read Isaiah 3
Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah
3 See now, the Lord,
the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
both supply and support:
all supplies of food and all supplies of water,
2 the hero and the warrior,
the judge and the prophet,
the diviner and the elder,
3 the captain of fifty and the man of rank,
the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.
4 “I will make mere youths their officials;
children will rule over them.”
5 People will oppress each other—
man against man, neighbor against neighbor.
The young will rise up against the old,
the nobody against the honored.
6 A man will seize one of his brothers
in his father’s house, and say,
“You have a cloak, you be our leader;
take charge of this heap of ruins!”
7 But in that day he will cry out,
“I have no remedy.
I have no food or clothing in my house;
do not make me the leader of the people.”
8 Jerusalem staggers,
Judah is falling;
their words and deeds are against the Lord,
defying his glorious presence.
9 The look on their faces testifies against them;
they parade their sin like Sodom;
they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
They have brought disaster upon themselves.
10 Tell the righteous it will be well with them,
for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.
11 Woe to the wicked!
Disaster is upon them!
They will be paid back
for what their hands have done.
12 Youths oppress my people,
women rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you astray;
they turn you from the path.
13 The Lord takes his place in court;
he rises to judge the people.
14 The Lord enters into judgment
against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people
and grinding the faces of the poor?”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
16 The Lord says,
“The women of Zion are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,
flirting with their eyes,
strutting along with swaying hips,
with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
the Lord will make their scalps bald.”
18 In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the earrings and bracelets and veils, 20 the headdresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings, 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.
24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench;
instead of a sash, a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;
instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;
instead of beauty, branding.
25 Your men will fall by the sword,
your warriors in battle.
26 The gates of Zion will lament and mourn;
destitute, she will sit on the ground.
Go Deeper
In Isaiah 3 we see a harsh rebuke from God through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Jerusalem and Judah because of their wickedness, idolatry, and rebellion. God didn’t just bring judgment to them by withholding them of food and water, but He also withheld godly and adequate leaders from them. There is harsh judgment for the consequences of their sin!
In verse 8 it says, “For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence.” It’s evident that God’s glory and majesty are offended by the sin and disobedience of His children. Romans 6:23 tells us that the consequence or judgment for our sin is eternal death, and yet God has made a way through faith in Jesus to have eternal life.
Throughout the story of Scripture, God has made a way to bless and protect the righteous even in the midst of judgment. The righteous are often mercifully spared from the harsh consequences of the wicked. In Isaiah 3:10-11 we see this to be true in the text, and this is true today for those of us who have put our faith in Jesus. Though we are wicked like the people of Jerusalem and Judah, we can be made righteous because of what Christ has done for us through His death and resurrection. Second Corinthians 5:21 tells us that “for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” He no longer deals with us according to our sin, for those of us that are in Christ, but rather He deals with us according to the finished work of Jesus and offers us mercy instead of condemnation.
Towards the end of the chapter God rebukes the Judean women for their pride, lust, and their desire for material things. God punishes them because they were devoted to the wrong things. How often does this mark us today? Whether we are mothers, fathers, teenagers, single young adults, married folk, or senior adults, we lust after the things of this world more than we crave for God. We want nicer cars, more clothes, more money, or a better house. We are prone, in our flesh, to find so much identity in our image. God has provided a better way, through faith in Jesus, where we can walk in righteousness by the help of the Spirit and find our identity in Him. God has graciously preserved this text so that we might remove idols in our life that we are prone to worship more than we worship God Himself. He is the only one worthy to be praised. This chapter began with the language, “See now, the Lord Almighty,” emphasizing the majesty and glory of God as the One who is in command. Let’s worship Him as such today.
Questions
- What material things are you prone to worship?
- Do you believe that Jesus died and resurrected from the grave to rescue you from God’s eternal judgment and offer you eternal life through faith?
- What’s one way you can actively behold God in worship today?
Watch This
Watch this overview of the first 39 chapters of Isaiah from The Bible Project gain greater clarity on the context of this chapter and where it fits in the greater narrative of Isaiah. .
3 responses to “Isaiah 3”
The previous chapter ended with a warning from Isaiah to the people: Stop trusting men to provide for and save you. They are one breath away from death (Isaiah 2:22).
The people have been defying the God to His face. They sin boldly and out in the open.( sounds familiar.) Isaiah gives them a warning about bringing God’s wrath on themselves. God was and is going to judge the leaders of this world.
God is long-suffering as He watched and now watches people viciously exploit one another and selfishly ravage His creation. BUT GOD is only going to let this happen for so long. There will come a day when He will put a stop to all of this. Are we ready?
God thank You for loving me even when and even if I am not doing what is best. God thank You for forgiving my pity parties. You, my walk with You, is what is of utmost importance. God thank You for guiding me in Your Word. help me to not just read it but to live it out day by day. God thank You for these minutes of this day that my life is glorifying to You. God my heart and head is still struggling to know how and what to do as I am following You. But for the now minutes of today, I will love You with all my heart, and desire to love my neighbor as myself. I will put on Your love goggles to see them through Your perspective in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!
“Their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it” (v8-9).
This screams pride and arrogance. Ultimately, it’s making “live your truth or follow your heart” supreme while dethroning God’s absolute truth contained in his word. I’ve been guilty of this and can testify to the disastrous outcome. May we see the evil in our day as an insult to our holy God and refuse to participate. Let’s raise his standard of righteousness and refuse to conform to the patterns of this world
I imagine Isaiah didn’t get invited to a lot of parties . . .didn’t have a very upbeat disposition!
12 Youths oppress my people, women rule over them.
Interesting that the prospect of being under the authority of youth and women was seen as a terrible thing!