Isaiah 3
OGCEXAMINATION, Chapter S ONE THROUGH SIX
ASSOCIATION
(Associate the persons or events of column one with the correct person or event of column two. Some of column two are incorrect.)
1
2
Amoz
brother
Zion
Lebanon
plowshares pruning hooks daughters of Zion
eyes coal Hezekiah
ox
mountain of the Lord
ass
unclean
hands
owner
cedars
Sheol
Song Uzziah
died haughty
altar
father
lips
spears full of blood
crib
vineyard Holy One of Israel swords
MEMORIZATION
Come now, and let us ______ together, saith Jehovah: though your _____ be as ______, they shall be as ______ as ______, though they be red like ______, they shall be as ______ If ye be ______ and _____, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and ________, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of ______ hath spoken it. Isaiah 1:18-20. Then flew one of the ______ unto me, having a live ______ in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the ______: and he touched my _____ with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy ______; and thine _____ is taken away, and thy sin forgiven. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, _____ shall I _____, and who will ______ for us? Then I said, _________________; ________. Isaiah 6:6-8
EXPLANATION
Explain the meaning of God asking man to reason together with Him. Isaiah 1:18-20
Explain how the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains. Isaiah 2:1-4
Explain how Israel was like a vineyard planted on a hill. Isaiah 5:1-7
APPLICATION
(In its context every scripture has one meaningthe author’s intended meaning. How may the following be applied in the believer’s life?)
How may God’s refusal to accept Israel’s sacrifices and refusal to hear their prayers be applied to God’s people today? Isaiah 1:10-17
How may the idea of beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks be applied in the New Testament church? Isaiah 2:1-4
How may the Christian apply Isaiah’s vision of the Lord in the temple? Isaiah 6:1-13
SPECIAL STUDY
THE PROPHETMAN, MESSAGE, MEDIUM by John D. Pommert THE MAN
I.
Names and designations for the prophet.
The O. T. Prophets are called by many names and referred to in several ways each indicating something of the character of the man or the nature of his message.
Man of God Deuteronomy 33:1; 1 Samuel 9:6; 1 Kings 12:22; 1 Kings 13:5; 2 Kings 5:14; Jeremiah 35:4; 2 Chronicles 8:14; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 3:17. This name indicates the moral character of the prophet and the ethical quality of his message. (Cf. the N. T. designation holy prophetsLuk 1:70; Acts 3:21; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21).
Servants of God 1 Chronicles 6:49; 1 Kings 14:18; 1 Kings 18:36; 2 Kings 9:7; 2 Kings 14:25; Titus 1:1. Similar to the above but indicating a serving status.
Messenger of Jehovah Isaiah 42:19; Isaiah 44:26; Isaiah 6:9; Jeremiah 26:12-15; Ezekiel 21:1-10; Jeremiah 20:7. An emphasis upon the teaching or preaching function.
Interpreter Isaiah 43:27; Cf. 2 Peter 1:20-21. These men explained as well as announced the message.
Man of Spirit Hosea 9:7 Cf. 1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 4:10; Acts 26:24; Micah 3:8 (also translated fool, mad, or wind indicating the people’s opinion of this speaker of strange words).
Watchman Ezekiel 3:17. He is to the people spiritually what the watchman on the tower is to the city physically. Both have important functions; both are responsible for the message; both are to be believed by the people.
Seer 1 Chronicles 29:29; 1 Samuel 9:9. He was a man of insight moved by the Spirit of God to see what others could not.
Prophet Exodus 7:1-2 etc. The most common term used indicating one who speaks for anotherin this case, one who speaks forth for God. Again, a special relationship to God is indicated by this term.
Sons of the Prophets 1 Kings 20:35; 2 Kings 2:3-15; 2 Kings 4:1; 2 Kings 4:38; 2 Kings 5:22; 2 Kings 6:1-7; 1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 19:20. Indicating that the prophets were not holy ascetics but men who trained others to carry on their work.1
II.
Personality of the prophets.
