I believe there have been three great traumatic events within
the last year: 1) the devastating hurricane in Florida, 2) the
election of Clinton, and 3) the blizzard which struck the south
and east coast. These three events can be summed up into two:
natural disasters and civil disasters. Both of these events call
for an examination from God's word. Herein we will only cover
the Clinton disaster, and later we will cover the natural disasters.
I am not saying that Clinton is any better or worse than
was Bush or Perot, but I believe three things make Clinton's election
one of the more significant events of the past 200 years:
1) his wife: her contrast with Barbara Bush could not have
been greater. Hillary clearly stated her position as "co-president,"
yet she was elected anyway. Apparently, we now have a woman governing
the United States. I have no TV, but from what I understand, even
the liberal media has lamented that Hillary has to much power
and control.
2) Clinton's appointees, and the posts they now fill: we
now have a known drunken female in the nation's top law enforcement
post, and open sodomites in all areas (including the IRS). (According
to Jack Thompson, no less than five (5) police officers have pulled
Janet Reno over for drunk driving, & she told them who she was
& that they couldn't arrest her. [F. Snaders, Moneychanger, PO
Box 341753, Memphis, Ten, 38184, Apl 93, pg. 11.]) Furthermore,
women in power are not known for compassion, eg. Jezebel.
3) Clinton's election margin: from what I understand, he
won with the smallest percentage of total votes of any president
to date (43%). Thus Clinton is president regardless of the fact
that better than 60% of Americans claim Christianity, so obviously
the hand of Divine Providence elected him. Providence caused many
Christians to vote for their own destruction, either by doing
nothing or by voting for sodomy and socialism. In my opinion,
the Lord will honour their desire for destruction.
The meaning of all the political chaos is found in Isaiah
3:1-15. Please keep in mind that this passage is directed to God's
people, not to the pagans. We will go through the passage, then
give some obvious applications.
Isaiah 2:22, God's people had turned from their God and
were trusting in man. Isaiah ch 3 then warns that everything which
the people of God were depending upon other than the Lord God
almighty, is going to be removed by God's judgment right down
to their basic support, bread and water.
Isaiah spoke according to Moses' words, Lev 26 & Deut 28.
Both Moses' and Isaiah's warnings were literally fulfilled under
both the Chaldeans and Romans, and Jerusalem perished in the midst
of such terrible famine that women ate their own children. Though
the prophecies have been literally fulfilled, the substance of
Moses' & Isaiah's warning will continue to be fulfilled as long
as sin reigns.
Isa 3:1, continues the thought presented in chapter 2 with
the words, The Lord, the Lord (Jehovah) of hosts. Throughout
his book, Isaiah uses this term to introduce the judicial acts
of God. Thus vs. 1- 15 explain the Lord's judgement against
His stiffnecked people.
In v. 1, the Lord takes away the very basic staff of life,
bread and water. The people thought that by their own strength
they had prospered, so the Lord shows that all supply comes from
Him. Furthermore, this speaks of food and water storage on the
part of the people who perceive hard times ahead, but their storage
program did not include repentance and return to the Lord. The
Lord removes their food and water.
Then in vs. 2 & 3, the Lord takes away all men who are
being looked to other than the Lord. Notice two things here: 1)
the classes of people named, and 2) the order they are named.
The order is not necessarily the Lord's order of importance, but
the order which the people placed these people.
1. The mighty man, and the man of war: the hero
and the average soldier. The people had turned from dependance
upon the Lord for protection from their enemies, and were now
depending primarily upon their military might. Since they had
a powerful army, why did they need the Lord's protection? So the
Lord promises to remove the army with which they replaced Him.
(Depending on the Lord means serving Him by obeying Him and leaving
the results in His hands.)
2. the judges: the officers appointed by the state
to administer justice. The law- word of God was no longer their
standard of justice; it had been replaced by the wisdom and judgment
of men.
3. the prophet: this would include Isaiah's office.
God's judgment against their sin would include God cutting off
the speaker of His word. Nothing is worse than the loss of God's
word.
4. the prudent: prudent in this verse refers to
false prophets or soothsayers, De 18:10; Isa 2:6; Isa 3:2. Hananiah
(Jer 28) was a false prophet (prudent). Thus the prudent of Isaiah
3:2 are those presenting good sounding answers, yet the answers
do not include repentance and return to the law of God. The people
loved these prudent men because they offered answers with no responsibility
to the law of the Lord.
5. the ancient: the elder. This would be the heads
of the families as well as the local rulers.
6. the captain: the leaders of the smallest bands
of soldiers.
