Isaiah 2-4

Introduction

We’ll cheat on the bell a little bit since you’re here. We’re ready to go. There it is.

If I were to ask you to give me a good overview of the book of Isaiah, what would you say the background uh periods that is talking about? It has two major divisions, is what I’m asking for. What are they? Doug, you remember? A B. A. and B. A. and B, well. Assyrian and Babylonian. Right. And then how how many chapters to the Assyrians? You were divide the book? 39. Yeah, the first 39? How many books in the old testament? 39. 39. How many books in the New Testament? See, that’s a good way to remember. How many chapters do you have? The Babylonian period 27. If someone were to ask you the name of Isaiah, what does it literally mean? Lord of Homes. No. That’s the expression that he used.

His name means salvation is of the Lord. Help her back there, uh Jim. Okay, Joyce.

Salvation is of the Lord. To whom did Isaiah prophesy mainly? Basically. All right. To Judah. Uh to the southern kingdom. Who was contemporary with him, Kathy? Prophets. Micah. Alright, in the southern kingdom. And in the northern kingdom? Uh Amos and Hot? Oh. Okay. Hosea. And uh politically, or say prosper uh in a prosperity way. What were the conditions in Israel at the time Isaiah began his prophecy? Uh Tom? Very prosperous. Alright. And the northern kingdom, even Jeroboam II. They had defeated some those who’d risen up against them, and so it was prosperous time. Which may indicate something about the spiritual condition. What was the spiritual condition, Andy? Horrible. Because what made it horrible, I guess. Well, they had set up, you know, high places and idols and sacrifices.

And begun to be like the nations about them in that respect. Sure. Morally, evidently as well. And so, in fact, uh, in the first chapter that you had, what what really how sick were they, Ruth? How sick were they? He described from if you were to describe it as a body, from their feet to the solar feet to the crown of the head, right? They were pretty sick people, right? Approximate date for their work, June. Isaiah prophesied about when. Where would he put that time?

Well, yeah, we see. You got that.

All right, Lolly. Uh well, it’s well, let’s see, between 740 and 690. Okay. Usually we’ll say approximate, obviously. We can’t just say, in fact, all we do know it’s in the year of whose dead. And he began his prophecy, the king Uzziah. So we say, well, six uh uh from 740 approximately was when we date uh Isaiah’s death. So approximately maybe about a 50 year period. What’s the favorite designation uh that uh Isaiah uses uh Stu? What does he how does he call the Lord? What’s his designation for the Lord? You know, remember Jim? Lord of hosts. Lord of hosts. Sixty-two times you’ll find it in the book. In fact, uh, one designation that we used to say is really is Isaiah’s uh mark. Uh he he doesn’t he well it says Lord of hosts, but it’s when he calls the holy one of Israel, the Holy One of Israel, some twenty-five times.

Uh uh Jim uh do in what way was an ox or an ass uh more loyal than Judah in chapter one yeah I tell you uh at least they’re gonna have to do it. At least they can be the master who fed them, who cared for them. But here were these people who did not, they had turned away, they had become so indifferent to the Lord. And he says, at least uh at least an animal, a dumb animal, uh, has more loyalty to the one who fed and cared for them than you do. So it was a pretty uh sad state. In fact, uh, what would God do when they prayed? Uh he said, I will not hear I’ll not listen to your prayers. And in fact, uh, what was this attitude toward their new moons, their appointed feast, even to their sacrifices?

Justifies come. Yeah, yeah. You know, uh refuse to accept them, doesn’t he? How does that fit today in thinking of people? Is there any application you make of the fact that that here we’re religious people and they were sacrificing to God? Isn’t that all that matters? No, you see, is there an application? Is that not a common thinking today? It really doesn’t matter what we do, just what we’re doing. A lot of people are religious but not righteous. And I say one of the things that keeps coming out throughout the this prophecy of Isaiah, he’s speaking to a people who are making sacrifices, all right. But along with it, they’re sacrificing to their idols, and therefore, they were a people not really devoted to God in his ways.

