Isaiah Chapter 3
Isaiah chapters 1 and 2 talks about the sins of the people of Judah and how God detested their sacrifices (Isa 1:1-15). However, they are offered a way of redemption by turning away from their evil practices (Isa 1:16-18). What did they do wrong? They were influenced by other countries and worshipped foreign gods (Isa 2:6), disobeyed God’s laws and oppressed the disadvantaged (Isa 1:21-23).
Isaiah 3 continues and describes the punishment that would come upon Judah. What can we learn from this chapter? I think there are three things we can learn from this chapter.
Firstly, God is just, and will reward us according to our deeds.
““Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.”
Isaiah 3:10-11 NKJV
God sees all our deeds. He rewards the righteous and punishes the evil. As Paul says in Galatians,
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Galatians 6:7-9 NKJV
Like the people of Judah, let us not be complacent because of our status as people of God. It is often a misconception that just because we have been baptized and have received the Holy Spirit then our salvation is secured. The key is in fact, walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16). If we lead our lives as nominal Christians but have not put away our sinful ways, do we really think we can be saved?
Secondly, we must humble ourselves before our God.
“For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah The stock and the store, The whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water; The mighty man and the man of war, The judge and the prophet, And the diviner and the elder; The captain of fifty and the honorable man, The counselor and the skillful artisan, And the expert enchanter.”
Isaiah 3:1-3 NKJV
“In that day the Lord will take away the finery: The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents; The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; The perfume boxes, the charms, and the rings; The nose jewels, the festal apparel, and the mantles; The outer garments, the purses, and the mirrors; The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.”
Isaiah 3:18-23 NKJV
Just as Job said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away” (Job 1:21).
All that we have comes from God and likewise, God can take everything away from us. Therefore, let us not be haughty like the daughters of Zion (v16). We are mere man, God is our Creator and our Providence. Let us be humble and fear God.
Lastly, our God is a gracious God. While the first few chapters of Isaiah have been rather gloomy, speaking of the punishment that will come upon the people of Judah, in the grand scheme of things, we see how God has been patiently waiting for His children to turn back. Time and time again, He sent prophets to remind the people to turn back from evil.
As Psalm 103:8 says,
“the LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in mercy”
His warnings to us are out of His grace and mercy, in the hope that we will be led to repentance. If we stumble, He can sympathise with our weaknesses (Heb 4:15) and forgives us if we are repentant. He gives strength to us through the Holy Spirit to overcome our weaknesses.
Today, the Lord reminds us to repent of our ways through the Bible, brethren and sermon speakers. That is His mercy to us. Have we heeded these warnings? Or have we been taking the grace and the silence of our God for granted? Havve we fixed on God’s grace and how He will forgive us that we have forgotten about how God hates evil and is just?
Our God is exceedingly gracious, but also just. He can reward us according to our deeds, but can punish us severely if He wants. As mere men, let us humble ourselves before Him and submit to His will for us.