7. the honourable man: those whose personal appearance
was accepted, welcomed, and regarded with honour. They were people
of influence because of their wealth, age, abilities, goodness,
office they held, &c.
8. the counseller: those closest to the king.
9. the cunning artificer: one who could work hard
with great skill, the skilled workman, craftsman or tradesman.
10. the eloquent orator: the skilled speaker able
to sway people to his will.
These "ten people (an arbitrary number we will use
to identify the ones of vs. 2, 3)" had stolen the hearts
of God's people away from the Lord, so now the Lord is going to
remove the gods which His people had placed before Him.
V. 4. I will give children and babes... In vs. 2, 3, the
Lord removes from these 10 all people with any common sense, and
replaces them with children and babes.
These were not literal children, but immature adults lacking
good common sense. The Lord raised up people with no common sense
because His people willfully turned from Him and refuse to return;
they sought their guidance and protection from other sources (the
10), so, as part of God's judgment, He turns His people over to
the 10 which they chose over Him. Only now the 10 (which His people
went whoring after) contain immature children.
V. 5. the result of their turning from God and God's forsaking
them to the children of v. 4, is that the 10 are more oppressed
than the former 10 were. The immature adults who have been placed
in authority by God will act just like rebellious children, and
the results will not be pleasant.
In other words, when the people served the Lord, these
ten areas were possessed by men of good character and common sense.
Maybe they were not all saved, but they reflected the "Christian
Character" of the people. But as the people turned from the
Lord for their guidance to these ten, the Lord removed from them
people of good character and common sense, replacing them with
immature children.
Vs. 6, 7, all authority is broken down. The despot is replaced
by mob-rule, literal anarchy. In a state where authority is replaced
by mob-rule, desire to rule is gone. Who wants to rule over a
mob that will not be ruled? Who wants to take the 'blame' for
such action?
V. 1, all food and water are removed, so now society in
general is in extremely bad shape. V. 6, they discover a man with
a coat, and because he has more than they do, they think that
he should rule over them. V. 6 also shows us that family authority
broke down: the one with clothing is asked to rule in the family
by his brother of the house of his father.
V. 7, the desire to rule is so destroyed that those with
possessions refuse to admit their "wealth," thus disqualifying
themselves.
V. 8, the prophet gives the reason for the complete destruction
of God's people: their words and actions are against the law-word
of God. The Lord is glorious and holy, and the people have defiled
His eyes. Hence they bring down upon themselves the Lord's wrath.
V. 9, the people of God turned from God's law and became
so hardened in sin that they neither blushed nor attempted to
hide their sin. Therefore, the Lord likens them to Sodomites.
The prophet could not be more plain spoken in telling God's
people that they brought their difficulties upon themselves by
turning from God's word: for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
He tells them that their sin is as the sin of Sodomy.
V. 10, 11. These two verses go together: the Lord tells
the prophet to deliver one message to one nation which is divided
into two parts: the one message, Be not deceived; God
is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap; the one nation, God's people; the two types of people in
the one nation, the righteous and the wicked, the obedient and
the disobedient; the results, it shall be well with the righteous;
it shall be ill with the wicked; the difference between the righteous
and the wicked, vs. 8, 9, their attitude and actions toward
the word of God and the gods of this world.
V. 12, as a result of God's judgment against the false
gods of His people, men refuse to rule, and God exalts oppressive
immature children and women to rule over them.
V. 13, even while the Lord is judging them with women and
children, He pleads with His people to return to Him. Romans 2
tells us that there is a point of no return when the evil of a
people is full and no amount of pleading will change the judgment
(cf. Jer 15:1). But evidently the point has not arrived yet for
these people; He is pleading with them to return.
V. 13 is the promise of judgment; v. 14 pronounces whom
the judgment is against: the ancients of his people, and the
princes. The law established the rule of God's people through
the family, rulers of tens, fifties &
hundreds. God established a king and princes (1 Samuel 8); God
established priests to lead them in His law; yet all of these
offices were corrupted. Rather than leading the people in the
paths of righteousness, the individuals in these offices were
separating the people from God's word and using the people for
their own benefit.
vineyard... Mat. 21:33, tells us that God gave His leaders
charge over His people (vineyard), but rather than rendering to
God His just honour and glory, they kept it for themselves. They
used the people of God for their own purpose. The Lord Jesus then
delivered upon the wicked leaders a scathing indictment and pronounced
judgment upon them, vs.45, 46. The judgment against them by Rome
was the most terrible thing the world had ever seen, Mat 24.