And so that’s a that’s a lesson that comes screaming through the book all the way through. In fact, chapter one, we usually will describe it simply as a prototype of the entire book. We usually remember Isaiah as uh what prophet, John? The prophet, what what how do we describe him as the blank kind of prophet?

The Messianic prophet. So that so we say, oh, yeah, Isaiah’s full of prophecies of the Christ, of the Messiah to come. And there’s so many quotations from Isaiah that are found in the New Testament. But he also spoke to the people then. And so when we say the prototype, get to thinking of really of all prophets who did foretell the coming of the Christ. But first of all, their message was the people that they lived with. And then you read in chapter one, we just described what was his, what was God’s attitude toward them? They didn’t even remember him at all, not even like the dumb animals. Their sins were such that God uh would really uh have not would not listen to the prayers, they were hypocritical.

But with that was the appeal for them to do what? To repent. And that’s the prophet’s message to the people of his day. Turn back to the Lord. Out of that, if you don’t turn back to the Lord, what’s going to happen? And over and over, we’re going to see God’s uh through Isaiah the the destruction, the punishment that’s going to come. The wrath of God will come against. Vengeance will come. And therefore, out of that, now you may be a people who’ve left the Lord, and you do not repent. But God had a promise made first, really, you might say, as a nation to Abraham. And God will remember the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Maybe this is the family, and you’re in bad shape if you were to look at it from God’s point of view.

As a people. But God will always spare what? How many?

A few. And out of that few will come the fulfillment of his promise that through Abraham’s seed he would bless all things of the earth. So there’s the promise of the Messiah. So remember, God’s judgment against the people, he says, here are your sins. Here’s the curse that’s going to come on you. But I will remember my promise. And therefore, we call Isaiah the one who most often was quoted in the New Testament. Some 60 references and the quotations from Isaiah’s prophecies. Citations over 80 times because some of those are repeated. But you say 60 different places of Isaiah that are found in the New Testament, and particularly the prophecies of the coming Lord. Before we go any further, I want to hand this around. I’d like everybody just to put your name on each line, and I want to kind of make a list of people who are in the class.

1. The Mountain of the Lord’s House

So the majority of God’s people, you know, they were going to be extinguished, if not. As we go into chapter 2, of course, we now start with a very important, you might say, messianic prophecy. The word that Isaiah the son of Amon saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, shall be exalted above the hills. All nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us of his ways, and we shall walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations and rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears in the pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. A very important and familiar prophecy you may hear quoted and read many times. And I say you may hear it read many times because we find that certainly in the uh uh New Testament the fulfillment of this prophecy. Somebody, we got some seats right there in the middle. Uh up here by Kathy. It’s important to get here by 10 because we start class, and it’d be better if everybody come in on time. All right. Uh when he says in chapter 2, the latter days. It shall come to pass in the latter days of the last days.

What does that signify to us and why? John? To me, there are two distinct periods there. Now, not everyone dispers or agrees with this. The first distinct period is from uh the birth of Christ until his ascension. The second period, now those were the last days for the Jews. That period, that approximate 30-year period or 33-year period. The second period we are living today, which began with the ascension of Christ and the establishment of the church. So those are uh the two periods of the last days. All right. Well, uh, I don’t know that I’ve thought through what you’re making a division there between the time of the birth of Christ. The birth of Christ, you see, is when is when the old covenant was beginning to be ushered out and the new covenant ushered in.

This was the last days for the Jewish era. Yeah. And then we have the Christian era that began to be. Well, the other thing I would say with that is that in one sense the old covenant was, and the period was not fully ushered out until AD 70 when Judaism was when Jerusalem was destroyed. But in Acts chapter 2, whenever Peter quoted from Joel, Acts 2.17 shall come to pass in the last days. And he said, This is that which Joel prophesied. So he made the application of Joel’s prophecy to God pour out his spirit upon all flesh, and they shall dream dreams. Also in Hebrews chapter 1, God who is under times under I was manner spake in time past unto the prophets, but under the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoke unto us.

