isaiah 3-4

Read Isaiah 3-4 at Bible Gateway.

Judah and Jerusalem rebelled against the LORD without repentance, and these opening chapters of Isaiah contain his prophecies of the judgment which they can expect to come. At the time Isaiah delivered these prophecies, Jerusalem was a beautiful, cosmopolitan, prosperous city; well- situated and fortified against attack on the top of a mountainous ridge.

The rich and the leaders have prospered by oppressing the poor. Their women are dressed in the finest fabrics adorned with every kind of jewelry. Food, merchants, workmen, and artisans in every kind of work are readily available. It reminds me of 21st century America.

What will come upon the city:
Famine of food and water (vs. 3:1);
Famine of warriors, judges, diviners and enchanters in occult arts (vs. 3:2);
Famine of statesmen and elders as rulers, therefore women and children will rule (vs. 3:4, 12);
Famine of kindness, courtesy, and respect (vs. 3:5);
Famine of men as they have perished in the war (vs. 4:1);
Ruin and poverty (vs. 3:6-7);
Captivity (vs. 3:24-26).

It is obvious to us that a famine of food, or ruin and poverty, is a judgment on a people. However, a lack of elders with wisdom to rule is also a judgment on a people. A glut of women and young men wanting to rule, is a judgment on a people. A lack of kindness, courtesy, and respect in society is a judgment on a people! Do we realize that 21st century America is already experiencing judgments? May we repent before anything worse comes upon us!

The evil that is coming on Jerusalem and Judah is evil they have chosen to bring on themselves, because their words and their actions are against the LORD. How? They proudly proclaim their sins, and boast in them (Isa 3:8-9)! That they proudly declare their sin as Sodom might mean it is the sins of  Sodom that they are boasting of. Again how like the 21st century!

But in the midst of this judgment, God promises hope: just as the wicked have brought evil upon themselves, the righteous will bring good upon themselves, because both will alike will reap what they have sown (Isa 3:10-11). And after the judgment has done its work, of purging the land of the oppressor, proud, and wicked, those that remain will be holy.

Even when He is punishing His children severely, God never leaves us without hope. The promise of the Messiah is given in Isa 4:2; He is the Branch of the LORD who is beautiful and glorious (Jer 23:5). Because of His beauty and glory, the remnant of Israel has in store for her pleasant fruit. Because of His ministry, every dwelling and every assembly will be covered by the glory and presence of the LORD, as He covered Israel in the wilderness in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Isa 4:5). And because of the beautiful and glorious Branch, Messiah Yeshua, He will be a tabernacle, a dwelling place together, of shade, refuge and shelter, for the holy remnant which is left (Isa 4:6)!