ISAIAH 3-4: “Judgment For
By
1.
INTRO
1.1.
In our last study we saw how
that Isaiah tells us of the coming judgment of Judea and those of Jerusalem
1.1.1.
God will discipline them and
remove their idolatry from them
1.1.2.
God will then establish a
remnant of the faithful in the land
1.1.3.
God will eventually
establish His kingdom over the earth and rule sovereignly and with a kingdom of
peace from Jerusalem
1.2.
In our study today we are
going to look at the judgment of
1.2.1.
Chapter 3, Judgment of
1.2.1.1.The devastation of war is going to be complete and affect all levels of
society but especially those who are wealthy, powerful, and in positions of
influence
1.2.1.2.Children and women shall rule over them
1.2.1.3.The women will be judged because of using their influence over the men
of society for selfish and self-serving ends and not for the purposes for which
God created them
1.2.2.
Chapter 4, restoration of
the earth and the faithful remnant
1.2.2.1.The glory of the Lord shall cover the earth
1.2.2.2.Those who remain shall be called holy and the fruit of the earth
1.2.3.
Before we get into the study
I want to comment on the previous chapter, Isaiah 2:1-4, and point out that
though these verses so clearly refer literally to the place of
1.2.3.1.Isaiah 2:1-4 reads, “1 The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw
concerning
2.
VS 3:1-3 - “1 For behold, the Lord God of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem
and Judah Both supply and support, the whole supply of bread, And the whole
supply of water; 2 The mighty man and
the warrior, The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder, 3 The
captain of fifty and the honorable man, The counselor and the expert artisan,
And the skillful enchanter.” - Isaiah begins to outline what God’s judgment
shall consist for rebellious
2.1.
In these verses we see that the Lord is
pointing out through Isaiah the things that the Lord is going to remove from
the people in
2.1.1.
Bread and water
2.1.1.1.The
people are going to be starved out.
2.1.1.2.Other
Old Testament prophets prophesied similarly concerning
2.1.1.2.1.In
the 37th chapter of Jeremiah, Jeremiah prophesied that the king of
2.1.1.2.2.Ezekiel,
in Ezekiel 4:16-17 prophesied also
that Jerusalem would have it’s food and water supply cut off, “16 Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, behold, I am going to
break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread by weight and
with anxiety, and drink water by measure and in horror,17 because bread and
water will be scarce; and they will be appalled with one another and waste away
in their iniquity.”
2.1.1.2.2.1.Ezekiel
went on in chapter 5 to talk about how the city would also be destroyed.
2.1.1.3.When
the captivity occurred, Nebuchadnezzar did indeed come against
2.1.2.
The mighty man and the warrior
2.1.2.1.The
people were trusting in their own strength not the Lord’s therefore He is going
to take away the crutches which they have been leaning on.
2.1.2.2.The
Lord has a way of taking away the crutches that we His people lean on, for He
wants us to look to Him for strength in our lives also.
2.1.3.
The judge and prophet
2.1.3.1.The
judges were corrupt and not upholding justice as they were allowing the poor
and the weak to be oppressed, therefore they would be taken away.
2.1.3.2.The
prophets were prophesying falsely saying that everything would be fine and
there would be peace, however judgment and destruction from the Lord’s hand lay
ahead, therefore the prophets would be taken away.
2.1.4.
The diviner and the elder
2.1.4.1.The
people were looking to diviners for guidance and to know the future, something
that was banned by the Lord in their law, therefore their false diviners would
be taken away.
2.1.4.2.The
elders, or oldest men of
2.1.5.
The captain of fifty and the honorable man
2.1.5.1.The
captains of the armies of Judea and
2.1.5.2.The
honorable man, even the one who was trying to do the right things, they would
be taken away for judgment from the Lord would be complete.
2.1.6.
The counselor and expert artisan
2.1.6.1.The
advisors to the kings, or counselors, had been giving advice that was not from
the Lord, therefore they would be taken away.
2.1.6.2.The
artisans were not using their abilities to worship and glorify the Lord,
therefore they would be taken away.
2.1.7.
