Isaiah 3

Isaiah 3:1-8

The prophet in this chapter goes on to foretell the defoliations that were

coming upon Judah and Jerusalem for their sins. God threatens, 1. To deprive them of all the fapports, both of their life and geverminant, ver. 1—3. 2. To leave them to fall into confusion and dispirity, ver. 4. 3. 12. 3. To deny them the blessing of magistracy, ver. 6—8. 4. To strip the daughters of Sion of their ornaments, ver. 17—24. 5. To lay all wails by the sword, ver. 25. 26. The first that provoked God to deal thus with them, were, (1.) Their defiance of God, ver. 8. (2.) Their impudence, ver. 9. (3.) The abuts of their power, ver. 12—15. (4.) The pride of their daughters, ver. 16. And in the midst of the chapter the prophet, [1.] Affects the ophecies that it should be said with them, notwithstanding those general calamities, ver. 10. [2.] That it should go ill with the wicked at last, however God might now in judgment renounce more, ver. 11. Of that the nations of the earth at this day, would hearken to the rebukes and warnings which this chapter gives! 1. FOR behold, the LORD, the LORD of hofts 1. doth take away from Jerusalem, and from Juddah, the flag and the staff, the whole flag of bread, and the whole flag 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 counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. 4. And I will give children to be their princes, and 5. bates 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 bats against the honourable. 6. When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, Jolley, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand: 7. In that day shall he a swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor cloathing; 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. God had commanded them to cease from man and creature-confidence: those he bent threatens to destroy, and mentions his glorious titles; the Lord, the Lord of befts, able to the uttermost to execute the forerene he pronounces. 1. Famine should come upon them, v. 1, and terribly it raged in Jerusalem, both when befieged by Nebuchadnezzar, and afterwards by Titus, which last destruction seems to be chiefly the subject of this prophecy. 2. Defolations should be spread on every side, their mighty warriors fallen, and none remain to lead their armies; no judge left to administer justice, no prophet to instruct or comfort them. The power had been taken from them to decide in matters of life and death, forty years before their destruction. John avii. 31. but after they had revolted, and were befieged by the Romans, a state of utter confusion began within the walls; the prudent and the ancient were removed by famine, or the found, v. 2. Nor so much as an inferior officer left, or one honourable man or counsellor to be found; or when all order was dissolved, neither office, honour, or wisdom maintained any longer reverence or attrition. The cunning artificer ceased, when all business was at a stand; and the eloquent orator silenced, when his voice could be no longer heard for the tumult, v. 3. 3. The government devolved on those who were weak as infanies, and unable to refrain the general disorder, v. 4; or men of illusion, as in the margin; every arrogant factions spirit, who headed the populace, and from whence a force of violence and strange disorder must ensue, as was the case when, during the siege of Jerusalem, factions rent them in pieces, and every street afforded scenes of murder, rapine, and violence; all respect for age and station was lost, and lawless anarchy reigned, v. 5. 4. So desperate would be their state, so ruined and debated, that every one who had ought to lose, would decline the administration; though pressed to be their ruler, as having cloathing when the rest were naked, as well as fansished; and that the ruin might be under their hand, in order to alleviate, or extricate them from it, v. 6. but not a man could be found, who would accept the office: seeing their state desperate and incredible, each 1 Jer. 1:11. 2 Lev. 1:10. 3 a Kings 1:10. 14. 4 Heb. A man endnot to commence. 5 Rebid. 2. 16. 7 Heb. Man of illusion. 8 Chap. 10. 19, 21. 1 Heb. Life of the hand. Gen. 1:9, 10. Rev. 6. 5. 8 Heb. Sister op. 1 Chap. 9. 19. Before Christ

each would swear himself incapable of healing the deadly breaches, and that he had neither food nor cloathing to maintain such dignity, or relieve their wants, v. 7.

5. The cause of all this misery was their sins: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, and especially against his Christ, in their malignity and cruelty, reviling him in an imposition, and crucifying him as the greatest of malefactors; to provoke the eyes of his glory, who, justly offended with such insult and rejection of himself and his gospel, caused this wrath to come upon them to the uttermost.

From the whole, we may learn, (1.) That sin unrepented of, will be sooner or later the ruin of every nation, and each individual sinner. (2.) It is among the sad symptoms of God’s abandoning a people, when he sends them a famine of his word, and removes the ministry of his gospel from them. (3.) The kingdom is in the way to speedy ruin, when folly and weakneils are at the helm, and popular tumults dare interrupt the administration of justice. (4.) There is no healing, those whom God hath wounded; vain are all the means of grace to a reprobate mind.

9. ¶ The shew of their countenance doth witness against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom, they lode it not: a wo 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. Wo unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him. 12. At 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 it is your healtes. 15. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? faith the LORD God of hosts.

