ISAIAH 3
OPENS WITH THE VISION CONTINUED AND GOD SHOWING ISAIAH THE SINS OF JUDAH. IT IS A PROFILE OF A SOCIETY, A PEOPLE UNDER JUDGMENT FROM GOD.
Verses 1-7 tells us of the shortages of food, water, and competent leaders.
“For behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stock and the store, the whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water; the mighty man and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, and the diviner and the elder; the captain of fifty and the honorable man, the counselor and the skillful artisan, and the expert enchanter. "I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. The people will be oppressed, every one by another and every one by his neighbor; the child will be insolent toward the elder, and the base toward the honorable." When a man takes hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, "You have clothing; you be our ruler, and let these ruins be under your power," In that day he will protest, saying, "I cannot cure your ills, for in my house is neither food nor clothing; do not make me a ruler of the people."
For behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stock and the store…God's judgment on Judah, at this point, includes taking away their food (stock and the store) and water.
Isaiah 3:1 is a good example of the way two Hebrew words, each translated Lord may be used. In this verse, the first time Lord is used, it translates the Hebrew word adonai, which means "master, owner, sovereign." It is a broad word that can be applied to a human master as well as the Lord GOD, the ultimate Master. The second time LORD is used, and is printed in small capitals, it translates the Hebrew word Yahweh, which is the SACRED NAME of the Triune God. So, it may be that the Hebrew Bible could use the phrase adonai Yahweh, which could be translated into English as Lord LORD, but actually means "Master Yahweh." That phrase appears more than 300 times in the Old Testament. Most of the time, the phrase is translated Lord GOD in the New King James Version.
DID YOU KNOW….The SPECIFIC phrase here - the Lord, the LORD of hosts - is used more than 15 times in the Old Testament, and often by Isaiah (Isaiah 1:24, 3:1, 3:15, 10:23-24, 10:33, 19:4, 22:5, 22:12, 22:14-15, and 28:22). It emphasizes the MAJESTY AND POWER of God, because the idea behind LORD of hosts is that God is "Commander in Chief" of heaven's armies.
So when it is "The Master of All, Yahweh of Heaven's Armies" (the Lord, the LORD of hosts) who has taken food and water from Jerusalem and from Judah, they do well to repent and get right with Him.
The judgment is WORSE than just taking away food and water. God also brought judgment on Jerusalem and Judah by DEPRIVING them of godly, competent leaders on EVERY level: the mighty man and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, and the diviner and the elder; the captain of fifty and the honorable man, the counselor and the skillful artisan, and the expert enchanter. Instead of wise, competent leaders, God will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
AND IT HAPPENED…
WHERE?
The eventual fulfillment of this prophecy is found in 2 Kings 24:14: “Also he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land.”
But this principle of God's judgment ENDURES to this day.
One way God may bring judgment on a nation is to curse them with incompetent, ungodly leaders.
WE ARE SURELY SEEING THAT IN THIS DAY, AMEN?
Often, this is the simplest avenue of judgment: giving people what their wicked hearts desire.
This crisis of leadership can happen even in economically prosperous times (Isaiah 2:7 is part of this same prophecy). The terrible effect of this judgment of God, the granting of incompetent and ungodly leaders, may not be immediately seen, but it will be certainly seen, apart from the repentance of a nation and the mercy of God, AMEN?
AND BECAUSE OF THIS UNGODLY, INCOMPETENT LEADERSHIP…the people will be oppressed, and there will be a breakdown of order in society (The child will be insolent toward the elder, and the base toward the honorable).
WE ARE SEEING THAT IN THIS DAY TOO!
CALVIN SAYS IT WISELY…"For there is hardly any conduct more offensive, or more fitted to disturb our minds, than when the worst examples of every sort are publicly exhibited by magistrates, while no man utters a syllable against them, but almost all give their approbation."
Things will become so bad, that in the minds of the people, the smallest achievements will qualify a man for leadership: You have clothing, you be our ruler, and let these ruins be under your hand. Yet, even such a man will not want to lead: In that day, he will protest, saying, "I cannot cure your ills … do not make me a ruler of the people."
KAISER REMINDS US…"It is astonishing how realistically the prophet is here able to describe the consequences of a total collapse of the state. Anyone who remembers the months that followed May 1945 in Germany will have the sensation in reading this passage of being carried right back to these days."
