December 8, 20187: Day 7 – Isaiah 3

I remember in seminary I took a class and we had to translate in Hebrew Isaiah chapters 1-11.  It was a chore, but I remember specifically chapter 3 because of the many vocabulary words that I had to look up in order to finish the translation.  In so much of the Old Testament Hebrew you find words that are repeated and used over and over again.   Well, in chapter 3 you find a whole new world of words that aren’t used anywhere else in Scripture.  It is a very descriptive chapter that lets us know that God is taking away support from Judah because Israel betrayed God.  

It is in essence a chapter which speaks about the judgment of the Lord on those who do not follow His ways.  It is also very specifically addressed to a nation state.  We do not live in a theocracy, thank God, no really, thank God, but I do often hear people talk about how God has blessed the US in a very unique way.  I’m guessing the reason why people say that is because of the prosperity and the peace that we have enjoyed for so many years now.  But keep in mind how we have said that prosperity is not a direct sign of obedience or blessing.

But this chapter speaks about how God is going to remove from the nation: support and staff, warrior, soldier, judge, prophet, diviner, elder, captain, and counselors.  Instead children will rule the nation, which assumes a maturity that would be wanting.  Everyone will be oppressed by each other and by all of their neighbors.  The young will be totally disrespectful to their elders.  As you follow along I hope you understand the type of society that it is depicting.  One in which none of us would ever want to live. 

But part of this is also the expectation that some day things will get better, and that getting better can only happen when the Messiah comes.  As I said in an earlier blog post: Maranatha!