V. 15 describes the oppression of v. 5 as beating the people
to pieces and grinding their faces into the ground. The 10 were
to be caring for the welfare of the people of God and leading
them in the service of God, but they were devouring them. The
Lord God of hosts, speaks of God's judgment. Thus, this section
opens and closes with the promise of God's judgment.
Isaiah 3:1-15 can be summed up thusly:
God's people turned from the Lord when they turned from
His law-word for their guidance. The Lord warned them over and
over, yet they would not return. Maybe they followed His law as
it was convenient to do so, but they were not consistent. His
people were persuaded to depart from God; they replaced obedience
to His law with military might, 'wise men of this world,' judges,
counsellors, persuasive speakers, and they were happy with the
ones they established over themselves in place of the Lord.
Part of God's judgment against their sin was His placing
over them immature children. The people were so blinded by their
idolatry that they continued to follow after the women and children.
As time went on, the women and children became more oppressive.
The immature children were raisers of taxes (so the young men
advised Rehoboam, 1 Ks. 12:12-15); they institute all kinds of
oppressive measures and the people tolerate it. Why did the people
tolerate the evil of the children? Part of God's judgment against
them was that He blinded them to facts, lest they repent, and
the land be healed. Blindness from God is part of His judgment
against sin; He blinds the unrepentant sinner to what they are
doing so they bring judgment upon themselves. (Cf. 2 Pe 1:9; Re.
3:17; Tit 3:3; 2 Tim 3:13 [note, being deceived, ie. easily deceived];
Ja 1:22.)
There are many applications in this section. Observe:
1) no matter how much preparation one makes with food or
even armed might, if they overlook their relationship with the
Lord, their best efforts are wasted, v. 1. David said that there
is no place one can hide from the Lord, for His judgment reaches
every corner of creation, Pa 139.
2) we are in the midst of a tremendous disarmament move
here in America, v. 2. The armies we once depended upon in place
of godliness are being dismantled to be replaced with nothing
but promises (treaties).
3) notice that the Lord is also going to remove the prophet,
v. 2. Note the implications:
A) a result of the turning from the Lord by the covenant
people is the loss of the faithful proclamation of word of the
Lord, the godly prophet is removed. If the people will not listen
to the Lord, He will quit speaking. He will remove His faithful
preachers.
B) the man of God can be godly, but if the people cling
to him instead of the Lord, the Lord will remove him. It is as
bad to exalt a man of God to the place of God as it is to ignore
him completely.
The Lord is going to cut off everything that the people
have used to replace their dependance upon Himself: He will have
no other gods before Him, whether those gods take the form of
people or material objects.
4) the natural man does not want to hear the word of God
requiring repentance and obedience; people want to hear pleasant
sounding, political answers, vs. 2, 3.
The Lord through Isaiah says that if people will not listen
to God's lawful speakers, the prophet, but turn to the unlawful
speaker, the soothsayer, the Lord will see that the unlawful speaker
is cut off also. Therefore, everyone with any common sense must
be removed from all public view, because oppressive women and
children in authority cannot allow someone publicly exposing the
oppressor's ignorance and stupidity.
When we define the prudent as those who offer methods of
national recovery other than evangelism and teaching the word
of God, we must include "conservative" speakers. Today
we are faced with two humanistic forces: one from the conservative
side and one from liberal side. The problem is that both have
humanistic answers which do not center in God's word. I must admit
that I would much rather live under a conservative humanist than
a liberal humanist, but God's wrath is against all forms of humanism
(ungodliness), not just liberal humanism.
Nice, pleasant sounding answers which overlook repentance
and return to the word of God are exercises in witchcraft, ie.
occultism. There are currently some very popular Electronic Media
and "circuit riding" occult practitioners offering answers
without Christ and God's law. Those who expose problems and offer
conservative answers without the Lord, have the Lord against them
just as sure as does the "Hananiahs" or false religious
prophets who say there is no problem.
5) our nation is quickly loosing the skills which have
been developed over hundreds of years as our skilled crafts being
exported, v. 3.
6) Children and babes... If this does not describe today's
congress, nothing does, v. 4. We are now ruled by a group of immature
children who know only how to spend, raise taxes and watch out
for themselves and their friends.
The Lord says to His sinful people, "OK, if these
other sources appear better qualified than My word to lead and
protect you and supply your needs, then I'll give you over to
them. Only now there will be fighting and bickering children in
those places."
7) notice the rise of the tyrant and the ill-mannered insolent
children, v. 5. Observe: A) as God's people rebelled against God's
authority, their children rebel against their parental authority.