So that but I think generally speaking, the the period, if you were to say before the flood, was that the last days? Well, no, there was the flood, and God, you might say, refreshed the earth with the new population of people. Then, even during that period of time where the law of Moses was given, and the children of Israel did uh go into the promised land. Were those the last days? No, because they were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. But with the coming of the Messiah, with the giving of the new covenant, we’re in the period of the last days. For what do we look for at the end of this period? The second return of Jesus Christ and final judgment. So, at least in this prophecy, what he declares is what’s going to happen in the last days.

The mountain of the Lord’s house. What does he call it? Mountain of the Lord’s house. Think about that for a moment. First of all, it’s the Lord’s house. Alright, in the New Testament, even the word house, we would probably use the words to thinking about a building, household. And as in 1 Timothy 3.15, you know that thou mayest know how to behave yourself in the house of the Lord, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth, 1 Timothy 3.15. In that sense, the church is the family of God. So it’s a mountain. Where shall it be established in Isaiah 2? Where? Above all the other mountains. All others, above all. I think it ought to remind us at least of Daniel’s prophecy.

You remember Daniel chapter 2? When he described the four kingdoms, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar and the Edo-Persian and the Grecians, finally the Roman. In the days of the fourth empire, what would happen in Daniel chapter 2? There would be a stone cut out without hands, and it would smoke or smite all those kingdoms, and it shall become what? You remember? As a great mountain that filled the earth. And it shall stand how long? Forever. Forever. As though to describe God’s kingdom, the spiritual kingdom. So I think in that, even with Isaiah 2, you’re saying, look, what’s he foretelling? With the coming of the Messiah will be a time in which God’s house or God’s family shall be established. The rule of God, the kingdom describes rule. So the rule of God will be exalted above others.

It shall not be destroyed. Jesus indeed is the Prince of the Kings of the earth. And I think in that sense, you can see in this is a foretelling of what is yet to come to pass. Exalted above the hills. And then it says all nations shall flow to it. Does that fit the Lord’s church, the Lord’s family? Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And in Revelation chapter 5, in fact, when he describes that those who have been purchased by the blood of Christ, of every nation and tongue and people, describe those who are purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. So Isaiah must say looking 700 years at least into the future. And describing, of course, by inspiration. Many people will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, the house of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us of his ways.

Al Zion shall go for the law. And the word of the Lord from where? Jerusalem. Where was the gospel first preached? In Jerusalem. And since in no sense, you could say there are a lot of things that are seemingly forecast by this prophecy. One last one in chapter in verse 4, what’s going to happen? The message will bring about what? They will beat their swords in the plowshares, their spears in the printing hooks. There’s some who read passages like that and say, oh, yeah, we’re still waiting that time. There’s going to be a thousand and rain on the earth, and you know, well, uh, chapter 11 of Isaiah, we’re going to have the even the animals of the field lie down, the lion with the lamb.

And then they well, we haven’t got to that period yet. Well, literally, if you’re going to take it literally, we have it. But do they want to say that, you know, in that thousand year period we’re going to have uh swords and plowshares? You know, they don’t want to go that far back. But they just simply, the message is this is as a metaphor to describe what it would be like. In Isaiah’s time, they knew what swords and plowshares were. In our time, we’re well beyond that for modern industry. But it’s going to be a time of peace. What does the gospel bring about? Ephesians chapter 2 speaks about the peace that brought about by the cross of the Lord. And particularly in that context, he talks about Jews and Gentiles were at peace with one another.