What type of men were these holy prophets? Clovis Chappell summarizes them as follows: (1) humanthey had the same feelings and frailties of other menthey were not angels or superhuman creatures; (2) men of insightwho could see (by aid of the Holy Spirit) God’s meanings in daily events; (3) individualistseach has his own peculiarities and personality which refused compromise; (4) fiery zealotsmen who did not preach a Believe-what-you-want message but with a Thus-saith-the-Lord authority and urgency; (5) unpopular menwho endured fire and sword and death because they refused to compromise their message (Hebrews 11).2 Too often we make these men something other than men whom God used. They were holy men, dynamic men, inspired men, courageous men, but MEN!
III.
MARKS of a Prophet
Kyle Yates shows us a different side of these men when he outlines the marks of a prophet.3 He sees the prophet to differ from other men in: (1) his uncompromising individuality; (2) his consciousness of his divine call to be a mouthpiece for God; (3) his awareness of his privileged access to the inner counsel of God; (4) his boldness expressed in action and not just theory-he always commands attention; (5) his awareness of God’s authority and backing in every emergency even when he is a lone man against a mob; (6) his prayer life and communion with God which often results in a separation from men; (7) his cleanness of life and holy moral character (none of the genuine prophets receive even a breath of scandal concerning moral lapses); (8) his outspoken and fearless criticism of social evils; (9) his ability to foresee and reveal the future.
IV.
Social Position and Background of the Prophets
Brant Lee Doty has an interesting two paragraphs about the backgrounds of these men when he writes:
God used a most heterogeneous selection of men for this purpose. Some were of royal blood, while others knew poverty and the hard life of farm or field. Some began their labors while yet virtually children, whereas others did not step fully into the position until well advanced in years. A few probably knew personal wealth, but the great majority were of humble, lowly background. Regardless of these factors of age or wealth or station, the messages came from God and must be delivered fearlessly.
The prophets were not trained by some standardized procedure. Some were called instantly from their occupations, perhaps without prior hint of their selection. Some spent a part of their lives in schools introduced by the time of Samuel (1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 19:20). They learned from the compounded, wisdom of earlier men, with special attention to a full mastery of the laws of God, preparing their hearts in anticipation of the call from heaven, and springing to their tasks when this call clearly came.4
V.
Comparison to Modern Day Preachers
Some have compared the prophets to modern day preachers who also preach the Word of God. However, there are several differencesmainly that the prophet’s message was directed by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21) whereas the present day preacher can claim no special guidance. The preacher has a regular congregation and receives a set salary while the prophet was not called by the people, did not preach regularly to the same group, and did not receive any pay. The preacher is under the authority of an eldership while the prophet was answerable only to God. The preacher plans his preaching and can even announce his text in advance; the prophet spoke at odd times and in odd places. The preacher spoke in a religious context to religious people; the prophet usually spoke outside to whatever people were present. Other differences could be noted all indicating the apparent similarity of preacher and prophet to be only in a few particulars.5
VI.
A Summing Up
To sum up the O. T. prophet, we should think of him as a ``holy man (i.e., one set apart with a special mission) speaking a message from God to an impenitent people. His message was often indicative (Webster’s second definition of this wordpointing out, giving intimation or knowledge), sometimes predictive, but always productive (for God’s Word does not return unto Him void.)
THE MESSAGE
I.
The Context of the Message
The prophet always declared that his message was not his own but came from God. Young in My Servants the Prophets uses up four pages simply listing the declarations of Isaiah, Thus saith the Lord, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, etc. These men were convinced that the message they preached came from God. In fact, they were not always happy in their ministry nor with the responsibility to preach but were faithful to its delivery nonetheless (Cf. Jeremiah 15:16 ff; Jeremiah 20:7 ff; Ezekiel 3:3).
This message frequently contained predictions concerning future events, but the main burden of the message dealt with present evils and a call for immediate repentance. Harper’s Dictionary6 summed up the tension between today and tomorrow by noting, Though prophecy was primarily concerned with current situations, the prophets realized that tomorrow is inherent in today.
This gave rise to double-prophecya message which had relevance for those of that day as well as also foreshadowing a far distant event such as the return of Christ from Egypt.