Verses 8-12 tells us WHY Judah is ripe for judgment.
“For Jerusalem stumbled, and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of His glory. The look on their countenance witnesses against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves. "Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to 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! Those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths."
Jerusalem and Judah have sinned in what they say and in what they do… their tongues and their doings are AGAINST the LORD. In fact, what they say and what they do provoke the eyes of His glory.
It is much easier to think that what we do is offensive to God, than to think that what we say can provoke the eyes of His glory. But we are commanded to glorify God by what we say just as much as by what we do. IN OTHER WORDS…WE ARE TO WALK OUR TALK. IF WE PROCLAIM TO BE CHRISTIANS, WHO LOVE JESUS, AND READ AND STRIVE TO OBEY HIS WORD…WE BETTER LIVEEEEEE IT TOO.
REMEMBER WHAT Jesus WARNED IN Matthew 12:36-37, “For every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The look on their countenance witnesses against them…The very look on their faces is evidence of their guilt. Either they have THE SMIRK of the reprobate, or the downcast gaze of those under conviction.
TURN THE TV ON FOR 2 MINUTES TODAY…AND WE ARE BOMBARDED BY THE SMIRKING, SUPERIOR AND/OR DISMISSIVE LOOKS, WORDS, ACTIONS, AND ATTITUDES OF ELECTED OFFICIALS.
SURE WE ALL KNOW THE BANKING SYSTEM HAVE LIED, CHEATED AND STOLEN FROM PEOPLE SINCE 2007. YES WE KNOW THEY HAVE TAKEN HOMES ILLEGALLY, UNETHICALLY, AND HASTILY…BUT WE ARE BIGGER THAN THAT…WE ARE FORGIVING THEM…WE MUST MOVE ON…AND MEANWHILE, ALL YOU HARD-WORKING TAX-PAYERS OUT THERE…WE HAVE USED YOUR MONEY TO BAIL THEM OUT AND WE ARE NOT CHARGING THEM INTEREST AND MOST OF THEM WILL NEVER PAY A CENT OF IT BACK…BUT NO WORRIES…WE WILL MOVE FORWARD!
YES, WE HAVE MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS FLOODING OUR BOARDERS WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS…WE ARE BIGGER THAN THAT…WE ARE OPENING THE DOORS WIDE, THEY DO NOT HAVE TO WORK, GO THROUGH LEGAL CHANNELS, LEARN OUR LANGUAGE, PAY TAXES OR BUY HEALTH INSURANCE….WE ARE BIGGER THAN THAT…WE ARE GIVING THEM A FREE RIDE…AND YOU WONDERFUL AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE GOING TO PAY FOR IT…BUT NO WORRIES…WE WILL MOVE FORWARD.
WE ARE A MORE INTELLIGENT AND ENLIGHTENED SOCIETY, WE HAVE TO CONSIDER THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD. THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO CHOOSE, MAKE DECISIONS, DO WHAT THEY WISH, DISREGARD THEIR PARENTS AND THEIR RULES AND THEIR BIBLICAL TEACHINGS…IF IT FEELS GOOD…LET THEM DO IT…WE ARE TAKING PARENTS TO TASK. YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS…BUT NEVER FEAR WE WILL RAISE YOUR CHILDREN…NO WORRIES…MOVE FORWARD.
WE MUST CONSIDER OUR WELL BEING, WE MUST ALLOW, SUPPORT, AND PAY FOR TEENS AND ADULTS WHO CHOOSE TO HAVE AT RISK SEX, WHO TKEN GET PREGNANT, TO HAVE THE OPTION OF ABORTION…IT IS NOT REALLY HUMAN…IT IS JUST TISSUE…LIKE A WART OR A MOLE…THAT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED…WE ARE BIGGER THAN THAT…NO NEED TO HOLD THE TEENS/ADULTS ACCOUNTABLE OR BURDEN THEM WITH A CHILD THEY CAN NOT AFFORD TO SUPPORT AND RAISE…AND SINCE WE ARE BIGGER THAN THAT…YOU MOTHERS WHO CHOOSE AT THE END OF YOUR PREGNANCY TO DECIDE TO ABORT YOUR BABY, NO WORRIES…WE WILL ALLOW YOU TO KILL IT AS IT SLIDS WIGGLING, ALIVE, AND WELL FROM THE BIRTH CANAL…BUT NO WORRIES….IT WILL BE HARVESTED NOW, NOT TOSSED IN THE GARBAGE…WE WILL USE YOUR CHILDS BODY AND DNA AND STEM CELLS TO DO RESEARCH…AND HELP THOSE LIVING….SO NO WORRIES NO FEAR….WE WILL MOVE FORWARD.