So I think in the framework of this passage, you you just you say Isaiah chapter 2 is really describing for us the time, the latter days, the scope, all people will be involved, the nature, there will be the preaching of the enlightenment, you might say, the result will be peace that will be brought about. And the time the Lord’s house shall be established. So it’s very important prophecy. In fact, if you were to read Micah chapter 4, verses 1 through 3, you almost see an identical wording, like uh it was contemporary with Isaiah. And here’s one prophecy that the two virtually said almost the same thing. And of course, I would answer that how they could do that, not that one copied the other, but simply because they’re inspired of the Lord, and therefore the speaking would be much the same.

2. Full of the World, Empty Toward God

In verses 6 through 11, he then turns to some of the condemnation against the people of that time. Wealth has enticed them to trust their materialism. Couldn’t happen to us today, does it? Does history beat that sound? As well, make us think, you know, we’re the work of man’s hands. Well, look how important we are. Well, look in uh in chapter 2, beginning verse 6. You have forsaken your people, the house of Jacob because they are filled with what? Eastern ways. They’re soothsayers like Philistines. They’re pleased with the children of foreigners. Their land is also full of what? Silver is no end to their treasures. Their land is also full of what?

There’s no end of their chariots. So there’s military might, right? In that day they didn’t have tanks. They’re horses and chariots. You were a strong army. Verse 8, their land is also full of idols. I don’t know if you’ve caught the words. Four different words. They’re filled with and full of and full of, filled with pagan customs and full of silver and gold, full of horses and chariots, and full of idols. So here’s a people prospering in every way. And when people are filled, when God’s people are filled with the fullness of the world that the world offers, they’re empty toward God. And that’s really what he’s set before them. Oh, you’re full of these things. You’re prosperous. But toward God. Indeed, they were a people that did not really know the Lord.

They turned away from the Lord. In verse 10, therefore, the terror of the Lord is where they’re going to come upon them. Judgment’s due. And the fact that he really urges them to take refuge. He says, enter the rock, hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled. The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down or bowed down. The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up, and it shall be brought low. And then he begins to describe some of the material things that men put their trust in, the cedars of Lebanon that are high, lifted up uh lifted up.

All the oaks of Basha, the high mountains, all the hills that are lifted up. Verse 15, every high tower, every fortified wall, all the ships of Tarshus, the beautiful slopes, the loftiness of men shall be down, humble. The haughtiness of men shall be brought low. The Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols he shall utterly abolish. The things that men put their trust in. One of the points that I want to emphasize to you, and that you’ll notice as you go through our lesson book, always at the end of the lesson, I will try to have tried to make an application that is modern day. And so I hope you’ll look there, because I think that helps bring sometimes just the reading of Isaiah doesn’t always come as clear.

It’s not written in a narrative like maybe in certain sections of the Bible. It’s written more in a poetic style. And I would say sometimes in your reading of Isaiah, you may say, Well, how does that, you know, what how does that fit with the passage I just read? It can be difficult sometimes if you don’t keep in context. But also, that we not get lost with a modern day application. I’ve always tried to put at least two applications. And one of them I made this time on page 17. When men become successful with either worldly wisdom or wealth, they usually become lifted up with vain pride. We guard must guard ourselves in this generation with this problem. We are a people who’ve been blessed in this nation with prosperity.

We may, we may think we’re poor, but I’ll tell you, you wouldn’t not uh not the poorest person in this country, I think, would want to trade places with some people who live in the Philippines or many other places, most of the world. And the fact is that we are people, if we’re not careful, we begin to trust in the things that are around us, the material things. And so this attitude leads men to feel self-sufficient without God. I think one of the curses of our time right now is that there’s not a general feeling of respect for God and fear of the Lord. We’re confident. We can uh sustain ourselves. Who needs to turn to God is a general attitude. In fact, with that comes immorality and ungodliness in every way.

The attitudes described by Isaiah in this section could well be said of our own nation today. Does the result will likewise be the same unless we can call men to turn sincerely to the Lord, from whom all blessings flow? Passages like Proverbs 14 and verse 34. Why don’t we read some of these? Uh Proverbs 14, 34 and 16 and 18, and then chapter 3 and verse 7. Easy for us to see. Proverbs 14, 34. Anybody have it quickly?

