Isaiah 3:1

For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, does take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water, the mighty man, the man of war, the judge and the prophet... And thou wilt give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them, and the people shall be oppressed, every one by another and every one by his neighbor... For Jerusalem is ruined and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord to provoke the eyes of his glory.

When God removes His hand of blessing, the first thing a nation loses is competent leadership — and Isaiah shows us exactly what that judgment looks like.

The Lord of Hosts Speaks to His Own People

We have been seeing the correlations to the United States in the book of Isaiah. God was speaking to His own people 2,800 years ago through this prophet, a great man of God who served faithfully through the reign of four and perhaps five kings in Judah and Jerusalem. He was calling out to His people just before the Assyrian invasion and ultimately the Babylonian invasion — both results of their sin, the result of their turning away from God.

As we come to chapter 3, God is going to bring a great famine. The first thing to note in verse 1 is that it is God who is moving, called "the Lord, the Lord of hosts." You'll notice the first "Lord" is lowercase and the second is capitalized. In the original it reads Adonai Yehovah — the master God speaks to His people. He is the head of the armies, and He calls His people to listen and take heed. In chapter 1 He told them to "hear," the Hebrew word shema, which does not mean merely to hear a siren in the night but to listen and act upon what you hear.

Each chapter opens with God speaking specifically to Judah and Jerusalem. After Solomon, the nation split under his son Rehoboam — the northern ten tribes of Israel, later exiled by Assyria, and the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the focus of Isaiah's prophecy. Judah had the temple, the priesthood, the Levites; if any place appeared right with God, it was Jerusalem. Yet they had departed from the Lord. They worshiped Him with their lips while their hearts were far from Him, and as we saw in chapter 1, their offerings had become wickedness before God.

Famine as a Call to Return

The judgments of God, though He works in the spiritual realm, often manifest in the physical realm in very ordinary ways. Here it is a great famine, but it is more than a famine of food and water. It is important to see that it is God who removes the bread and water. He often allows a lack in our lives so that we will call out to Him.

This is exactly what Abraham experienced in Genesis 12. God called him out from his father's house to a land He would show him, promising to make him a great nation. Abraham came to Bethel — "the house of God" — and built an altar, but then pitched his tent between Bethel and Ai, which means "heap of ruin." He was caught between the things of God and the world. The very next verse says there was a famine in the land. When first tested, Abraham did not turn to God; he went down to Egypt and got into all kinds of trouble. Years later he learned that God is his provider, calling Him Jehovah Jireh in Genesis 22.

God seeks to do the same in our lives. He allows a lack so we turn to Him and learn that He cares for the things that make us anxious. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Do not worry about what you will eat or wear... your heavenly Father knows you have need of all these things." That confidence often grows as we watch Him provide. But there are also times when we depart from the Lord and He cannot bless someone in outright rebellion. These people were as stubborn as a mule, and so God began to remove His hand of blessing and protection, and immediately they lacked.

A Famine of Competent Leaders

This famine extended far beyond food. Verse 2 lists what God removes: the mighty man — the strong, brave, heroic soldier the people looked up to as a champion. As Israel declined, the same word later describes men "mighty to drink wine" (Isaiah 5:22). They were no longer mighty at war but mighty at strong drink, and so judgment came.

God also removes the man of war — the victorious warrior — and the judge. A judge in the Hebrew mind was not merely one who presides over a case but a leader, a governor, a deliverer, like the judges between Joshua and King Saul. One of the judge's jobs was to defend those who could not defend themselves. In chapter 1 God commanded, "Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." But Israel's judges had given themselves to bribes. God looked for judgment and found oppression (Isaiah 5:7).

He removes the prophet. There was a lack of true prophets and a flood of false ones — soothsayers and diviners who told people what they wanted to hear. Jeremiah faced this constantly: he proclaimed coming judgment while false prophets insisted everything would be fine. In our day we have soothsayers too, assuring us the Dow will keep climbing and unemployment will fall. But as you read the Scriptures, something tells you it may not be so. A prophet does not merely foretell future events; he declares the mind, heart, and will of God, often rebuking kings and nations and calling people to return.

