Isaiah 3 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes
Isaiah 3 Short Summary:
Because of Judah’s depravity, God was going to strip the nation of everything. Its wealth, food, and leaders would be taken, and it would be left in a sorry state. God pronounced woes on the wicked, warning them that hardship awaited them. Jerusalem’s immoral women would trade their bracelets for a slave’s brand, and Judah’s mighty men would fall in battle.
Isaiah 3 Bible Study
TIMELINE:
Isaiah prophesied in the 8th and 7th Century BC, roughly 740-680 BC.
KEY CHARACTERS:
Isaiah – The son of Amoz (1:1). God commissioned Isaiah as His prophet to Judah.
The Citizens of Judah – Isaiah’s words in this chapter are directed towards the people of Judah, especially towards the citizens of Jerusalem.
DEFINITIONS:
Zion (2:3) – Zion refers to the hill/mountain where David’s palace was built in Jerusalem. This area was on the southeast side of the city. Zion is sometimes used to refer to the city of Jerusalem as a whole.
Strike Hands (2:6) – To join hand with, to make alliances, and to delight in someone’s company.
OUTLINE:
JUDGEMENT COMING FOR THE EVIL MEN AND WOMEN IN JUDAH (3:1-26):
Isaiah 3 appears to be a continuation of Isaiah 2.
On the day of God’s judgement, he would punish the proud people of Judah and take away all their resources and their trusted leaders.
In their place, God would give them boys for princes and infants for rulers. These men would have the intellect of boys and the governing ability of infants.
The society would devolve into violence and abuse. It would be a community that lacked respect for the elderly and the honorable.
Men would be offered leadership positions based on meager qualifications (“You have a cloak, you shall be our leader,” 3:6), but even the will to lead will be lost (3:7). Those appointed will refuse the opportunity because there will be no glory in reigning over ruins and rubble.
What was sad was that Judah wasn’t ashamed of their sins. They were proud of them! God said they proclaimed them like Sodom.
The men who led Judah were largely to blame. They abused the people and plundered the poor.
But the women also contributed to the disease of the nation. They walked around, showing themselves off, encouraging lust, and flaunting their wealth.
God was preparing to stand in opposition to the evil men and to humble the evil women.
He would take from them everything they valued and everything they misused.
He would take their fine things and comfortable lives and exchange them for the chains of a slave.
God would cause Jerusalem’s men to be killed in battle and its women to sit in the dirt in mourning.
Though the majority of the people were living godless lives, God recognized that there were still some righteous people in Judah, and He comforted them by promising they would be protected from His judgement (3:10).
APPLICATION
A nation led by weak men is a potential sign of God’s displeasure and judgement.
Nations are strong when they are led by men of conviction who honor a power greater than themselves.
Nations are destined for failure when they are led by weak, convictionless, and godless men who are led by no greater principles than to appease the masses and protect their jobs.
The people of Judah probably thought themselves a very progressive society with their openness to foreign religions, soft stance on objective truth, empowerment of women through sexualization, and open-minded leaders.
In reality, they weren’t progressing as a culture, they were regressing and devolving into a sad society of the baser sort.