Alright. Righteousness exalts a nation. Sin is a reproach. Proverbs 16, 18. What comes before the fall? Time goes before the fall. In the hearty spirit. Holy Spirit. In 1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 17 through 19, does the Lord condemn wealth? Wealth is not condemned at all. But in 1 Timothy 6, 17, Paul wrote to Timothy, Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy. To the rich, let them do good, that they may be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, and storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life.

3. You Can’t Hide From the Wrath of God

So there’s some admonition in the Bible, being wealthy and wrong. But don’t let it go to your head and think I’m sufficient without God on my side. So what’s wrong with that? Let’s go back to Isaiah chapter 2. What’s going to happen? In verse 20 of Isaiah 2. I won’t go verse 19. Verse 19, chapter 2, 19. They shall go into the holes of the rocks into the caves of the earth from the air of the Lord. And the glory of His Majesty when he arises to shake the earth mightily. In that day, men will cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship. Where were they casting? To the moles and the bats. Go into the clefts of the rocks and the crags of the rugged rocks from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty when he arises to shake the earth mightily.

When God does bring judgment, men will try to hide themselves. In fact, they’ll hide the idols, you know. The man will say, This is wrong. I know it’s wrong, and then try to hide them into the caves and places as though God doesn’t see or God does not know. This also makes me think about the passage in Revelation chapter 6. Uh Josh just referred to it briefly this morning. In chapter 6, when the when the sixth uh seal is loosed of the scroll that’s in the right hand of the Lord, and uh there’s there’s all kinds of judgments of the Lord that’s coming down upon man, great earthquake and things that fall. And you did anybody know just right offhand what the people say to the rocks may be fallen from the caves.

Fall on us, hide us from the wrath of God. Who should be able to stand in the day of God’s wrath is the way chapter six ends. Of course, that’s quite a question. And to me, that’s impressive there, and and you I’ve said it before, but I want to repeat it here that uh we generally uh in a day, say of uh of a hurricane, we uh we we we try to find a place of safety. We don’t get out there in the midst of it. Or if there’s an earthquake, we try to run from it so we wouldn’t be caught up in the in the or a tornado comes. But in Revelation 6, it says, man at that time runs to what we now call disastrous things.

Because maybe at that we can hide from God. So to the rocks, fall on us, hide us from the wrath of God. No, it won’t, you won’t be saved then. You can’t hide from the wrath of God. Man may run to the wrong things and it may try to hide his idols at that time. He turns against the things that he’s put his trust in. Chapter 2 ends with verse 22 with a you might say a message to repent. One more time. Sever yourselves from such a man whose breath is in his nostrils. For of what account is he? Somebody have the New America Center version. Read that last verse. Anybody have the New America Center version? All right, said it, June. Stop regarding man whose breath of life is in his nostrils.

Why should he be a stone? And see that that says it a lot more. Stop regarding a man. What has he done? Stop regarding the man for what should he be a scene. You’re putting your trust in other people. You’re putting your trust in what men can do. Put your trust in God. That’s really the meaning of this last uh point of Isaiah. Don’t trust in things that men have uh have set up. Or indeed, man, when it comes time for the Lord to bring vengeance, man will be trying to hide from God. It’d be too late then, won’t it? Be too late. End of chapter 3, he says uh uh whereas the preceding verses have described Judah uh uh as almost a state of total collapse for having relied upon men.

4. The Lord Takes Away All Man Has Relied Upon

Now he begins to turn and talk about here the wages of their sin. I want you to notice in verse one the word Lord is found twice. Is there a difference in your Bible how it’s spelled? Yes. The Lord and the Lord all. For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts. Yes. So look at the word Lord itself. The first time. This is Lord God, or the first time. The second one’s capped. Alright, that’s the point. Why is the second spelling all caps? Have you noticed that in your Bible ever before? That sometimes the word Lord is all caps.