II.
The Content of the Message
What, then, did these men preach? In terms of today they presented doctrine and duty. The doctrine had to do first of all and most of all with God. On the basis of what they believed about God, the prophets also dealt largely and boldly with ethics.7 The prophets came with a message but it was not a new message primarily for as Martin Buber notes,
Generally speaking, it is not a new teaching they advance, but they fashion its form to fit the changing historical situations and have different demands, and they perfect a teaching they have received but where is the beginning of this teaching?8
They always point back to the Mosaic law or the Abrahamic covenant as a basis for their preaching. God’s people have a special relationship to God and thus have certain obligations to Him and the world. When this call to repentance failed, they reached judgment, destruction, and hope. Halley summarizes the mission and message of the prophets under five heads: (1) To try to save the nation from idolatry and wickedness: (2) With little response, to announce impending destruction; (3) But to give hope in that a remnant will be saved; (4) From this remnant will come an influence that will change the world; (5) That Influence will be none other than the Son of David, Jesus.9
III.
The Style of The Message
The prophets employed the noblest characteristics of the Hebrew people (at least in the writing prophets) as they used the poetical forms of that day with its balanced statement, parallelisms, etc. This structure added a structural force to the meaning of their words. A message delivered in a striking and memorable way has greater impact than the same message sloppily given.
They used many types and symbols.
They found that dramatic approaches made the message more urgent.
IV.
The Audience
Primarily, the prophets preached to all people as exemplified by Amos in the marketplace.
Sometimes the message was directed to the king or higher authorities (Nathan, Jonah.)
It was not restricted to Jewish audiences but also extended to foreign peoples (Cf. Amos, Jonah, Obadiah).
The prophets made use of every circumstance be it a home (2 Kings 5:9), a wayside (1 Kings 20:38), in the court (2 Samuel 24:11), or in the temple (Amos 7:10 ff).10
THE MEDIUM
… To the prophet
The message came to the prophet in a variety of ways. Sometimes it came in a dream as with Joseph (Genesis 37). But the prophet knew that it was the voice of God and not just a bit of undigested mutton.
The message might come in a vision or a series of visions such as those Ezekiel received. The prophet understood these scenes as containing a revelation from God and was able to interpret these to the people.
The message seems to come directly to the prophet in most instances. The means are not described, but the prophet is sure that the message came from Jehovah (2 Peter 1:21). I found this comment from the Zondervan Pictorial Dictionary quite interesting:
The Biblical prophet must be distinguished from the, prohetes of Greeks. The latter really acted as an interpreter for the muses and the oracles. The prophets, however, were not interpreters. They uttered the actual words which God had given to them, without any modification or interpretation upon their part. The Bible itself gives an accurate description of the function of the true prophet, … and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him (Deuteronomy 18:18 b). The words are placed in the prophet’s mouth by God, i.e., they are revealed to the prophet, and then the prophet speaks unto the nation precisely what God has commanded him.11
… From the Prophet
The prophet received the message from God; he delivered this same message to the people.
The basic medium used was that of words, those verbal symbols of spirit meanings. Thus, the prophet was very concerned about delivering the exact word(s) of the Lord. (Remember Young’s emphasis upon the frequency of the thus saith the Lord in the prophets.) Rowley had a thought-provoking comment when he wrote, We should not forget that every prophetic word was believed to have a vitality within itself to work for its own fulfillment. (Cf. Isaiah 45:23; Isaiah 55:10 f) The prophet’s word was not merely a forecast of the future. It was a living force which helped to mould the future.12 (Remember the early chapter of Genesis when God spoke and the worlds were created,)
But the prophet also spoke by symbolic action. Isaiah would walk naked and barefooted (Isaiah 20:3) as an object lesson to Israel; Jeremiah would bind a wooden yoke to his neck (Jeremiah 27:2) so that he could preach forecoming bondage for these hard-hearted people without saying a word; Hosea took a wife of whoredom to illustrate the love of God. Of course, the action in itself would not proclaim the messageit amplified the verbal one which preceded or attended it.