The skillful enchanter
2.1.7.1.I’m
not exactly sure who is referred to by this reference, but they too would be
taken away.
2.2.
In 2 Kings
25:1-12 we read of the fulfillment of this prophesy against
Jerusalem and Judea, “1 Now it came about in
the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem,
camped against it, and built a siege wall all around it.2 So the city was under
siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.3 On the ninth day of the fourth
month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the
people of the land.4 Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled
by night by way of the gate between the two walls beside the king’s garden,
though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went by way of the
Arabah.5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the
plains of Jericho and all his army was scattered from him.6 Then they captured
the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and he passed
sentence on him.7 And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes,
then put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with bronze fetters and brought
him to Babylon. 8 Now on the seventh day
of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king
of
3.
VS 3:4-5 - “4 And I will make
mere lads their princes And capricious children will rule over them, 5 And the
people will be oppressed, Each one by another, and each one by his
neighbor; The youth will storm against
the elder, And the inferior against the honorable.” - Isaiah tells
the people that young capricious lads would now rule over them and oppress them
3.1.
Isaiah served in the prophetic office through
the reign of Hezekiah and after Hezekiah, we see that this prophesy was
fulfilled.
3.1.1.
The Pulpit Commentary has the following quote
concerning the youth of the kings that ruled in Judea after Hezekiah, “The extreme youth of the later kings of
3.2.
We have to wonder of the wisdom of a people
who allow themselves to be ruled by youth.
Truly, when
3.2.1.
‘Capricious’ decisions are those which are
rash and entered into without much thought.
These decisions are almost always very regrettable when committed by
anyone.
3.2.2.
The youth did not respect the elder, and the
decisions that were made often alienated the people from each other and their
leaders.
3.2.2.1.These
young leaders in
4.
VS 3:6-7 - “6 When a man lays hold of his
brother in his father’s house, saying, “You have a cloak, you shall be our
ruler, And these ruins will be under your charge,” 7 On that day will he protest, saying, “I
will not be your healer. For in my house
there is neither bread nor cloak; You should not appoint me ruler of the people.”” - Isaiah tells us that the Lord
would lead the nation of
4.1.
Seeing the destruction of the cities of
4.2.
The nation was what we might call “hard up”
at this time for anyone who would be willing to reign over them.
5.
VS 3:8 - “8 For
5.1.
The things that were going wrong with the
nation were the result of the nations’ rebellion against the Lord.
5.2.
The nation of
5.3.
Isaiah tells us that it was against ‘His
glorious presence’ that the nation had rebelled.
5.3.1.
The Lord had tried to lead the nation and He
had now begun to discipline the nation, and in doing these things the Lord was
displaying or revealing His ‘glorious presence’.
6.
VS 3:9 - “9 The expression of their faces
bears witness against them. And they
display their sin like
6.1.
The scripture teaches in Prov. 14:14 that the backslider in heart get the fill of
his ways, “14 The backslider in heart will have his
fill of his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied with his.”
6.1.1.
In other words the way of a backslider is
hart and will wear on the person who makes the choice to turn away from the
Lord.
6.1.2.
There is no one more miserable than the
backslider.
6.2.
Shockingly, Isaiah compares the sin of the
people in
7.
VS 3:10-11 - “10 Say to the righteous that it will
go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions. 11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with
him, For what he deserves will be done to him.” - Isaiah contrasts the righteous with the
wicked telling each that they will eat the fruit of their actions
7.1.
Though the Lord is going to judge the nation,
Isaiah tells those who are trying to live uprightly with the Lord not to worry
that the Lord will watch over them and that things will go well for them.
7.2.
The Lord tells those who are wicked that things
are going to go badly for them, just as they deserve.
8.
VS 3:12 - “12 O My people! Their oppressors
are children, And women rule over them.
O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray, And confuse the
direction of your paths.” - Isaiah tells the nation that they will be led
astray by children and ruled over by women
8.1.
Isaiah had already pointed out how that the
rulers over the nation will be youth, and we know that this did in deed come
true with the kings who came after Hezekiah.