AND YES, THIS NATION IS SADDENED BY THE MASS MURDERS IN OUR SCHOOLS, STREETS, AND COUNTRY, BUT WE ARE SMARTER MORE INTELLIGENT…WE NEED TO STUDY THEM, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THEM, AND BLESS THEIR HEARTS, WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE PARENTS DID NOT DISCIPLINE THEM, OR THEY HAD ONLY ONE PARENT, OR THE DOCTORS FED THEM MIND AND MOOD ALTERING DRUGS, INSTEAD OF SITTING THEM DOWN AND MAKING THEM ABIDE BY THE LAWS OF ALMIGHTY GOD. THEY ARE NOT MONSTERS…THEY ARE JUST UNLOVED, MISUNDERSTOOD. WE DO AND MAY CRY FOR AND WITH THE VICTIMS BUT WE MUST BE BIGGER THAN SUCH HEINOUS ACTS…WE MUST REACH OUT, UNDERSTAND, NOT PUNISH, BUT REHIBILITATE THEM, MAKE THEM A VIABLE CITIZEN. WE ARE MOVING FORWARD.
WE ARE SHOCKED BY TERRORISTS AND THEIR ACTIONS, WE HAVE RETALIATED, NOW WE MUST REACH OUT, UNDERSTAND THEM, GIVE THEM A VOICE TO SPEAK OUT THEIR ISSUES, WE MUST LISTEN, WE MUST CONSIDER, AND WE MUST TURN THE OTHER CHEEK AND GIVE THEM THE MONEY AND SUPPORT AND TRAINING THEY NEED TO BECOME OUR BROTHERS…WHILE WE MOURN THE 100S OF THOUSANDS INNOCENTS AND OUR MEN AND WOMEN WE SENT IN TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THE WEAK AND THE INNOCENT AND THE HELPLESS WHO NEEDED US…WE MUST MOVE ON…WE MUST OFFER AN OLIVE BRANCH…WE ARE BIGGER THAN THAT…WE MUST MOVE ON IF WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE ONE WORLD HARMONY.
YES, IT IS SHOCKING THAT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN ARE SOLD INTO THE SEX SLAVE TRADE, MADE TO DO UNSPEAKABLE THINGS, BUT LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, THEY ARE NO LONGER IN THE STREETS. THOUGH ABUSED AND MISUSED AND THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS DEADENED WITH HOPELESSNESS AND DESPAIR…THEY ARE NOW BEING FED, CLOTHED, AND HOUSED TO AN EXTENT…WE MUST LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THINGS. WE MUST MOVE FORWARD.
YES WE ARE SHOCKED THAT A MAN, WHOSE ONLY CRIME IS THAT HE STANDS FOR JESUS IS NOW IN A PRISON BEING TORTURED, SEXUALLY ABUSED, STARVING, THIRSTY, AND FILTHY….AND YES WE ARE SHOCKED THAT TERRORISTS ENTERED CHURCHES AND GUNNED DOWN, RAPED, AND CHOPPED UP EVERYONE THERE BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IN JESUS…YES IT IS A SAD COMMENTARY…BUT THAT IS A RELIGIOUS THING…NOT A PEOPLE THING, NOT A GOVERNMENT PROBLEM….THAT IS WHY WE NEED TO JOIN HANDS…BECOME ONE WORLD BELIEF SYSTEM…AND THEN OUR ENEMIES WILL BECOME OUR BROTHERS AND THE SENSELESS KILLINGS WILL STOP.
And they declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it…Their sin is openly displayed, and they have no sense of shame. The cultural dynamic in Isaiah's day was probably much the same as in our time. In the name of "frankness" and "honesty" and "let's not be hypocrites," all kinds of sin is approved, and no one is "allowed" to proclaim a standard unless they live up to it perfectly.