Some of the prophets put these messages into written form (Cf. Jeremiah and King Zedekiah); thus, they are able to speak to us today through these written forms.
We might even say that God spoke through the personality of the prophet himself (Hosea is a good example as he personifies the love of God as he lives his love for Gomer.)
Oftentimes the personality of the prophet even recedes completely into the background, and the speaker appears to be God Himself. Almost naturally, for example, one reads words such as I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins; return unto me; for I have redeemed thee (Isaiah 44:22). The usage of the personal pronoun in the first person clearly refers to God Himself. Nor is such a phenomenon unusual. It appears throughout the prophecy, and is interwoven naturally with the utterances which the prophet speaks forth as having been given to him by God.13
The godly patience of Jeremiah incarnates the patience of God as did no other until Jesus came. Noble men and great preachers who lived their messagethese were the prophets. Hebrews 11 well describes their faith, courage, and devotion concluding with this poignant statement, of whom the world was not worthy. A nobler group of men have not appearedbut the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than the greatest of all these. Praise God for a Christ Who can make the most insignificant Christian of greater import than the greatest of these great men. Greater than Jeremiahby what grace has He wrought it?
FOOTNOTES
Much of the foregoing was taken from Class Notes given by George M. Elliott at Cincinnati Bible Seminary, Cincinnati, O.
Clovis Chappell, And the Prophets, pp. 10-15. Abingdon Press, N.Y. 1946.
Kyle M. Yates, Preaching From the Prophets, pp 3, 4. Broadman Press, Nashville, Tenn. 1942.
Brant Lee Doty, Standard Bible Teacher and Leader, July, 1958. Standard Publishing, Cincinnati, Ohio.
David Freedman and James Smart, God Has Spoken, pp. 151, 152. Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pa. 1949.
Quoted by Jerry Phillips, Elements of the Prophetic Call, Christian Standard, August 10, 1968.
Andrew W. Blackwood, Preaching From Prophetic Books, pp. 16, 17. Abingdon-Cokesbury, N.Y. 1951.
Phillips, Ibid.
Homer Halley, The Pocket Bible Handbook, p. 251. Homer Halley, Chicago, Illinois, 1951.
H. H. Rowley, Prophecy and Religion In Ancient China and Israel, Chapter 1. Harper & Brothers, N.Y., 1956.
Merrill Tenney, ed., Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, Prophet.
Rowley, Op. Cit., p. 13.
Edward Young, My Servants the Prophets, p. 175. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1965.
Isaiah 3:1-15
CHAPTER THREE
THE VENGEANCE UPON DECADENCE Isaiah 3:1 to Isaiah 4:1
a. THE WEALTHY
TEXT: Isaiah 3:1-15
1
For, behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah stay and 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 diviner, and the elder;
3
the captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counsellor, and the expert artificer, and the skillful enchanter.
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 neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable.
6
When a man shall take hold of his brother in 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 lift up his voice, saying, I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: ye shall not make me ruler of the people.
8
For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen; because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
9
The show 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 done evil unto themselves.
10
Say ye of 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 what his hands have done shall be done unto him.
12
As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they that lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
13
Jehovah standeth up to contend, and standeth to judge the peoples.
14
Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and the princes thereof; It is ye that have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses:
15
what mean ye that ye crush my people, and grind the face of the poor? saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.
QUERIES
a.
What is the meaning of babes ruling over them?
b.
Why did they not hide their sin?
c.
How were children their oppressors?