Isaiah tells them here that the youth will actually oppress them.
8.2.
We will see that the later part of this
chapter details how that the women in
8.3.
The nation refused to accept the Lord as
their king and leader and thus He would see that they were filled with
confusion. We already saw in chapter 1
that ‘their whole head is sick’, indicating unclear thinking.
9.
VS 3:13-15 - “13 The Lord arises to contend,
And stands to judge the people. 14 The
Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people, “It is you
who have devoured the vineyard; The
plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 “What do you mean by crushing My people, And grinding the face of the
poor?” Declares the Lord God of hosts.” - Isaiah tells us that it is the elders and the
princes of the nation with whom the Lord has the greatest contention
9.1.
The wealthy, powerful, and prominent are the
ones who have taken advantage of their position and station in order to use
their influence and power for selfish purposes.
9.1.1.
They have devoured the vineyard.
9.1.1.1.Probably
refers to the nation which is sometimes depicted as the Lord’s vineyard.
9.1.2.
They have plundered the poor in their houses.
9.1.2.1.Again,
they have been taking advantage of the misfortune of the poor, weak, and
helpless instead of seeking to help them out as God would have them to do.
9.1.3.
They have crushed the people.
9.1.3.1.This
speaks of oppression and bearing down hard on them, when they should have been
serving them.
9.1.4.
They have been grinding the face of the poor.
9.1.4.1.I
see a picture in my mind of a poor homeless man lying in the street and the
rich and powerful coming along see the man lying there, a man whom they should
help, however instead of helping him they reach down with their hands and grind
his face into the dirt.
10.
VS 3:16-26 - “16 Moreover, the Lord said,
“Because the daughters of Zion are proud, And walk with heads held high and
seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps, And tinkle the bangles on
their feet, 17 Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of
Zion with scabs, And the Lord will make their foreheads bare.” 18 In that day the Lord will take away the
beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, 19 dangling earrings,
bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets,
21 finger rings, nose rings, 22 festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money
purses, 23 hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans, and veils. 24 Now it will come about that instead of
sweet perfume there will be putrefaction;
Instead of a belt, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp; Instead of fine clothes, a donning of
sackcloth; And branding instead of
beauty. 25 Your men will fall by the
sword, And your mighty ones in battle.
26 And her gates will lament and mourn;
And deserted she will sit on the ground.” - Through Isaiah the Lord condemns and
denounces the women of
10.1.
In Genesis 3, God gave to Adam his wife Eve
so that she might be “a help meet” for him, and in that capacity she was given
to be his partner co-laborer before God and in the things of God. However, it was Eve who first sinned by
eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and then she
gave the fruit to Adam. As a result of
the sin of each of them the Lord gave them respective punishments. For the woman it was determined that her
husband would rule over her, however that she would desire him. This desire is not sexual desire, rather it
is desire for headship. In other words,
as part of the curse women would always be tempted to usurp their God-given
role of submission and servanthood, and want to be in control and to rule. Throughout time this has been the history of
women around the world, and we see it all of the time in our world.
10.2.
Women have a tremendous influence over men,
and that influence can be extremely powerful if they allow the Lord to rule in
their lives. However, it can be just as
destructive if they do not allow the Lord to rule.
10.2.1.It
has been said that the fall of the
10.2.2.Godly
wives are used by God to straighten out a husband whose heart is not steadfast
upon the Lord and cause him to be the steward and servant of the Lord he should
be.
10.2.2.1.I
will tell you that the men I know personally who are pastors and church leaders
whom the Lord has used greatly have in almost every case been men who had the
great fortune of marrying godly women who were used mightily in their lives and
maturity as a Christian.
10.2.3.I
read a quote from the Pulpit Commentary that was written over a hundred years
ago, and it said that women tended to be much more spiritual and focused than
men, and I mused because I have heard many Christian men and leaders say the
same sort of things about women in my lifetime.
10.2.3.1.Women’s
influence is so key to what God desires to do in the church.
10.2.4.However,
when women turn from their God-given roles and responsibilities a nation, a
church, and a family will topple soon afterward.