YES…THIS MAN, THIS PRIEST, THIS PERSON HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF SODOMY, YES THEY HAVE SEXUALLY ABUSED BABIES, YOUNG CHILDREN, THEIR OWN CHILDREN, THEIR NEIGHBORS CHILDREN…BUT WE MUST HAVE COMPASSION AND IF NOT SUPPORT, UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR OWN SEXUAL CHOICES, THEIR SEXUAL PARTNERS PREFERENCES. THEY CAN NOT HELP IT THAT THEY LIKE BABIES AND CHILDREN OR THE SAME SEX…WE MUST OFFER THEM THERAPIES, REHIBILITATION, AND WE MUST BE WILLING TO PAY FOR OUR DOCTORS, PENAL SYSTEMS, AND OUR PSYCHIATRISTS TO STUDY THEM, RESEARCH THEM, AND WORK WITH THEM TO HELP THEM GAIN CONTROL OF THEIR PREFERENCES. WE ARE BIGGER THAN THAT…WE MUST ACCEPT THEM AND MOVE ON…
Outward decency is important. It is important to not talk about many sins, even though they exist, and sometimes touch the church. It is through these means that God's people declare a standard, even though they or the world do not perfectly measure up to a standard.
Ephesians 5:12 matters here: “For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.”
BUT TURN ON THE MEDIA ANYYYYY DAY OF THE WEEK, AND THE SENSATIONALIST MEDIA AND TALKING HEADS CAN NOT WAIT TO TELL YOU WHO IS SLEEPING AROUND ON WHOM, WHEN, WHERE, AND WE HAVE THE PICTURES TO PROVE IT.
OR HOW THEY CONNED THEIR SPOUSE OR SIGNIFIGANT OTHER OUT OF MONEY, THEIR MARRIAGE, THEIR NAME, THEIR HONOR, AND HAPPILY BROADCAST IT PROUDLY FOR ALL THE WORLD TO HEAR, SEE, AND KNOW.
One of the most destructive lies of our time is that it is wrong or hypocritical to have a standard that we don't live up to. No one has always told the truth, yet it is right and good to teach our children, "Don't lie."
BUT SOCIETY NOW CALLS IT LITTLE WHITE LIES…EVERYONE TELLS THEM…IT IS NO BIG DEAL.
It IS SOOOOOOO WRONG, and destructive, for someone to answer, "You can't tell your child not to lie. You have lied in the past. You are a hypocrite."
This attitude in our society OF LIVE AND LET LIVE, BE A FREE SPIRIT, DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, REGARDLESS WHO IT HURTS…THEIR HURTS, SHAMES ARE THEIRRRRRRRRR PROBLEM NOT YOURS.
COMMENTARY LIKE THAT translates into a certain result: a wholesale lowering of standards. Also, the charge of hypocrisy is FALSE THEN.
It is NOT HYPOCRITICAL to promote a standard you don't perfectly meet.
ALTHOUGH, SATAN, MANKIND, AND THE WORLD WANT TO RE-CREATE AND RE-DEFINE IT.
TRUE HYPOCRISY WAS/IS/EVER SHALL BE when you pretend to keep the standard when you do not, or think it is fine for you to not keep the standard, when you think others should.
Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves…YOU NOTICE God did NOT have TO DO ANYTHING unique or special to bring this judgment on Jerusalem and Judah. All He had to do was leave them alone, LIFT HIS HAND OF PROTECTION, and allow them to bring evil upon themselves.
When the LORD gives a nation the leadership they desire and deserve, it is either a blessing or a curse. In Judah's case in the time of Isaiah, it was a curse. In the United States at the end of the 20th Century, IT IS A CURSE.
Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings…WHAT THIS REMINDS US, CHRISTIANS, WHO LOVE JESUS CHRIST & ARE STRIVING TO LIVE AS JESUS EXPECTS…CAN KNOW AND BE REASSURED THAT GOD KNOWS HOW TO BLESS AND PROTECT US, HIS CHILDREN, EVEN IN THE MIDST OF CITY, STATE, COUNTRY, AND GLOBAL JUDGMENT.