God removes the prudent — also translated diviner or soothsayer — and the ancient, the aged ones of experience who give wise counsel. Verse 3 adds the captain of fifty, an inferior, inexperienced officer. The Bible speaks of captains of hundreds and thousands; God strips away leadership all the way down to the smallest regiment. He removes the honorable man, the one looked up to and respected. As we look at our own nation in 2009 and consider who we set forth as role models, it is a scary thing.

He removes the counselor — the chief advisor with understanding of what the nation ought to do — and the cunning artificer, the skilled tradesman and artisan. It is stunning what passes for art in our day. In Exodus 31, Bezalel and Aholiab were gifted by God to craft the beautiful things of the tabernacle; such ability is God-given, and here that blessing is removed. Finally He removes the eloquent orator — not merely a smooth speaker, but one who is perceptive, discerning, and insightful, able to give clear direction so the people know how to walk. As the Scripture says, if the trumpet does not sound correctly, the army will not know what to do.

Children and Babes Shall Rule

In their place, verse 4 says, "I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them." "Children" here is not literal but means inexperienced ones; "princes" means the leaders and cabinet members of the king. "Babes" appears only twice in the whole Bible, both in Isaiah, and in chapter 66 it is translated delusioned. The leaders were delusional and did not know what to do.

There is a famine of competent leaders in our own nation as well, an indication that God has removed His hand of blessing. That is hard to hear and not politically correct, but whether Democrat or Republican, nobody seems to know how to fix our problems. Why? Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. When a nation disregards God, He does not give that nation wisdom.

Verse 5 shows the result: the people were oppressed, hard-pressed by taskmasters — no different than in Egypt — "every one by another and every one by his neighbor." There was civil unrest and infighting because there was no moral leader to say, "This is the way; walk in it." "The child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable."

This is exactly what happened when Rehoboam became king (1 Kings 12). The people asked him to lighten his father's heavy hand. The old, experienced men counseled, "If you will be a servant to this people and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever." But Rehoboam "forsook the counsel of the old men" and listened to the younger men who grew up with him. To "behave proudly" literally means to act in a stormy, boisterous, arrogant manner — exactly what Rehoboam did. In our nation too, we often refuse to hear the older generation, even after they have experienced what we are now experiencing, insisting we are more educated and have a better handle on it. Paul told Timothy this would mark the last days (2 Timothy 3:1).

Style Over Substance

Isaiah 3:6 says a man will grab his brother and say, "You have clothing, be our ruler" — turning to someone completely unqualified simply because he has a nice suit. We live in such a time. I remember the 2004 campaign, when a friend insisted Howard Dean would be the Democratic nominee. I said there was no way, because he didn't look presidential — John Kerry did. Just a few days ago, talking about possible 2012 candidates, a man said he only saw one who "looks presidential." It has nothing to do with qualifications — it's the hair, the suit, the smile, the wave, the shiny white teeth. More stock is placed in appearance than in content. Style over substance leaves little content, and our day gives more to the celebrity of an individual than to what he can actually offer.

Verse 7 says the one called upon will swear, "I will not be a healer, for in my house is neither bread nor clothing. Make me not the ruler of this people." Perhaps we haven't reached that stage yet, since there is still a long list of people eager to fix everything. But a day will come when people say, "I can't be the healer of this nation."

Why God Judges

Verse 8 tells us why: "For Jerusalem is ruined and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord to provoke the eyes of his glory." We know who judges (verse 1), how He judges by the famine (verses 2-3), and now why — because their words and deeds were against God. It is easier to think our deeds offend God than our words, but both provoke Him. The day of the Lord is any time God intervenes in the physical realm, and almost every time in Scripture it is for judgment.