PARAPHRASE
The Lord of Hosts is about to cut off Jerusalem’s and Judah’s food and water supplies; He is about to kill her leaders; He will destroy her armies, judges, prophets, elders, army officers, businessmen, lawyers, expert craftsmen and magicians. Israel’s kings will be immature boys and they will rule like capricious children. And the worst sort of anarchy will prevaileveryone stepping on someone else, neighbors fighting neighbors, youths revolting against authority, criminals sneering at honorable men. The days will be characterized by such widespread poverty, ruin and destitution, that when men find one of their brethren who seems to be prosperous they will try to force him to be their king, saying, you have extra clothing, so you be our king and take care of this mess we are all in. He will reply, Absolutely not! I do not want any part of leadership in such a state of affairs as these. Judah’s civil government will be in utter ruin because its people have spoken against all that God stands for and have acted in the same way. They have refused to worship Him; they have exhibited their brazen rebellion before the eyes of His glorious presence. The evil thoughts of their heart they brazenly manifest in their facial expressions. And they boast about their sins being as bad as those of Sodomthey show no shame about it at all. How utterly horrible! They have sealed their own doom! Still, all will be well for the godly man. Tell him that he will be rewarded with goodness because he has done goodness. But say to the wicked, Your doom is certain! You too shall be rewarded according to what you have doneevil! O My people! Can you not see what fools your rulers are? They are as weak and vacillating as women. They are as foolish and capricious as little children, playing at being king. True leaders? No, misleaders! They are leading you down the path of evil unto destruction. Look! The Lord is standing upHe is preparing to act as Prosecutor and Judgeto convict and sentence. First to feel the wrath of his judgment will be the elders and the princes, for they have defrauded the poor. They have grown prosperous with the properties they have extorted from the helpless poor. They have literally consumed the poor. How dare you grind My people by your greedy oppression into nothingness. You press them and squeeze them until there is nothing left of them. This is the accusation of the Lord God of Hosts!
COMMENTS
Isaiah 3:1-4 RUINED GOVERNMENT. Every necessity will be taken away from Jerusalem and Judah. Every stay and staff. Bread and water are essential for physical life, but they would disappear when God stepped forth to judge the land for its sins. Civil and cultural stay and staff (perhaps even more necessary than bread and water) would also be taken away. Every form of authority would disappear:
a.
mighty manhero; man of valor already tested in battle
b.
man of warcommon soldier; lower in rank than mighty man
c.
judgecivil officer who arbitrated civil cases
d.
prophetone who delivered God’s revelation to the people (with the prophet gone would come a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Cf. Amos 8:11)
e.
divinernot a legitimate support, but one depended upon, nevertheless, by the people. The entire present order of things, the Judean way of life was to be changed radically.
f.
captain of fiftydesignates a particular officer (Cf. 2 Kings 1:9; Exodus 18:25; 1 Samuel 8:12).
g.
honorable menfavored personsthose who had the favor of the king, probably occupied positions of responsibility
h.
counsellorone who served the public in counseling
i.
expert artificerone who is wise or skillful with respect to arts (Cf. 2 Kings 24:14 ff; Jeremiah 24:1; Jeremiah 29:2).
j.
skillful enchanterone who whispered or muttered magical formulas; not a legitimate office
In the place of experienced and sagacious adult authorities, God would cause children and babes (literally: puerilities) to rule over them. Incompetent, inexperienced, childish, brat-like rulers would be substituted for Jerusalem and Judah. A whole line of youthful kings followed Hezekiah. After him, only one was 25 years of age (the legal age of a Jew was 30):
Jehoahaz
- 23 yrs. old; 2 Kings 23:31
Amon
- 22 yrs. old; 2 Kings 21:19
Zedekaih
- 21 yrs. old; 2 Kings 24:18
Jehoiachim
- 18 yrs. old; 2 Kings 24:8
Mannasseh
- 12 yrs. old; 2 Kings 21:1
Josiah
- 8 yrs. old; 2 Kings 22:1
It is the hotheadedness, the over-confidence, and the recklessness of youth that is stressed here. The lack of maturity in judgment and decision would be the ruin of the nation. As an Arabian writer said, A blow in the face by an axe is easier to take than the rule of a boy. Young writes: When respect for age goes, moral anarchy is at hand. Respect for old age had been coupled in the law with the fear of God (Leviticus 19:32). When all authority passes, respect for age also passes. One evidence of the degeneration of a government and people is seen in the manner in which the aged are treated. The N.T. clearly teaches Christians to respect the authority of age (especially of those appointed elders and overseers of the Lord’s church) (Cf. 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 1 Timothy 5:1-24; 2 Timothy 3:2; Titus 3:1 ff; Hebrews 13:7; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:20, etc.). The childish vexation of Ahab, king of Israel, because he could not have Naboth’s vineyard, (Cf. 1 Kings 21:1 ff) is a pointed example of what type of rulers would soon come to Judah because of their sin, (Cf. Ecclesiastes 10:5-7; Ecclesiastes 10:16-17).