10.3.
Isaiah describes the women of
10.3.1.In
1 Peter 3:3-6, Peter exhorts about how
women are to avoid this sort of over-absorption into things concerning their
external appearance, “3 And let not your
adornment be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or
putting on dresses;4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the
imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the
sight of God.5 For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped
in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands.6 Thus
Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you
do what is right without being frightened by any fear.”
10.3.1.1.I
want to mention to women that it is ok to do some external adornment of your
body, however it is carnal attitude of the heart in this and the
over-absorption into the external adornment that I believe is exhorted against
in the scripture.
10.3.2.I
have known guys who married women who desired all of the fine things of this
life, and they put tremendous pressure on their husbands to provide all of this
stuff for them. They wanted big houses
in the best parts of town, new luxury cars, the finest home furnishings,
expensive clothes, china for dishes, etc.
Some would only buy the best brands of anything. Then, buying all of these things that they
really couldn’t afford ended up putting their family in a financial bind that
put great pressure on the very survival of the marriage.
10.4.
Isaiah tells us that the women of Judea and
Jerusalem are going to be judged for desiring all of the wrong things, and with
much insight Motyer
in his commentary interprets for us what that judgment will consist of, “The judgment to be visited on them is closely bound up with what
will befall their men (25) and their city (26).
As a result of the siege and fall of
11.
VS 4:1 - “1 For seven women will take hold
of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own
clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach!”” - Isaiah tells us that several
women will seek to marry one man
11.1.
War takes away the young men of any nation,
and when the Lord plans to judge the nation of
11.2.
In our country after each world war there
were so many men who were lost that there was talk of allowing polygamy.
12.
VS 4:2-3 - “2 In that day the Branch of the
Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the
pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel.3 And it will come about
that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called
holy—everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.” - Isaiah portrays the
restoration of
12.1.
The Messiah is often referred to as the
‘Branch’ in the Old Testament, and by Isaiah, so I would think that this use of
the metaphor here would have to refer to Christ.
12.1.1.Isaiah
wrote about this in Isaiah 11:1-2, “1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch
from his roots will bear fruit. 2 And
the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and
understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and
the fear of the Lord.”
12.1.2.Jeremiah
also wrote about this in Jer. 23:5-6, “5 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I shall
raise up for David a righteous Branch;
And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and
righteousness in the land. 6 “In His
days
12.1.3.Likewise,
Zechariah wrote about this in Zech. 3:8, “8 ‘Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are
sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am
going to bring in My servant the Branch.”
12.2.
The branch which is spoken of here will be
‘beautiful and glorious’, and when we think of Jesus we can see that this is a
representation of Him.
12.2.1.John 1:14 comes to mind concerning Jesus and these
qualities, “14 And the Word became
flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only
begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
12.3.
These verses must refer to the restoration
that will occur during the Millennial Reign of Christ.
12.3.1.Those
who will be cleansed from their sin will be living on a restored earth, and
thus they will be the fruit of the earth and it’s pride and adornment.
12.3.2.The
people will be called ‘holy’.
12.3.3.The
people will be ‘recorded for life’, or maybe we could say that their names were
recorded in the Lamb’s Book Of Life (Rev. 21:27).
13.
VS 4:4-6 - “4 When the Lord has washed away
the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from
her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning,5 then the Lord
will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud
by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all
the glory will be a canopy.6 And there will be a shelter to give shade from the
heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.” - Isaiah tells us that the
glory of the Lord will light up the restored earth
13.1.
Again we see that the judgment and discipline
of the Lord over His people has removed her wickedness.
13.2.
Those who are alive on the earth during the
Millennial Reign of Christ will have the ‘shekinah’ glory of God as a canopy of
light over the earth, and just as
13.3.
Isaiah tells us that this canopy of the glory
of the Lord over the earth will also serve as a shelter and give shade from the
heat by day and a refuge from storms and rain.
13.4.
Again, we see that the Lord’s judgment of His
people is not carried out in anger in order to destroy His people, but rather
with a view to restoration and the saving of a faithful remnant upon the earth.