Verse 9 says, "The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom; they hide it not." As a child, you'd break something or break the rules and think you got away with it, but they always found out — guilt was written all over your face. These people weren't even trying to hide their sin. As we'll see in chapter 5, they pull their sin behind them on a cart, parading it around. So Isaiah says, "Woe unto their soul" — the Hebrew oy, that gasp of dismay — though some translations render it "certain destruction," for "they have rewarded evil unto themselves."

Yet a remnant remains. Verses 10-11: "Say 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." This is the same principle Paul gives in Galatians 6:7: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap... he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life." Sowing and reaping runs through both Testaments.

Judgment Begins at the House of God

Verse 12: "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." Notice "my people." God is no respecter of persons — Romans 2:11, Ephesians 6:9, and 1 Peter 1:17 all declare it. It does not matter if someone sits in a good church or was raised in a good family; unless they personally turn to the Lord and call out for salvation in Christ, they will be judged. Being children of Abraham, having the temple and the law, did not spare Judah. Why? Because, as Peter says, judgment must begin at the house of God.

I believe we are seeing in our own nation the beginning of God threshing the wheat from the chaff — dragging the threshing sledge over the grain, then tossing it into the air so the wind carries away the chaff. It will get worse before He separates the wheat from the tares.

Because of incompetent rulers, the people had harsh taskmasters and heavy burdens — and I believe our nation's legislation will bring much the same. That can be a good thing, because harsh taskmasters drive people to cry out to God. Israel did not cry out until they were enslaved in Egypt; while Joseph lived they enjoyed the lap of luxury, but 400 years later they were slaves, and then they called on the Lord. In our age of decadence, harsh taskmasters will come, and people will call out, and God will move.

That women ruled over them is seen here as a curse, not a blessing — a sign that God had removed every competent leader, leaving only the inexperienced and the women to lead. A nation receives the leaders it deserves. In Isaiah's day the leaders caused the people to wander into sin, as Manasseh built high places and led the people to worship there. In our nation too, our government has led the people astray: the early 1960s Supreme Court rulings against prayer and God's Word in schools, and Roe v. Wade in 1973. Since then there have been 50 million abortions in America — 1.2 million a year, a baby dying every 30 seconds — and now there is talk of funding it with taxation. The New Living Translation renders verse 12 vividly: "they lead you down a path of destruction." We are called progressives, we look down on the "ancients" — yet we kill 1.2 million babies a year and then wonder why Social Security cannot support the older generation when we have destroyed an entire generation of working people. Jesus called such leaders "blind leaders of the blind" who fall into a pit (Matthew 15:14), and we stand on the very precipice.

God Stands Up to Judge

Verse 13: "The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people." It is a scary thing when the prosecuting attorney is also the judge. God rises from the prosecutor's desk, puts on the black robe, and stands as judge. Verse 14: He enters into judgment with the leaders, "For ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses." The vineyard is the nation of Israel (Isaiah 5:7). They had consumed God's people, stolen from the poor and defenseless instead of defending them: "What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor?"

The Pride of the Daughters of Zion

Now God turns to the women (verse 16): "Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes... and making a tinkling with their feet." With outstretched necks and sexually seductive looks they pranced about Jerusalem, trying to seduce men and find the next one. Therefore the Lord will smite "the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion" with a scab — He will give them an itch — and expose their nakedness for what they really are.

Verses 18-23 list everything He will strip away. The King James names tinkling ornaments, cauls, round tires like the moon, chains, bracelets, mufflers, bonnets, headbands, earrings, rings, nose jewels, changeable suits, mantles, wimples, crisping pins, glasses, fine linen, hoods, and veils. A clearer translation: God will strip away their headbands, crescent necklaces, earrings, bracelets, veils, scarves, ankle bracelets, sashes, perfumes, charms, rings, jewels, party clothes, gowns, capes, purses, mirrors, fine linen, head ornaments, and shawls. Jerusalem evidently had nice malls. All this finery existed to seductively entice men — and things are no different in 2009.

