For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Isaiah 3:1-7

1 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,
2     the hero and the warrior,
the judge and the prophet,
    the diviner and the elder,
3 the captain of fifty and the man of rank,
    the counsellor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.

4 ‘I will make mere youths their officials;
    children will rule over them.’

5 People will oppress each other –
    man against man, neighbour against neighbour.
The young will rise up against the old,
    the nobody against the honoured.

6 A man will seize one of his brothers
    in his father’s house, and say,
‘You have a cloak, you be our leader;
    take charge of this heap of ruins!’
7 But in that day he will cry out,
    ‘I have no remedy.
I have no food or clothing in my house;
    do not make me the leader of the people.’

A. Find Out:

1. What was the Lord first going to take? v.1
2. Then who was He going to take? v.2,3
3. What would then have to happen? v.4
4. What would be the consequence for society? v.5
5. On what grounds would people choose leaders? v.6
6. But what would be the response? v.7

B. Think:

1. What will be the material state of the city and the land?
2. What will become the social state of the city and the land?
3. Why?

C. Comment:

We now move on to the detail of what the Lord intends to do to Jerusalem and Judah: He will move on the land and remove resources. First of all, it will be natural resources, food and water, that will be limited. The means of this is not stated, just the fact of it!

The second resource to be removed will be anyone in any form of leadership. Those in leadership have greater responsibility for the state of the nation and so they will be the ones taken first. Again, how they will be taken is not specified, just the fact that they will be taken!

The effect upon society is given, adding to the awfulness of what is coming, and is detailed in three ways:

First of all, the young and immature will be pushed forward to take the place of those taken.

Second, they will not be up to the job and every person will be out for themselves, exploiting whoever they can.

Third, in desperation, people will grab at whoever looks the least impoverished and demand that they take charge and do something about it. However, such people will understand the futility of the task and their own inability to handle it and will refuse to take on the role of leader. The state of society will be very desperate with all leadership gone and mob rule prevailing. This is an awful picture of the state after God has judged them.

D. Application:

1. Leaders have particular responsibility for society.
2. Remove the restraint of authority and anarchy follows.

Passage: Isaiah 3:8-15

8 Jerusalem staggers,
    Judah is falling;
their words and deeds are against the Lord,
    defying his glorious presence.
9 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.

10 Tell the righteous it will be well with them,
    for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.
11 Woe to the wicked!
    Disaster is upon them!
They will be paid back
    for what their hands have done.

12 Youths oppress my people,
    women rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you astray;
    they turn you from the path.

13 The Lord takes his place in court;
    he rises to judge the people.
14 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.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people
    and grinding the faces of the poor?’
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

A. Find Out:    

1. What is the state of nation and city? v.8
2. What have they done and what will happen? v.9
3. Yet what will happen to the righteous? v.10
4. What will happen to the wicked and why? v.11
5. Who do what to whom? v.12
6. What will the Lord do to whom and why? v.13-15

B. Think:

1. What wrong things are happening in this society?
2. So what is starting to happen, from the Lord?
3. Yet what appears to be the attitude of the people towards Him?

C. Comment:

In the first seven verses of this chapter Isaiah makes a statement of the Lord’s intent. In these next 8 verses he restates it with greater emphasis on the reason why. First here, in the first two verses, he describes the people, against the Lord, openly defying him with their sinful ways, already in the process of bringing down the society.

In verse 11 he continues the thought of verse 9c that they are evil and are bringing disaster upon themselves, so they have no one to blame but themselves for what is coming. He then goes on to describe in detail their folly: the young are oppressing the older generation, women have risen to take the place of rule instead of men, leaders wrongly guide, and the poor are oppressed. The picture he portrays is of a court room with the Lord presiding. Justice is being meted out against wrongdoing.

In the midst of all this (v.10) is a single verse of hope for those who are righteous. It is both a verse of hope and encouragement. You who are righteous, says Isaiah, don’t need to worry, you will be rewarded for what you have done, but note he doesn’t say they will escape their society, for those of us who are righteous (believers) still have to live in the collapsing society!

D. Application:

1. An unrighteous and ungodly society will always collapse.
2. Christians have to live in the midst of that by God’s grace.

Passage: Isaiah 3:16-26

16 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.
17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
    the Lord will make their scalps bald.’

18 In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the earrings and bracelets and veils, 20 the head-dresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings, 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.

24 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.
25 Your men will fall by the sword,
    your warriors in battle.
26 The gates of Zion will lament and mourn;
    destitute, she will sit on the ground.

A. Find Out:

1. How many descriptions are given of the women? v.16
2. What will therefore happen to them? v.17
3. What will the Lord do? v.18-23
4. What will replace what? v.24
5. What will happen to the men? v.25
6. What will be the state of Jerusalem? v.26

B. Think:

1. What is the impression given of the women of Jerusalem?
2. How does what the Lord threatens to do with them fit in with what we have read before in Isaiah about God’s intentions?
3. Do you see any parallels with modern life in the West?

C. Comment:

The prophecy now focuses on a particular group: the women of Jerusalem.

First of all, note their ATTITUDE: they are “haughty”, and they are immodest and the inference is that they are more concerned about looking good than about their relationship with the Lord.

Second note their AFFLUENCE: they have much finery, much perfume, and they focus on fine appearance; they sound the height of western sophistication in the way they appear.

Third, note their DESTINY: they will be brought low by the removal of all this finery and will have it replaced by skin infection that will be thoroughly unpleasant to see and smell! The Lord has previously said He will deal with the pride and arrogance of men and what better way to now do the same with the women!

The way this will come about is also described: the men will be cleared away by invaders and the authorities that used to sit in the gates (the place of judgement and authority) will be removed. The women will be left without authority and without providers and all of their pride will come crashing down. This is a terrible indictment of the people of Jerusalem and of what will happen to them.

D. Application:

1. Has affluence dulled our love for God?
2. Are we more concerned with how good we look?