Isaiah 3:5-7 RESULTING CHAOS. Social chaos is inevitable. Oppression by one another (everyman did that which was right in his own eyes, for there was no king in Israel [Judges 17:6, etc.]), is the certain result of such moral anarchy. The spirit of Rehoboam (rebellion) would take precedence over the spirit of Solomon (wise judgment) and the result would be rashness, recklessness and failure. Those who should occupy a place of subserviency arrogate to themselves places of power. Men will seek to appoint rulers on the mere basis of possessing a few garments. The extremely critical condition of Judah appears in this prophecy. Anyone who possesses extra clothing will be accosted and forced to try to rescue the nation from civil economic and international ruin. The one accosted will vehemently refuse the pressure. In the first place he does not consider himself to possess the means necessary to alleviate the existing conditions; and in the second place he considers the circumstances impossiblethe ruined nation beyond all helpand he does not want the responsibility. He refuses to be a healer because Judah is beyond being healed. It is indeed tragic, in nation or church, that conditions can become so calamitous that a righteous man will refuse to undertake the responsibilities of leadership !
Isaiah 3:8-12 THE REASONTHE PEOPLE. In word and in deed-speaking and acting in rebellion against the Lord. It is not out of ignorance they have sinned! It is deliberate sin. They have done it knowing full well the eyes of the Lord of Glory are upon ittheir brazenness is like that of Sodom. They boast of their sin (Cf. Jude 1:8-16; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; Romans 1:32).
By such blatant disregard of the moral and spiritual government of God, they have earned for themselves the consequences of moral and spiritual anarchy. They have cut off their noses to spite their faces. They have done evil to themselves! If man and his universe is to be governed by any moral principles of right and wrong at all, then wrong must be punished. Anyone who deliberately does wrong deserves punishment, he deserves the fruit of his doings.
But God is not unjust or unmerciful to forget the intentions and deeds of the righteous. God is fair! God is merciful! If a man is righteous of heart (wanting to do right) and righteous of deed (doing rightthough sometimes sinning ignorantly), God will reward that man with the fruit of his doings, (Cf. Matthew 25:31-46). God’s judgment is not indiscriminateHe judges omnisciently as well as omnipotently.
Those who were supposed to lead the people were oppressing them and leading them into abject slavery, morally and politically. Their rulers were capricious as children and vacillating as women. They lacked the stability that grown men naturally had.
Isaiah 3:13-15 RESPONSE OF JEHOVAH. It is not merely with foreign nations they shall have to contendAlmighty God, the Lord of Hosts, arises to contend with this people. The great sin of the time was oppression of the poor by the rich. God is represented as the advocate and helper for the cause of the downtrodden. He enters into judgment with the leaders and elders of Judah and accuses them of having oppressed and defrauded His people (Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, accuses the rich of skinning the poor alive!). Such sin exemplifies precisely the injustice, greed, and irresponsibility of the rich and ruling and is a perfect example of the cruelty which God hates. The rich and ruling had devoured for themselves what did not belong to themGod’s own people (vineyard). When the prophets came to warn them to leave the harvest of God’s vineyard to Him, they killed the prophets. And when the Heir (the Son) came, they killed him (Cf. Luke 20:9-18). How brazen could they behow did they dare to mistreat the precious heritage of the Almighty God?
QUIZ
Why mention the taking away of bread and water only?
What is a mighty man and an expert artificer?
What is meant by saying that children and babes would rule Judah?
Why seek a man with clothing to be ruler?
Why would such a man refuse to rule?
Why mention the righteous here?
Did women actually rule over the nation of Judah at this time? What does Isaiah 3:12 mean?