Sometimes this is only seen in the perspective of eternity, but God assures us that the righteous WILL NEVER SHARE the same fate as the wicked.
ALL THE WAY BACK IN GENESIS 18:25, Abraham KNEW THIS PRINCIPLE well when he said to the LORD, "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
They shall eat the fruit of their doings … for the reward of his hands shall be given him…THIS MEANS THAT GOD WILL GIVE BOTH THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED the reward they deserve.
For the righteous, THOSE THAT LOVE JESUS CHRIST, this is a GREAT COMFORT, BUTTTTTTTTT….for the wicked, it is a curse.
CHARLES SPURGEON SAYS OF THIS “WOE TO THE WICKED…“It shall be ill with the wicked, and let no present appearance lead you to doubt it … The eyes that never weep for sin here will weep in awful anguish for ever … It will be a profitable thing for thee to feel the wrath of God heavy on thy spirit now, for if not, it will crush thee, crush thee down and down without hope, world without end. It shall be ill with you."
As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them…Again, the LORD both declares and bemoans His judgment on Judah, that they have been given incompetent and ungodly leadership. Those who lead you cause you err, and destroy the way of your paths.
Women rule over them…this was seen as a curse, not a blessing.
WHY?
Certainly, God may raise up particular women at particular times to be leaders in different spheres. Deborah (Judges 4-5) and Esther are examples of this. But this entirely different than a society where, in general, women rule over them. Such a society is cursed, not blessed.
AND IT IS BECAUSE WOMEN HAVE HAD TO RESORT TO STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE TO BE THE PARENT, THE PROVIDER, THE DEFENDER, AND PROTECTOR IN THEIR HOMES….WHEN ALMIGHTY GOD COMMANDED THE MAN TO LOVE, CARE FOR, PROTECT, PROVIDE, AND LEAD THE FAMILY.
SOCIETY WORLDWIDE TODAY SEES MORE AND MORE WOMEN BEING LEFT OR EXPECTED TO DO NOT ONLY WHAT ALMIGHTY GOD COMMANDED THEM TO DO AND BE…BUT THEY MUST NOW ALSOOOOOOOOO BE THE HEAD OF THE HOUSEHOLD.
AND THAT INFURIATES ALMIGHTY GOD…THAT MEN ARE WALKING AWAY FROM, LEAVING, ABANDONING, OR LYING ABOUT AND EXPECTING AND DEMANDING THEIR WIVES TO DO IT ALL. AND IN GROWING NUMBERS OF CASES, WOMEN WALKING AWAY FROM THEIR CHILDREN, THEIR SPOUSES, THEIR HOMES…TO PLEASE THEMSELVES.
Verses 13-15 tells us GOD’S CASE AGAINSTTTTT JUDAH…FIRST THEIR ILL TREATMENT OF THE POOR.
“The LORD stands up to plead, and stands to judge the people. The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders of His people and His princes: "For you have eaten up the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the faces of the poor?" says the Lord GOD of hosts.”
DO YOU HEAR AS I DO, THE FURY IN ALMIGHTY GOD’S VOICE?
The LORD stands up to plead, and stands to judge the people…
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
THE LORD is both a prosecutor (stands up to plead) and a judge against Judah. When you are in court, and the prosecutor and the judge are the same person, you KNOW you are going to be found guilty!
The plunder of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people, and grinding the faces of the poor?….God's charge IS AGAINST THE ELDERS AND THE PRINCES of Israel is not that they have failed to help the poor. That would be bad in itself. But far worse than that, they have ROBBED THE POOR, and taken advantage of their poverty to enrich themselves.
I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF THE JESUS HAWKERS…SEND ME 25 DOLLARS, PLANT A SEED IN MY MINISTRY, AND I WILL SEND YOU AN ANOINTED PRAYER CLOTH, A PRAYER MAT, A SACRED IDOL, HOLY WATER/OILS, A HOLY PRAYER SHAWL I HAVE PERSONALLY BLESSED AND PRAYED OVER…AND ONCE YOU DO AS I INSTRUCT…YOU WILL GET THAT JOB, GOD WILL SEND YOU MONEY, YOU WILL BE HEALED, YOU WILL WALK, YOU WILL…YOU WILL…YOU WILL…
AS WELL AS THOSE PRIESTS, PASTORS, RELIGIOUS LEADERS WHO SAY, OF COURSE I WILL PRAY THAT YOUR DEAD FAMILY MEMBER WILL GO TO HEAVEN. YOU WANT TO GET RE-MARRIED, I CAN PERFORM THE VIRGINITY RITES UPON YOU, YES, I CAN PRAY AND ANOINT YOUR SICK FAMILY MEMBER, FOR THE FEE OF, OR A DONATION OF, OR A RECURRING TITHE OF….