It’s actually two different Hebrew words. The first word, Lord, is really from the word Hebrew word Adonai, A-D-O-N-A-I, we would probably spell it, which indicates ownership, literally means complete possession. He is the Lord. He is uh certainly in charge of all. But then there’s the word Lord of hosts, which is from the Hebrew word Yahweh, or we would spell it. We would spell it Y-A-H-W E H. And in the Hebrew, it may be just Y H W H, but we put the vowels in there as we spell it in our English. Which really is a different word, literally meaning the eternally existing one. He is the eternally existing one of hosts. He is supreme commander of all the forces. So, in this beginning of this chapter, Isaiah describes both terms, Adonai and Yahweh.

He is the Lord. He is in complete control. He is the one who uh possesses all and is the supreme commander of all. It’s hard to describe God in any more glorious terms than really what those two words mean. But what does he do? Chapter 3, behold the Lord, the Lord of hosts, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stock and the store. The whole supply of bread, the whole supply of water. He takes away the idea, verse 2, the mighty man, the man of war, the judge, the prophet, the diviner, the elder, the captain of 50, the honorable man, the counselor, the skillful artisan, the expert and chapter. There’s some twelve specific things here. The Lord takes away. What do you mean, Isaiah? He’ll take away all the things that man has relied upon.

You know, first of all, bread and water. He takes away the supply of food. And uh he takes away the mighty man, the men of war. What’s happening here? The celebration. Pardon? The celebration. Well, all right. It really says, look, the things that do we today put trust in water. Anybody, anybody uh doubting you’re gonna have anything to eat today? We’ve got bread and water somewhere. We’ve done this. John, I didn’t hear what you said. I said we put trust in the men of war. Right. They’re gonna protect us. Yeah, well, we we might be a little concerned right now with the budget going on. We’re going to cut our forces in in half, and we will have enough to sustain ourselves, but our country’s strong.

Is there any other country that can defeat the United States of America? Oh, we’re we strong? Amen does that. And I’m not saying we’re about to fall. But this is characteristic of the past. Even as Isaiah’s writing of these people, they they were strong. Why, under Jeroboam II of the Northern Kingdom and had withstood enemies. And now even under Uzziah, who had reigned for some fifty-two years, they had defeated enemies. So we’re strong militarily.

Even the prophet. Only false prophets are left. And the diviner, the sorcerer who practiced witchcraft. He’s going to bring down the elder, that is the member of the city council. Uh bring down the honorable man, those who would give usual guidance uh for uh and good advice, even the skillful artisan uh and the enchanter. What’s gonna be in place? Well, if you take down those things that really you might say have sustained uh uh a nation, what’s left will you might say anarchy? That’s what’s about to happen. In verse 4, it says, I give children to be their princes. Now can you imagine children being princes? A being shall rule over them. The people will be oppressed, and everyone by another, everyone by his neighbor, the child will be insolent toward the elder, the base toward the honorable.

You see, uh the rulers now will be irrational. You can imagine children, immature, irresponsible. That’s who’s gonna lead Judah now. You know, what are you left with? When God indeed takes down these. In fact, even the children would probably be dominated by self-serving leaders. There’s trouble in the land, really. In fact, uh, verse 5 says, the people will be oppressed, everyone by another, everyone by his neighbor, the child, the infolid toward the other, the base toward Donald. Now who’s going to rule us? In that kind of state, you reckon we’re looking for a ruler. We want somebody to come in that has wise and is strong and kind of kind of get us back to security. And so in verse 6, what happens? Well, let’s find a root.

