THE LORD S JUDGMENT UPON JUDAH ISAIAH 3:1-26

Transcription

1 THE LORD S JUDGMENT UPON JUDAH ISAIAH 3:1-26

2 Text: Isaiah 3:1-26, THE LORD S JUDGMENT UPON JUDAH 1. Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armies is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah every source of security, including all the food and water, 2. the mighty men and warriors, judges and prophets, omen readers and leaders, 3. captains of groups of fifty, the respected citizens, advisers and those skilled in magical arts, and those who know incantations. 4. The Lord says, I will make youths their officials; malicious young men will rule over them. 5. The people will treat each other harshly; men will oppose each other; neighbors will fight. Youths will proudly defy the elderly and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected. 6. Indeed, a man will grab his brother right in his father s house and say, You own a coat you be our leader! This heap of ruins will be under your control. 7. At that time the brother will shout, I am no doctor, I have no food or coat in my house; don t make me a leader of the people! 8. Jerusalem certainly stumbles, Judah falls, for their words and their actions offend the Lord; they rebel against his royal authority. 9. The look on their faces testifies to their guilt; like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin. Too bad for them! For they bring disaster on themselves.

3 10. Tell the innocent it will go well with them, for they will be rewarded for what they have done. 11. Too bad for the wicked sinners! For they will get exactly what they deserve. 12. Oppressors treat my people cruelly; creditors rule over them. My people s leaders mislead them; they give you confusing directions. 13. The Lord takes his position to judge; he stands up to pass sentence on his people. 14. The Lord comes to pronounce judgment on the leaders of his people and their officials. He says, It is you who have ruined the vineyard! You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor. 15. Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor? The sovereign Lord who commands armies has spoken. 16. The Lord says, The women of Zion are proud. They walk with their heads high and flirt with their eyes. They skip along and the jewelry on their ankles jingles. 17. So the sovereign master will afflict the foreheads of Zion s women with skin diseases, the Lord will make the front of their heads bald. 18. At that time the sovereign master will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, neck ornaments, crescent shaped ornaments, 19. earrings, bracelets, veils, 20. headdresses, ankle ornaments, sashes, sachets, amulets, 21. rings, nose rings, 22. festive dresses, robes, shawls, purses, 23. garments, vests, head coverings, and gowns. 24. A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices, a rope will replace a belt, baldness will replace braided locks of hair, a

4 sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe, and a prisoner s brand will replace beauty. 25. Your men will fall by the sword, your strong men will die in battle. 26. Her gates will mourn and lament; deprived of her people, she will sit on the ground. (NET) Commentary: Judah and Jerusalem had become so wicked that God brought punishment upon them. The punishment against Judah would come in several different forms. First, the All-Powerful Lord would take away everything they needed; He would remove their food and water. Second, great men and leaders would be taken away. The people were left without leadership and direction. Nebuchadnezzar took away some of the best men when he defeated Judah. (2 Kings 24:14) The leaders that were left would be children; they would be unqualified, immature and disrespectful of others. The unqualified leaders who were appointed knew they were unfit and told the people not to appoint them as leaders. The words and the actions of these Jews caused them to stumble and find themselves far away from God. God s judgment was coming upon them and it was the consequence of their own actions. Those who had obeyed God were very fortunate; they would be blessed and rewarded for their righteousness. The disobedient had followed wicked leaders and were, therefore, in serious trouble because of their rebellion. The Jews, and especially their leaders, would face God s judgment. They had disrespected and oppressed the poor and defiled His nation. These wicked people strutted around; full of pride, attempting to bring glory to themselves. God promised that He would bring the proud low! He said, When that day comes, I will take away from those women all the fine

5 jewelry they wear on their ankles, heads, necks, ears, arms, noses, fingers, and on their clothes. I will remove their veils, their belts, their perfume, their magic charms, their royal robes, and all their fancy dresses, hats, and purses. God promised to replace all their good with bad, In place of perfume, there will be a stink; in place of belts, there will be ropes; in place of fancy hairdos, they will have bald heads. Instead of expensive clothes, they will wear sackcloth; instead of beauty, they will have ugly scars. God would also humble that nation with war. Many of their men would die in battle. In the book of Lamentations we see the city after it faced God s Judgment. How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! (Lamentations 1:1) Jerusalem would mourn and sit in the dirt. It was emptied of its people. This terrible end was the result of a failure to love and obey God. Sin destroyed a stable society Isaiah 3:1-7: God took away from Judah and Jerusalem everything that made a stable society. The people were totally out of touch with God; they had no concern for His commandments and no desire to obey Him. They were trusting in material things instead of God. Their disobedience brought about God s Judgment. Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit. For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. (Isaiah 30:12-15)