YOU NEED PRAYER, HEALING…BUT YOU HAVE NO MONEY, GIVE ME YOUR CAR, YOUR HOME, YOUR CHILD, WORK FOR ME FOR FREE, COOK FOR ME FOR FREE, HAVE SEX WITH ME, OR COME BACK WHEN YOU HAVEEEEEEEE THE MONEY REQUIRED TO OFFER THE PRAYERS.
THE BIBLE TELLS US THERE IS A SPECIAL PLACE IN THE WAITING PRISON OF HELL AND A SPECIAL PLACE IN THE LAKE OF FIRE FOR ANYYYYYYYYYYYYONE, ANYYYYY MAN OR WOMAN OR ANYONE WHO PROSTITUTES HIM, AND ROBS THE NAÏVE, THE INNOCENT, THE SEEKING, THE LOST, AND THE POOR FOR THEIR OWN GAIN IN HIS NAME…
Verses 16-23 tells us of the sinful women of Judah, and the judgment of the LORD against them.
“Moreover the LORD says: "Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, making a jingling with their feet, therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will uncover their secret parts." In that day the Lord will take away the finery: The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; the headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; the perfume boxes, the charms, and the rings; the nose jewels, the festal apparel, and the mantles; the outer garments, the purses, and the mirrors; the fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.”
THE LIST GIVES US AN IDEA OF WHAT WAS IMPORTANT TO THE WOMEN OF JUDAH…THINGSSSSSSSS….SOCIETAL STATUS, BEING SEENNNN WEARING POSSESSIONS…OPEN WANTONNESS, MARRIED OR SINGLE…
The daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks… THIS MEANS THE WOMEN OF JUDAH WERE SNOBS, SELF-IMPRESSED, SAW THEMSELVES BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE AND THEY BRAGGED, SHOWED OFF IN PUBLIC, AND THEY LIKED WHAT THEY SAW IN THEIR OWN MIRRORS.
IN OTHER WORDS….THEIR OUTWARD APPEARANCES MIRRORED THEIR SELFISH, SELF-CENTERED ME MYSELF, AND I CORRUPTED INNER SOULS/BEINGS.
IN Philippians 2:3, IN CONTRAST..,“Women of God are called to in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself .”
Wanton eyes…MEANS THE WOMEN OF JUDAH were sexually seductive, promiscuous, & shameless in their lust thoughts, looks, and actions. They wanted to behold and attract what was sexually impure.
IN CONTRAST, TITUS 2:5 SAYS, “Women of God are called to be discreet and chaste.”
Walking and mincing as they go, making a jingling with their feet…THIS MEANS THE WOMEN OF JUDAH WERE OBSESSED with finery, luxury, and "accessories." They devoted far too much of their lives to their appearance and their image.
For emphasis, the prophet declares a list of the "accessories" and luxury items the women of Judah longed for and devoted too much of their lives to…SOUNDS LIKE THE WOMEN OF JUDAH…LOVED TO SHOP AND LIVED TO SHOP AND BUY…THEY WERE WHAT WE CALL TODAY….SHOPAHOLICS…AND THEY OBVIOUSLY HAD PLENTY OF STORES BUILT TO SPEND THEIR TIME DOING SO.
This love of finery, luxury, and the obtaining of it all is NOT UNIQUE TO JUST WOMEN. Many men have a problem with it also. MEN AND WOMEN THEN AND NOW…ALLOW THINGS TO ANNOUNCE THEIR FINANCIAL STATUS, THEIR SOCIAL HIPNESS, & THEIR FAD/FASHION/TECHNOLOGY UP-TO-SPEEDNESS WITH THE NEWEST, THE BEST, AND THE MOST UNIQUE AND EXPENSIVE.
