Old Testament - Isaiah 3-5 - September 6, 2022

 9/6/2022 – Isaiah 3-5

Chapter 3:  V’s 1-7 contains a prophecy about the house of Judah in Isaiah’s day, but this prophecy also applies to our days. He prophesized of changing standards in society, of physical destruction, and of the spiritual loss that would come upon Judah and Jerusalem, and explains that all this came upon them because of their significant disobedience to the Lord’s laws and guidance. V 5: “…the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.” V 8-9: “…Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord…they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul….”  )  The sad part is that the wicked brought evil, and trouble, and disaster upon themselves.

And then Isaiah gives us hope in v 10: “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with hm: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.” But “Woe unto the wicked! It shall be ill with him…” (v 11)

The Lord has always told us that if we are righteous, we will enjoy the blessings of our choices. If we sin, we will suffer the negative consequences of our choices. Isaiah tells us that our children will be oppressors, our leaders will cause people to go astray, and will oppress the poor. People will become haughty, and uncaring, there will be wars and great mourning. The thing we must remember for our day is that evil has come deeper into our society, and things WILL get worse. But if we remain close to Heavenly Father, He will give us strength and offer comfort to us, and that will help us get through the difficult times to come.

Then in chapter 4, Isaiah explains that the Lord will cleanse the earth of all this wickedness. But also in that day, the Lord will provide for the righteous who are “escaped of Israel”. (v 2). Once all the wickedness will be washed away, then the Lord will make a dwelling place for the righteous, guarding it with “smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night”. 

The Lord gives us additional information in Chapter 5. The synopsis of that chapter: “The Lord’s vineyard (Israel) shall become desolate and his people be scattered—Woes shall come upon them in their apostate and scattered state—The Lord shall lift an ensign and gather Israel”. All this will happen in time. Isaiah describes the Lord’s help as a man who is building a choice vineyard. In v 4 he tells us that many will look back wondering “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” (v 4) I believe that is advice to us to look at our vineyard now and ask for the Lord’s guidance in deciding how best to improve our vineyard.

 And then chapter 5 goes on to tell us the woes that will come to us if we allow ourselves to fall into evil ways. V 13: “Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.” And yet, even in very difficult times, we are promised that if we seek the truth, and do our best to live the truth, that we will stay free. 

The Lord is using the only way he knows he can reach those who need to reform. This is a time when people “call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter” (v20)  “And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty [haughty] shall be humbled” (v15)

But when those of us on the earth finally get the message, and really do turn to the Lord—then “he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and , behold they shall come with speed swiftly.” I find it interesting, and important, to remember that the Lord’s promptings are often very quiet, and for that reason we should always be listening for them.