Verse 24: "Instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent... and burning instead of beauty." She will stink, wear a rope for a sash, lose her elegant hair, and wear rough burlap instead of rich robes — "shame will replace her beauty." Verse 25: "Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war" — there is the famine of mighty men again. The city will sit desolate upon the ground. Her whole focus was to entice a man, yet now her finery is gone and the men are dead.

The result, chapter 4 verse 1: "In that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach." Barrenness was a reproach; seven women will beg one man for his name and for children.

The Branch of the Lord and the Purifying Fire

A dramatic change comes in chapter 4 verse 2. Amos 3:7 says, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." God never moves for judgment or blessing without first telling His people, and when we read of judgment in the prophets, we always read of restoration on the other side — because His punishment is always for the purpose of purification.

"In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious." The Branch of the Lord, as chapter 11 shows, is the Messiah. After this judgment the desire will no longer be for a man but for God to send His Messiah. "And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion... shall be called holy" — the remnant who come through the fire. When the Lord has "washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion... by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning," what is left has been cleansed.

Think of the refiner. Raw gold from the ground is full of impurities, so he places it in the fire. Because gold is heavier, it settles to the bottom while the impurities float to the top, and he scrapes them away, firing it again and again. What remains is far less than what he began with, but it is pure. So God brings the fiery trial, and what is left is refined. In chapter 1 He said, "I will purely purge away thy dross."

Then verse 5: "The Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night." This is the pillar of fire and cloud of Exodus that stood over the tabernacle as the sign of God's presence. But notice — not just over the temple, but over every dwelling place. "Upon all the glory shall be a defense." And there shall be a tabernacle "for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge... from storm and from rain." God Himself becomes their shelter and refuge after the judgment.

A Warning and a Commission

The Bible makes clear that a great day of peace is coming, when they will beat their swords into plowshares and God will reign on the earth. But before that day, a day of judgment approaches first — the famine of Isaiah 3 and 4:1. We are experiencing portions of it now. Jesus said, "These things I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe" (John 14:29), and God says in Isaiah that He declares things before they happen so we will believe He is God.

For decades the church has said a global government and a global currency would come, and many scoffed. Now, whether from President Obama, Gordon Brown in the UK, the UN, or the G20, we hear repeated calls for a new global currency and a new world order — exactly as the Bible foretold. If anything, it should strengthen our faith that Jesus is coming soon.

There is a lost and dying world that needs to hear Isaiah 3: it shall be well for the righteous, but woe to the wicked. Multitudes in our own city and county do not know the Lord and are storing up wrath for the day of wrath (Romans 2). When that day comes, as Isaiah 2 says, men will flee to caves and dens and beg for death, and death will flee from them.

You have family members, friends, perhaps co-workers who don't know the Lord. God has given us the word of eternal life, and we need to speak up. The Lord is coming with a sword "bathed in heaven" — sharpened and readied to execute judgment. When we gather for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or the New Year, may the Lord give us boldness to speak the truth even when it is not politically correct. Every time I study these pages I pray, "Lord, give me the grace and boldness to say this," because this world is headed toward destruction, and none of us truly desire to see the wrath of God fall — even on an enemy. You may have enemies you wouldn't mind seeing judged, but wait until you see the picture of God's wrath in Isaiah; your mind will change. The Hebrew word for glory, kabod, means something heavy and weighty. May His glory stir us to preach the gospel, for "how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace." May we go from this place with beautiful feet, bringing glad tidings of good things.

Closing Prayer

God, I thank You for Your Word, although it is heavy. Would You, Lord, plant it deep in our hearts and stir us to take Your Word to this lost and dying world. Give me boldness. Give my brothers and sisters here boldness to speak though many don't want to hear. Even as Isaiah in his day — You said his preaching would cause the ears of the people to be closed, their eyes shut, their hearts hardened — and his response was the same many of us would give: "Lord, how long do I have to do this?" It can be discouraging when we give forth Your Word and it seems not to be received. But Lord, Your Word will not return void; it will accomplish what You set it forth to do. Help us to be faithful just to bring it out. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.