AND AN INTERVIEW WITH A SCHOOL TEACHER ABOUT THIS TOPIC SAYS IT ALL…"Men just don't understand that shopping is our drug of choice," she joked, even while admitting that some months her salary goes exclusively to paying the minimum balance on her credit cards. "Walking through the door of South Coast Plaza is like walking though the gates of heaven. God made car trunks for women to hide shopping bags in."
ANOTHER YOUNG PROFESSIONAL SAYS OF THIS…“Shopping is my recreation. It's my way of pampering myself. When you walk into [a mall] and you see all the stores, it's like something takes over and you get caught up in it."
IN CONTRAST, I PETER 3:3-4, WOMEN OF GOD ARE COMMANDED… “Do not let your adornment be merely outward; arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel; rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
Their obsession with their appearance, their love of luxury, and their promiscuity made the daughters of Zion ripe for judgment…Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will uncover their secret parts. Their "crown" will be a scab, and instead of being beautifully adorned, they will be exposed and humiliated. Also, the Lord will take away the finery.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH…In Isaiah's time, these judgments WERE connected with the coming invasions. Because of scarcity and disease, the haughty daughters of Zion would be sick and diseased. They would be raped and humiliated. And all their wonderful "accessories" would be taken away...AND THEY WERE.
AND REMEMBER…Because of their role in the nurture of children COMMANDED THEM BY GOD, it is important that women of God live and think like women of God.
WHY?
BECAUSE THEN AND NOW…WHEN THE WOMEN OF A CULTURE become degenerate, then the hope for the next generation is GONE. But when the women of a culture turn to the LORD and His ways, there is great hope for the future.
Verses 24-26 tells us MORE of the judgment of the LORD on the sinful daughters of Zion.
“And so it shall be: Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty. Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war. Her gates shall lament and mourn, and she being desolate shall sit on the ground.”
Instead of … Instead of … Instead of … Instead of … instead of…The LORD will replace their finery with the marks of captivity and humiliation. They will live the stench, the baldness, the branding and the general deprivation of captivity.
Do we realize how quickly God can take it all away?
HE WHO CONTROLS OUR EVERY BREATH, EVERY BEAT OF OUR HEARTS? How much more reason to honor God with what we have, instead of indulging ourselves.
THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH…THOUGHT THEM BEING THE CHOSEN WIFE OF ALMIGHTY GOD…HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE…MADE THEM IMPERVIOUS TO THE ILLS, PESTILENCES, DANGERS OF THE REST OF THE WORLD.
Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war…without doubt, one reason the daughters of Zion loved all the luxury and finery was because it made them more attractive to men. They felt they could "get" men that way. But their ungodly love of luxury and finery resulted in the loss of their men TOO.
She being desolate shall sit on the ground…AND THEY BECAME SO.
THERE HAS BEEN PRESERVED A ROMAN MEDAL, struck after Jerusalem's fall, shows a Jewish woman being desolate, sitting under a palm tree next to a Roman soldier.
THE LOST WORLD IS BEGINNING TO FEEL AND SEE THE FIRST TINY WARNINGS OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION TO COME…THE EARTH IS SHAKING…THE GOVERNMENTS ARE FALTERING/FAILING…ALL THINGS ARE BEING SHAKEN…
THIS TELLS THE PEOPLE OF JESUS….TO KEEP A WATCH ON THE EASTERN SKIES…FOR WITH PROPHECY BEING FULFILLED BEFORE OUR EYES EACH DAY, IN SMALL AND LARGE WAYS,…AND ADDED TO THIS THE THREE IMPORTANT HEBREW FEASTS GOING ON RIGHT NOW….THE NEW MOON, WITH THE PLANETS COMING INTO A NEW ALIGNMENT RIGHT NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HUNDREDS OF YEARS….OUR JESUS COULD APPEAR IN THE CLOUDS…AT ANY MOMENT.
THE IMPORTANT THING FOR MANKIND…IS DO YOU KNOW JESUS. HAVE YOU CALLED UPON HIM, HAVE YOU REPENTED, HAVE YOU INVITED HIM INTO YOUR HEART AND LIFE TO BE YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR…IF NOT…CALL UPON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST RIGHT NOW….FOR TOMORROW IS PROMISED TO NONE!