “the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.”
Yeah, we know that already Daniel… But Daniel, in refusing the rewards, makes clear that he desires no glory and that it should all go to God. That is the chief message here, for it is their refusal to acknowledge God that brings results in the judgment of v. 14, and all being burned in the fire. May we never do so, and always remember that the glory is not for us.
Oh sure, some will praise you, be gracious, but point all to His name. For all glory in heaven and on earth belongs to God alone. He rightly states, “I am, and there is no one besides me.”