“Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries. . . . Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror.”

— Isaiah 47:12

It may be surprising to hear that sorcery is still practiced today, not just in remote parts of the world but even in towns and cities in the Western world, and among well-educated people. Some sources say it’s actually on the rise.

Ancient Babylon was full of sorcery in Isaiah’s time. And many people credited sorcery for the rise of Babylon. But God showed Isaiah that Babylon would fall, and it did—and no amount of sorcery could save it.

Through Isaiah, the Lord mocks sorcery in this passage. It has no power over the true God. Babylon’s downfall came not from a lack of sorcery or misreading the stars. Babylon fell because all its attention to manipulating natural and super­natural forces came down to selfishness, which leads only to ruin.

Modern sorcery or witchcraft is no different. It misses the big picture. And even if it saw the big picture, it would be powerless to bring it about or stop it.

Don’t fall prey to the promises of today’s sorcerers and their crafts. In the end all true good is in the hands of God.

Lord and God, protect and strengthen us with your true goodness. Though strange and powerful forces may be at work around us, help us always to trust in you. Amen.