Isaiah 3:16-26
b. THE WOMEN
TEXT: Isaiah 3:16 to Isaiah 4:1
16
Moreover Jehovah said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as 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 Jehovah will lay bare their secret parts.
18
In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets and the cauls, and the crescents;
19
the pendants, and the bracelets, and the mufflers;
20
the headtires, and the ankle chains, and the sashes, and the perfume boxes, and the amulets;
21
the rings, and the nose jewels;
22
the festival robes, and the mantles, and the shawls, and the satchels;
23
the hand-mirrors, and the fine linen, and the turbans, and the veils.
24
And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet spices there shall be rottenness; and instead of a girdle, a rope; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a robe, a girding of sackcloth; branding 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 she shall be desolate and sit upon the ground.
And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach.
QUERIES
a.
What are mincing steps?
b.
Why was God displeased with the finery of the women?
c.
Why would seven women plead with one man to become his wife?
PARAPHRASE
In addition to the foregoing judgments, Jehovah will judge the haughty women of Judah who walk along with their noses in the air, looking suggestively and seductively at men with their eyes; mincing and affecting their steps so that the tinkling bracelets on their ankles will direct attention to them. Because of their unashamed haughtiness, the Lord will strike them with repugnant scabs and wounds to ornament their heads, and those who delight in immodest exposure the Lord will permit to be immodestly exposed at the hands of vile men. No longer shall they call attention to themselves by tinkling as they walk. For the Lord will strip away their facade of beauty when He takes away their anklets, amulets, crescents, pendants, bracelets, veils, headdresses, armbands, sashes, perfume boxes, charms, rings and nose jewels, holiday dresses, overtunics, cloaks, ornate purses and combs, mirrors, lovely lingerie, beautiful dresses and veils. Instead of smelling of perfume, they shall stink; for sashes they shall wear ropes like prisoners and slaves; their well-kept hair will begin to fall out; they will wear sackcloth instead of robes. Their beauty will be marred with the branding iron of their captors. Their husbands shall die in battle; the women alone and helpless, shall mourn. The city herself shall be desolate and alone and have nothing left to do but sit and mourn. At that time so few men will be left alive that seven women, all fearing childlessness, will all fight over one man and say, Let us all become your wives! We will furnish our own food and clothing-only give us a name and children.
COMMENTS
Isaiah 3:16 THE REASON: Wantonness (i.e., undisciplined; unruly; unchaste; lewd; licentious; extravagant; arrogant recklessness) of the women. The daughters of Zion means the women of the covenant nation. The women were haughty and proud and concerned with luxurious adornment of themselves in order to bring attention to themselves. This is immodesty! They copied every fad and fashion of their heathen neighbors. Outstretched necks probably means walking with the nose in the air. Mincing steps means to walk with short little steps so as to affect primness or daintiness. It was all exaggeration in order to draw attention to themselves. Fabulous amounts of money were spent on adornment. Many hours of each day were wasted by these women primping and beautifying themselves. When women are wholly vain and self-centered, the cancer of moral decay has begun to consume a nation or a people. Proper adornment and true beauty in women should never call attention to themselves but should direct the beholder’s attention to God and His Son. When women cultivate beauty only for itself, they are infringing upon and detracting from the glory of God. Such vainglory might be expected in women of the world, but the daughters of Zion (which today is the church) must exemplify the beauty of holiness!
Is Isaiah, or the Bible, against all feminine or masculine adornment? Hardly! It is the misuse of adornment against which the Bible speaks. In fact, God has made certain parts of the human body to be alluring and attractive. The Song of Solomon gives a great deal of detail about both natural beauty of the human body and the adornment of it. But the Song does not indicate such beauty and adornment should be used for prideful purposes, rather for God-ordained purposes of love. When one pauses to consider the disparity between the billions of dollars spent each year by American females (and males) on vain and selfish cosmetics and clothing and the few dollars given each year to the work of the Gospel which transforms men and women into the beauty of holiness, one wonders what God must think!
