False Confidence

Isaiah 47:10
“For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.”

It is said twice in Isaiah 47 that the Babylonians said, “I am, and none else beside me.” These people had become so confident in themselves that they placed themselves above God. They thought that nobody could ever remove them from their status; however, they found out that their confidence was misplaced. Their false confidence led to their demise. There were three things in which they placed their confidence.

First, they placed their confidence in careless living. Isaiah 47:8 says about these people, “…thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me…” They did what they wanted to do. These people were all about doing whatever pleased them without considering the consequences of their actions. These people were all about living for the moment. Living for the moment always leads to careless decisions, which results in heartbreaking consequences. You can live for the here-and-now, but you will have to live with the results tomorrow. You can do what makes you feel good now, but it will probably make you feel terrible tomorrow. Confidence in careless living is a contract with catastrophic consequences. If you don’t want to live a heartbreaking life, don’t put your confidence in careless living.

Second, they placed their confidence in their wicked lifestyles. The verse above says, “For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me.” The idea that nobody is going to see what you do is a lie from the Devil. This is a lie because nobody ever sins alone. There is always somebody with whom you commit sin. You are lying to yourself if you believe those who commit sin with you will keep their silence about what you do. My friend, somebody is going to talk, and once they start talking your sins will be discovered. Numbers 32:23 reminds us, “…be sure your sin will find you out.” What you have done eventually comes out. Don’t place your confidence in the theory that you can do wrong and never get caught. Many people have had the false confidence that they were different from everyone else and that they would never get caught, only to discover their sins were found out. If you don’t want to live with the embarrassment of your sins discovered then don’t do what you don’t want others to find out.

Third, they placed their confidence in their wisdom and knowledge. These people thought they were smarter than others, and that their wisdom would keep them from calamity. Nobody is smarter than God. If God says something is wrong, it is wrong. Don’t allow yourself to get smarter than God. When you think you are smarter than God, you are revealing your shortsighted arrogance and lack of knowledge. You are never smarter than God, and you won’t out-smart His Word. You may have succeeded to get away with sin for a short time, but the end of your story has yet to be written. God’s Word will be proven true, and your wisdom will be proven to be foolish.

Christian, the only place in which you should place your confidence is in God’s Word. Trust the LORD; He knows what is best for you. You will discover that your confidence will never be disappointed when you place it in the LORD.