Isaiah 3:9-15

We have here,

1. An awful woe denounced upon a wicked people. We unto their souls! the judgments were great, through the weakness and wickedness of their rulers; who, though effeminate as women, and unable as children to protect them from their enemies, harassed and oppressed them, v. 12. that was the least part of their misery; their souls, their immortal souls, were more terribly exposed to the eternal wrath and curse of God: they have rewarded evil to themselves, their ruin is their own choice, and their sufferings the just reward of their sins. Note, (1.) If we lose our souls, we lose our all. (2.) In the day of God, the sinner will have none to blame for his misery, but himself. Several grievous provocations are here mentioned,

(1.) They sin with an high hand, take no pains to conceal it, nor blush; with hardened impudence, openly avowing their abomination as Sodom, shameless before men, and fearless of God, v. 9. Note, (1.) Habitual sin hardens the conscience. (2.) They who are past shame, are on the brink of ruin. (3.) Sodom’s sin will have Sodom’s vengeance.

(2.) Their priests were their corrupters; they who should have led, deceived them by false doctrines; they who should have rebuked, cried peace to them; they whose examples should have reformed, hardened them, v. 12. such were the Pharisees in our Lord’s day. But were they the only false teachers, the exaltors of human merit, the false prophets of peace, and examples of iniquity? How many a priest will this suit in every age?

(3.) Their magistrates were oppressive, devouring the poor whom they should have protected, and greedy of gain, sought only to kill their coffers, instead of exercising mercy and doing justice, v. 14.

2. For these things the Lord standeth up to plead, expounding with them on the wickedness of their ways; What mean ye, he, and standeth to judge the people; either to vindicate his people from their oppressors, or rather to execute judgment upon the wicked, and this without respect of persons; the ancient, and princes, as deepest in guilt, will be the first in punishment. Note, (1.) When God standeth up to plead, what sinner but must tremble? why will they not consider their ways, and prevent their ruin? (2.) The greatest find no favour at his tribunal; more can appeal from his sentence; height of station only brings aggravation of sin and suffering.

3. A distinction will be made amidst these judgments. The righteous few shall not suffer with the wicked. Say ye to the righteous, who in Christ Jesus is accounted such, and by his grace renewed in the spirit of his mind, it shall be well with him: peace of conscience, the sense of God’s love, and the hope of his glory shall be his support in whatever national obligations he may be involved, for they shall not the fruit of their doings; as

they have not provoked the judgments, they shall be delivered from them, or supported under them. We unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him in time and in eternity; all his sufferings are imbittered, his prospects dark, his life miserable, his death terrible, and after death accurted; he is doomed to devouring fire, and everlasting burnings. Wo indeed to the wicked, when the reward of his hands shall thus be given him!

Before Christ

16. ¶ Moreover, the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with shrewded forth necks, and wanton eyes, walking, and mincing at they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: 17. Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts. 18. In that day the LORD will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon. 19. The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20. The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the head-bands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings. 21. The rings, and nose-jewels, 22. The changeable fusts of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crippling pins, 23. The glaffes, and the fine liners, and the hoods, and the veils. 24. 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 flomacher, a girdling of fackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. 25. Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. 26. And her gates shall lament and mourn, and the king defolate, shall sit upon the ground.

2 Pet. ii. Or cripple. Christ. Exem. 27. Comp. 1:10. 1. Hab. ii. 5. Or not. 1:10. 2. Or borne of secret ornament. Or fearing of ornaments. Mic. i. 16. Lom. i. 4. D. 4. 10. Loks 10. 4. Hab. Classif. 1. Emption of adolescents.

Isaiah 3:16-26

The daughters of Zion had contributed to swell the national guilt, and must therefore share in their plagues.

1. Their sins are vanity and lewdness. Proud of their perfoms and ornaments, with elevated beads, and shrewded forth necks, they treated with an air of disdain their inferiors; whilst wantonly they cast their amorous glances around, and all their motions bespoke desire of admiration. Note, (1.) Wanty is woman’s beletting sin. (2.) They who lay shares for others, are justly chargeable with every evil consequence that follows. (3.) A wanton eye betrays an impure heart.

2. Their punishments would correspond with their sins. Loathsome disease should deform and humble the proud beauty, v. 17. instead of their full wardrobes of various dreffes, they should be stripped naked to their shame; their ornaments (the exact meaning of the several particulars of which is scarcely to be ascertained, and is of little moment) which fashion disheard, and their vain hearts affected, pleased with the sinner, and never thinking they had enough, must all be plundered; themselves enslaved, and led into captivity, a girdling of fackcloth would be their miserable covering: instead of perfumes and fragrance, they would be nauseous through poverty and ulcers; their thinning girdles would give place to rags, tattered and rent; their braided locks, dreffed with such curious art, now torn for anguish, or falling off through fackards, would leave them bald; and the scorching sun, or burning carbuncles, disfigure that fair face, which in the glab had led to often to self-violatory; whilst their husbands should be slain by the sword, and no man left to marry them. Thus funk under universal defolations, the gates of the very city would mourn; and Jerusalem, as a disconsolate widow, in the dust bewail her irreparable ruin. Note, (1.) The sins of lewdness often make those loathsome, who were once most lovely. (2.) Extravagant sinner easily leads to pinching poverty. (3.) Beauty is a dangerous gift, and often proves the bane of its possessor. (4.) Decis according to our station is becoming, but to be curious and expensive is to turn the covering of our shame into an increase of our sin.