6 Most of the people in Judah were not faithful to God. They would not listen to Isaiah and other faithful prophets of God. One way God took away their stability was by giving them children or little boys to be their leaders. Leaders must have wisdom and good judgment. These unwise rulers would act like tyrants. This instability would affect every segment of life; family, government and society in general would deteriorate. Nobody would want to take responsibility for daily living. A man would be made ruler just because he had some presentable cloths. Things that are against the Lord Isaiah 3:8: In somber words Isaiah 3:8 says, For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD. Here God gave the reason as to why these things were happening to Judah and Jerusalem. It was because of the sins of the people, both in words and in deeds. Isaiah had already mentioned, (a) Their hypocritical prayers (Isaiah 1:15), (b) Their refusal to take up the cause of the widows (Isaiah 1:17-23) and the practice of idolatry. (Isaiah 1:29-31) Isaiah 3:14-15 also mentions some of the sins of Israel. The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts. (Isaiah 3:14-15) Their sins had provoked the eyes of His glory. They especially provoked God by going to the Temple for worship, acting so very pious, when all they were doing was offering hypocritical worship to God, rather than repenting of sins and living righteously day by day. It shall be ill with the wicked Isaiah 3:9-15: God promised that things would not be good with the wicked. He said, The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded

7 evil unto themselves. Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him. As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts. (Isaiah 3:9-15) The look on their face said they were guilty of sins. They could not hide these things from God! The people hypocritically appeared before the Lord with sin written all over their faces. They have done evil to themselves. In contrast, it shall be well with the righteous. They shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Their deeds produce good fruits. Even though many in Judah and Jerusalem were wicked there were still some who were righteous. Sadly though, the leaders of the people, including judges and prophets had gone astray and had led the people astray. Now the Lord would stand up against them to accuse them of their evil deeds. The Lord would bring special judgment against the leaders of the people. They should have led them in the right paths, but had failed miserably to do so. They would face the consequences of robbing and plundering the poor. The poor looked to the leaders for help and for justice, but found only oppression and hurt. The leaders were greedy; they beat down the poor and took their land from them. The leaders refused to help the poor and needy, yet they still expect God to help them! The Lord would humble Judah Isaiah 3:16-26: The Lord gave a strong indictment against the haughty, rich women of Judah. They were shallow and showy; their desire was to draw attention to themselves.

8 Pride is a sin that leads to damnation. The spirit of these women was the opposite of that spirit of the godly lady described by Peter in 1 Peter 3:1-6. The beauty of the lady Peter described is the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. Instead of being beautiful, the sins of the women of Judah and Jerusalem had made them ugly and repulsive. God promised to take away all the things that those women thought had made them beautiful! And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground. (Isaiah 3:24-26) The luxurious life those women enjoyed would be no more. As for the men these women had tried to impress, they would be killed in battle. The city that once heard the clanging of their jewelry will now hear the sound of mourning for the men who have died. There was no escape from the judgment of God that was coming upon them! Let us also be serious and prepare for God s Judgment. Our greatest privilege is to be in the blood bought church of Christ. To be saved you must hear the gospel, (Romans 10:17); believe in Jesus, (John 8:24); repent of sins, (Luke 13:3); confess Jesus as Lord, (Matthew 10:32); and be baptized for remission of sins. (Acts 2:38) God will then add you, as a living stone to the church that Christ built. If we will be faithful to God there is nothing that can stand in the way of our eternal victory! By Charles Box, Walnut Street Church of Christ, 306 Walnut Street, Greenville, Alabama 36037

9 Questions On Isaiah 3:1-26 (Questions 1-13 are based on the NET text.) 1. What and whom was the sovereign Lord to remove from Jerusalem and Judah? When would he do this? 2. The Lord would make their and would over them. 3. How would they treat and behave toward each other? 4. How were leaders to be selected?

10 5. certainly., for their and their the ; they his. 6. The on their to their ; like the of they of their. Too for them! For they bring on. 7. Tell the it will go with them, for they will be for what they have done. Too for the! For they will get what they. 8. God s ; over them. My s mislead them; they give. 9. The takes his to ; he up to on his. The comes to on the of his and their. 10. For what sins did God pass judgment on the people?

11 11. What punishments would befall the women of Zion? 12. What punishments would befall their men? 13. Zion s will and. of her, she will on the. 14. In what forms would God s punishment come upon Judah and Jerusalem?

12 15. Those who had were very ; they would be and for their. The had and were, therefore, in because of their. The, and especially their would s. They had and the and his. These around; full of, attempting to bring to. 16. God promised that he would bring the proud low and to replace their good with bad. Exactly what would happen to Judah, Jerusalem and its people? 17. According to Isaiah 30:12-15, what would happen to Judah and Jerusalem? Why would these things happen to them?

13 18. Who would become their leaders? Describe their quality of leadership and their willingness to serve. 19. These disasters befell Judah and Jerusalem because of the of the, both in and in including their, to take up the of the, and the of. They had eaten up the. The of the is in your. They God s to, and the of the. They offered to, rather than of their and day by day. 20. Why and in what ways would things then and now be bad for the wicked and good for the righteous? Are their exceptions to this rule? If so, what are some of these exceptions? 21. God would against the of the who had the

14 . They should have them in the, but had to do so. They would the of and the. The looked to the for and for, but found only and. The to the and, yet they still to. 22. Compare the conduct and attitude of the women of ancient Judah and Jerusalem with the conduct and attitude of the godly wives described in 1 Peter 3: Describe a beautiful woman as you envision beauty. Be honest. 24. Describe an ugly woman as you envision an ugly woman. Be honest._

15 25. What would happen to the men the women had tried to impress? What lesson is there in this for us?