Isaiah 3:17-24 THE JUDGMENT: They will reap what they sow. Those who delight in immodest exposure will be rewarded with immodest exposure at the hands of vile men. Why are those women who delight in overtly attracting men by their immodesty always so shocked and offended when immodest and vulgar men demonstrate their attractions?! Laying bare their secret parts probably means they will be raped by pagan soldiers. Their indulgences will inevitably result in physical afflictions and loss of real beauty. There will be a loss of their luxury when their pagan neighbors, attracted by their exaggerated showiness, will plunder their jewels and finery.
a.
anklets: ornamental chains with bangles attached which made a tinkling sound when they minced along.
b.
cauls: front-bands, head-bands, amulets
c.
crescents: some sort of metallic jewelry in the shape of moons
d.
pendants: like small pearl earring, or tear-drop shaped earrings.
e.
bracelets: decorated bands to fit about the arms (or necks)
f.
mufflers: or veils, to muffle the face
g.
headtires: diadems, or circlets of gold or silver
h.
ankle chains: may have been chains designed to force short steps
i.
sashes: wide, gaudy, expensive bands of cloth around the waist
j.
perfume boxes: probably like the alabaster boxes of Luk 7:37 etc.
k.
amulets: charms, probably inscribed with incantations,
l.
rings: finger rings with jewels, etc.
m.
nose jewels: nose rings, (Cf. Esther 3:12; Genesis 41:42; Genesis 24:22; Genesis 24:47).
n.
festival robes: festal robes, state gowns, holiday dresses
o.
mantles: overtunics
p.
shawls: cloaks
q.
satchels: purses
r.
hand-mirrors: small metallic mirrors, highly polished metal
s.
fine linen: lingerie, undergarments of expensive cloth
t.
turbans: head wrappings, head garments
u.
veils: same as mufflers
Isaiah predicts that all this finery will be replaced with ugliness because of their selfish, haughty, unbelieving perversion of it all. Instead of rich sashes, they will wear the ropes of captivity and slavery around their waists; instead of intricately coiffed hair-dos, their hair will either fall out or be cut off by their enemies; instead of rich garments, they will be wearing the sackcloth of mourning; instead of beauty marks, they will wear the ugly scars of the branding-irons, (it was a practice of pagan armies in that day to brand or disfigure slavesespecially by castrating men and using branding-irons on womento forever mark them as slaves).
v. Isaiah 3:25 to Isaiah 4:1 FINAL DEGRADATION: With the moral decay Of womanhood comes the weakening of all the fibres of the nationincluding its men. When its male leaders become morally weak the nation becomes filled with rebellion, anarchy and conflict. War is a consequence. The male population will be destroyed in war (Cf. Lamentations 2:21). A great disproportion between the sexes will appear. Instead of the God-intended ratio of one woman for one man, there will be seven or more women for every male.
The great curse of the Hebrew female was to be unmarried and childless. (Cf. Sarah and Abraham, Hannah, etc.). It was the fear of a lack of seed that had led the daughters of Lot to act in the shameful manner described in Genesis 19:32 ff. Women to whom Isaiah preached would some day no longer live as normal womenthey would have no offspring since their husbands would be slain in the wars. For this reason they would abandon their natural modesty and take the initiative in a bold and shameful way, openly asking a man to marry them. Thus the order instituted in Eden is reversed. No longer is man the head of the wife. He does not seek her, but she him.
And so, womanhood, always the last stronghold of a people’s morality, strength of character, and hope for the future, crumbles and falls into decadent disarray. With it goes the whole nation. God-fearing women have always been the handmaidens of the Lord (Moses-’ mother; Samuel’s mother; women judges; Ruth; Esther; John the Baptist’s mother; Jesus-’ mother, etc.). Godfearing women have wrought salvation of whole nations through their faith. But when women go bad, their degradation can cause such an upheavel in society that the very foundations of that society are destroyed.
QUIZ
Why did the prophet condemn the women for adorning themselves?
What is mincing?
What is the meaning of laying bare their secret parts? -4. Is adornment categorically condemned by all the Bible?
Why mention branding?
Why were seven women concerned to marry one man?
How important is God-fearing womanhood to any nation?