In the third chapter of the Old Testament book of Isaiah, we read a number of things which I dare say will never be adequately expressed in Veggie Tales, flannelgraphs, or Illustrated Children’s Bibles.
For one, the Lord God says he is taking away support and supply from Jerusalem and Judah because they have embraced and flaunted their sin, “defying his glorious presence.”
Included in the list of things which will no longer be stocked are the following:
- bread
- water
- the mighty man
- the soldier
- the judge
- the prophet
- the diviner
- the elder
- the captain of fifty
- the man of rank
- the counselor
- the skillful magician
- the expert in charms
What the people will get instead is a lot of chaos, confusion, and oppression.
“My people—infants are their oppressors,
and women rule over them.
O my people, your guides mislead you
and they have swallowed up the course of your paths.”
Married With Children
Among the many strands we could pull on from this chapter, I am fascinated by infants oppressing the people being a sign and symptom of judgment.
To be oppressed by infants is indicative of spiritual and moral decay, and a loss of the strength of character and qualities which are required to be a good parent. Seeing children as a blessing is a byproduct of the opposite condition.
Furthermore, to say that women rule over a people is also revealing. The men have here have clearly grown weak and feckless. They no longer lead their families and homes, much less their communities and nation.
God’s Word tells us that marriage and children are blessings. And we can take comfort in the tenth verse of this third chapter of Isaiah where we are promised, “Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.”
In days like these, when America is so ripe for judgment – and moreover, when one could argue with merit that we are seeing evidence of already being under judgment – we do well to acquaint ourselves with passages like Isaiah 3. And we would be wise to ponder anew the implications of righteousness for the individual, family, community, city, state, and nation.
By God’s grace, may we be found faithful in that day. And may it be well with us to the end of eating the fruit of our deeds, in these and all other areas.
—
This episode is sponsored by
· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
—
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/message
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/support
2 Comments