When a man takes over his brother in the house of his father saying, You have both and you be our ruler. About all he’s got, maybe is a tunic of some sort, a coat and say that word. But he said, let these ruins be under your power. Verse 7. What’s his reaction? Yeah, I’m glad to rule. I’ve got a coat. I’ve got clothes. No, he says, don’t make me a ruler. Who wants to rule in that kind of situation? Verse 7. He will protest, saying, I cannot cure your ills. In my house is neither food nor clothing. Do not make me a ruler of the people. Well, that’s a sad state of affairs. You know, you can’t find anybody who really wants to take the lead.

I mean, it’s that much disarray. God has brought this insecurity in the land. Verse 8 For Jerusalem stumbled and Judah is fallen because why? Because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord. Here’s the point. Could God bring Judah down to its knees? Yes. And he did. You know, we can learn the lesson history. And Isaiah now is really saying, here’s why. Because their actions are against the Lord. And when a people turn against the Lord, God can bring them down as a people, as a nation. In fact, he says in verse 9, the look of their countenance witnesses against them. They declare their sin as solemn. They do not hide it. Woe to their soul. For they have brought evil upon themselves. Now, in verse 10, you might say, at least there’s some hope here, because God certainly man will reap as he sows, even as the Bible says.

So he says to the righteous, it shall be well with them. They shall eat the fruit of their doings. But woe to the wicked. It shall be ill with him. For the reward of his hands shall be given him. As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. Oh my people. Those who lead you cause you to err and destroy the way of your paths. In verse 13, uh he describes this judgment upon the rulers when he said, The Lord stands up to plead and stands to judge the people. The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders of his people and his princes. For you have eaten up the venue. The plunder, the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor, says the Lord God of hosts?

What have the rulers done? They’ve robbed by unjust ruling and by corrupt judging. That’s pretty hard words when you see in verse 15. You’ve crushed my people. You grind their faces, the faces of the poor. But that happens sometimes today. That if you’re poor, you know, you you don’t sometimes you don’t who’s going to represent you in the case. And sometimes the poor may be the ones who are abused and mistreated and taken advantage of. And uh Mike, uh particularly who was contemporary with Isaiah, speaks about how that you know there was just no justice. Why he said, even the the preached uh the priests uh and prophets, they the prophets divine for money, and the priests will teach for hire, and the judges they rule with uh with a kind of greed that they will take advantage of the others.

5. An Indictment Against Vain and Worldly Women

And so Isaiah and Micah both are saying that even the rulers, the ones you would expect to be the kind of leaders that would guide the people into righteousness, grind their faces of the poor, crush my people. God cares for all, doesn’t he? Well, therefore, what he says in this prophecy, uh, that in a sense he’s indicting them and showing their their wrongs, and therefore justly God will bring uh destruction upon them. In verse 16, really suddenly the topic is shifted. And he turns in really the rest of this chapter into verse one of chapter 4. An indictment against vain and worldly women. Can you think, why would God speak so against the women? Isn’t it the men that are rulers? You know, he sees in verse 16 Moreover, the Lord says, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks and want an eyes, walking and mincing as they go, making a zingling with their feet, etc.

Why would God speak against the women? They were drawing attention to themselves. Alright. Number one, here’s the women. Do the women have an influence on society? Absolutely. Absolutely they do. And so, not only here, but later in Isaiah, I think about 42 or 3. He again will speak about the women. The women certainly are not in rulership position as such, but they certainly influence the rulers. And so the Lord speaks about the women, and as you go through, there’s some 21 items that he says here that uh that are prized by the women that will be taken from them. Verse 17 the Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion. He will uncover their secret parts. In that day, the Lord will take away the finery, the jingling anchors, the scarves, the crescents, the pendants, the bracelets, the veils, the headdresses, the leg ornaments, the headbands, the perfume boxes, the charms, the rings, the nose jewels, the festival apparel, the mantles, the outer garments, the purses, the mirrors, the fine linen, the turbans, the robes, and so it shall be.

