NOTES for Isa 3:1-14
1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, |
2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, |
3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counseller, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. |
4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. |
5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable. |
6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand: |
7 In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people. |
8 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. |
9 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 evil unto themselves. |
10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. |
11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him. |
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. |
13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. |
14 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. |
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In today's reading the prophet Isaiah says things that are very important for us today about what happens to a society that is not guided by God's truth. He paints a picture of complete impoverishment and shrinking, and the details of this picture are, alas, all too recognizable. The prophet speaks of a society in which there is no just judge, no wise leader, and no prophet proclaiming the Truth. Not even a decent leader for the smallest group can be found. The artist's voice falls silent, and ideas of true beauty are lost. Then, the prophet says, people grab any decently dressed person and give him authority, while he swears that he cannot heal the wounds of society...
So Jerusalem collapsed and Judah fell. So a society collapses where God's truth has been forgotten. The prophet speaks of a people who are no longer even ashamed of their sin and their unfaithfulness to God, and who bring evil upon themselves. The prophet says that the leaders have corrupted the paths of the people. This is very understandable to us, because we are used to blaming leaders for all the sins and wounds of society. But the prophet has just said that this society, unashamed of sin, itself chooses anyone at all as its leaders. So that we may understand quite clearly what is being discussed, the prophet speaks to the leaders of God's people: "the spoil of the poor is in your houses."
We may not have the strength to correct what is happening to us. But at the very least, it is important for us to hear what the prophet says about us, so that we may clearly understand why we remain in such a deplorable state and know what to pray about and what to repent of.
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Readings for 7 March 2025
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