Isaiah 3:1-5, 8-12, 14-16, 18, 24, 26; 4:1 - Fruit of The Righteous

Isaiah 3:1-5, 8-12, 14-16, 18, 24, 26; 4:1 NIV

See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water, the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter. “I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them.” People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored.

Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves. Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done.

Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path. The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: “It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

The Lord says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, strutting along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces... Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding. The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground. In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace."

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Isaiah chapter 4 is a typical representation of most of the material in the Old Testament prophetic writings. Its tone is one of condemnation and confrontation. Material like this is the reason why the prophets are my least favorite of biblical writings.

My basic understanding of the prophets can be summed up this way.

God is angry and is coming to punish sins as deserved!

Here is the nature of your sin!

But there's hope. Stop sinning and return to faithfulness and the Lord may relent. God has good planned after his chastisement.

Confrontation and consolation, those are two basic tools of the prophet. In Isaiah 3 the prophet confronts Judah, and Jerusalem, its capitol city, by announcing that God will take away all the men of leadership, means, and skill, leaving the country destitute. There will be no one left to lead the people but children and women.

To my 21st century eyes, this seems chauvinistic and prejudiced. We know women and children are capable of stepping up and providing leadership. Even the Old Testament proves this point. Deborah was raised up by God Himself to lead the people during a crisis in the book of Judges. Esther was raised up by God to deliver the people from genocide during the Persian rule. David was a mere youth when he slew the giant Goliath. The point of this passage is not meant to put down women and children. Instead it means to communicate that there will be no men qualified to lead. The only ones left have no experience at doing so.

Where are these men going? They are going off into exile, to war and to their deaths, and to enslavement for the survivors. God has had enough of their rebellion. They live in fine houses and lack no good thing, while the poor of the land suffer with no one to help them. Their women live a life of leisure and spend the days shopping, dressed to the hilt, as they walk about seductively flirting with men who are not their husbands. It is for sins like this that the leading men of Judah, and their women, will fall.

But what of those who remain faithful in the midst of a sinful nation? God has a hopeful word for them.

Isaiah 3:10 NIV

Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.

What is the fruit of righteous deeds? Righteousness is obedience in heart and life to the law of Moses. When one keeps the law and observes all religious ordinances, they will enjoy the blessings of peace, plenty, security and health. Their hearts will rejoice and they will enjoy long life with their families and all who remain faithful to the Lord.

The New Testament speaks of a different kind of righteousness. It is the righteousness of Jesus Christ given to believers. Therefore believers in Christ do not live by their own righteousness, but live by a divine righteousness which is empowering them from within through the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is recorded in Paul's letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Faithfulness to pursuing the fullness of Christ within our selves yields such fruit, which has a reward of its own.

The book of Job reveals that sometimes faithful living does not always yield the rewards promised. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. More to the point, bad things happen sometimes to righteous and faithful people, since no one compared to God is truly good. But even in the midst of suffering we are called to faithfulness. And by perseverance in faithfulness we shall overcome and inherit a reward.

James 1:12 NIV

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Sinful societies rot from within. History teaches this over and over. Why do great empires fall? Because they grow to a place of great wealth. The capitol is well funded while the rest of the people scrape to get by. The soft center of the government, no longer concerned with defense and provision, slides into self seeking pleasures and forgets the needs of the people. This is a simplistic interpretation, but I think it holds up to what some scholars have witnessed. Eventually the country implodes through revolution or is conquered by a foreign power seeking more assets.

Judah fell to the Babylonians. At first they became a vassal state passing heavy taxes on to Babylon. There were three major deportations of leading men and their families from Judah, leaving Judah destitute of their knowledge base and skilled resources. On the third deportation Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed.

And what of the righteous? Some survived and, in exile, led Israel to reform, creating the religious life that nurtured Jesus of Nazareth, the Savior of the world. We have all benefited from the fruit of the righteous!

So remain faithful to Christ in all circumstances, whether in plenty or in want, whether in war or in peace, whether in times of suffering or times of great joy. Your reward will be great in heaven and within your heart.