Instead of a sweet smell, there will be a stitch. Instead of a stash, a rope. Instead of well set hair, ballness. Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth and branding instead of beauty. Your men shall fall by the sword, your mighty in the war. And her gate shall lament and mourn, and she being desolate, shall sit on the ground. In that day, seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel. Only let us be called by your name to take away our reproach. So few men now will be left that even seven women would like just one man to be their husband. How’s that? What a condition. Well, again, that was an application I made in our lesson book at the end.

6. The Branch of the Lord

Does that fit even at all today? What what how what’s a godly woman to be viewed as 1 Peter chapter 3 describes? Because of her outward adorning, but her inward adorning, to be meek and of a quiet spirit. And so even uh the point I think is strong here that not only were the men who were the rulers being uh uh pointed out as against God and leading my people into sin, the women had a great part in it as well. And so both men and women were involved in this. Chapter 4, verses 2 through 6 really kind of relates back to where we started in chapter 2, a messianic prophecy. In that day, verse 2, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped.

Who is the branch of the Lord? That term branch of the Lord, I think was that not your research question I have?

Yes, Jesus in Jeremiah 23 and verse 5, particularly it that uh Jesus is described uh as the lineage of David, the branch of David, and also Zechariah chapter 3 and verse 8. So that that uh it I think he’s talking about a messianic period in verse, in fact, in verse uh five, the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, above her assembly as a cloud and smoke by day, shining a flaming fire by night. Well, that reminds you of it. As they came out of Egyptian bondage, that was what guided them. And so now the Lord’s guidance will be up over his people. And verse six, there will be a tabernacle for shade. God’s provision in the daytime from the heat for a place of refuge and for our shelter from storm and rain.

So here is Jerusalem redeemed in these few verses. Looking at your question, let me look before the second bell rings. Uh, if you’ll get your book open. On page 18. That started back, Joyce. I’ll start with you, and we’ll just go down the road so everybody will have it prepared. Question number two on page 18. God had forsaken Judah because they pleased themselves in what?

Alright, from verse six, the children of strangers.

Yeah, I think verse 12 particularly, everybody get anybody get a different answer. The proud, the proud and the lofty, everyone that is proud and lofty, chapter 2 and verse 12. Number four, where would they cast their idols of silver and gold, Jim? In the decades of the bats of the moment. Right. Number from verse 20. Uh number five, why was Jerusalem ruined and Judah fallen, Wally? Lolly. Don’t have it. Alright. Sue, a dolphin. Well, that that was true of them, but those statements in chapter three and verse 8 of their tongues and their own.

That’s the real root. Number six, uh, Tom, by what is the reward of the righteous and of the wicked determined? By what is the reward determined? I wasn’t real sure about that, but I said uh well with the right and ill with the wicked. All right. That certainly would be true of the reward. I put from chapter three and verse ten, probably is where I was searching. And let me let me say this right off to the cloud, guys. That these questions, when this book was written, uh Bob Harkrite only knew the King James Version. So you may be reading the new King James or your New America, saying you’re like, What is he talking about? But if you want to know, really go back and if you got a key word, go to a King James Version and look it up.

So chapter 3 and verse 10, they shall eat the fruit of their doings. And verse 11, the reward of his hand shall be given. Seven, right quick. The Lord stands up to do what two things?

Stretched necks and want an eyes. Yeah, walkers stretch forth necks, wants an eyes, walking and venting as they go, making kingdom with their feet. Verse 16. Number nine, when the Lord comes, there will be stink, or stench instead of sweet smell, round, rope instead of a girdle, fallness instead of a well-set hair, girdling sacrosan instead of a stomach or a rich robe, if you have a different translation. Burning or branding instead of beauty in verse twenty four. Who what purpose would the tabernacle serve reference Judas birds purge? Shadow of Shadow Protection. Chapter 4 and verse 6, a shadow of daytime. He true or false? Number one is false. False. Two two three four five is false. All right. Lord’s willing. When tonight we will continue with chapters five and six.

So the sign sheet.