When the children rebel against proper authority, it is not long
before society in general rebels against proper authority: the
Lord God as revealed in His word. B) When God's people act like
rebellious children against Him, He gives them rebellious children
as rulers. The word of God warns us continually that only His
law will protect the common people. When His law-word is not followed,
the people become little more than pawns to keep the undisciplined
children in power. When lusts and covetousness control the people,
lust & covetousness will control the rulers.
No doubt one of the devices of the devil is to keep people
blind to cause and effect, but the Lord permits the blindness.
The reason the wicked rule is because of societies own wickedness,
which the people cannot see. Many make great professions of Christianity,
yet will not admit to the necessity of instituting the law of
God into their lives or into society. The only thing that will
keep the tyrant out of office is a godly people.
8) the qualification for rule is having more than another
has, v. 6. We find in our local area that the Chamber of Commerce
feels qualified to determine what is best for our county because
it is made up of businessmen. I have seen and heard of more than
one man made a deacon in his church simply because he had more
money than other church members. The result was nothing but trouble
because he was not a godly man. Far more often than we care to
admit, money is the qualification for leadership today. He has
money; therefore, humanistic thinking says he is qualified to
rule.
9) God's people's continuance in things which they know
displease their God is compared to sodomy, v. 9. Is it any wonder
that open sodomites are now in authority? God's people have rejected
repentance and the word of God as the answer to the difficult
straits they find themselves in, so God is giving them sodomites
as rulers.
10) The preachers rule over the people for the benefit
of the state or they give the people what they want to hear. Today's
pulpits and air waves are filled with men (and a few women) giving
the people what they want to hear, ie, good humanistic psychology.
There is very good money in hiding the truth of the word of God
which calls for repentance, conversion and obedience.
11) good men refuse to rule because the say that they have
no food or clothing, v. 7. Obviously then, they feel they must
work all the time.
I have found that the men who are sensible, intelligent,
capable and could handle godly rule well, are so involved in making
a living that they would rather women and children rule over them
than have to make personal sacrifice. V. 7 implies that God's
law requires good men be involved in the areas of leadership which
have been turned over to the women and children. In fact, it is
obvious that women and children in authority is God's judgment
against good men for not taking their godly responsibility in
society.
12) Isaiah indicts the men for not taking their responsibility
before God, and he indicts the priests for not leading God's people
in the proper path. The ones who were supposed to lead the people
closer to God are not. We must admit that the rule of women started
in the church when men sent their wives to do the Lord's work
of evangelicalism.
13) the light in the terrible darkness, v. 10. This verse
holds an unlimited amount of assurance and promise. The judgment
and destruction promised against the sins of God's people is beyond
comprehension, but v. 10 is inserted right in the midst of this
description. God promises His people that they will reap what
they have sown: if they have sown to the wind, they will reap
the whirlwind, BUT if they have sown right living before God,
they will reap His blessings even when everything is failing around
them.
[Consider this for a moment: in v. 6, the situation is
so bad that anyone who even appears to have anything is perceived
as having some common sense; therefore, he is asked to rule over
the people. In v. 7, they refuse; now in v. 10, the Lord promises
to bless the ones who have been faithful to His law in the midst
of the turmoil. The unrepentant are stripped of everything, the
righteous are blessed and all in accord with the law of God. What
if the blessings of the Lord upon His faithful people are evident
in their clothing and food? Would not this mean that the ones
of v. 6 would come to the ones who have been faithful to the Lord
and ask them to rule? Things have deteriorated so bad that anything,
even the law of God, will be better than the anarchy that is taking
place. One of the pastors on our mailing list, Pastor Andrew Green
of Kokomo Independent Baptist Church, has been provided with an
open door into his county's judicial system. Just recently, a
judge offered him juvenile cases because things have deteriorated
so badly that the system knows not where to turn.]
We are seeing some very crazy things today. With amazing
speed, the US is quietly merging with the Soviets into a one-world,
socialist, anti-god, statist society. [Many of the US bases which
are being abandoned by the US military in the continental United
States are being turned over to the UN. Thus our armed forces
are being deployed overseas while foreign UN troops are being
stationed in the US.]
The Lord is moving against those who know God yet refuse
to glorify Him as God, Rom 1:21. Children are ruling over
God's disobedient people, and our only hope is to be faithful
and true to His law-word in the face of all the efforts by the
enemy to convince us that this is no longer necessary. Then as
judgment continues, and it will, we can depend on the Lord to
do what is right. As we have remained faithful in every area to
Him according to His opportunity and grace, we can expect Him
to be faithful to us in the terrible times that are upon us.
14) the promise is to reap what we have sown, vs. 10, 11.
And let me add, we can only sow while the weather is good. When
the storm is here and the are winds blowing everything away, sowing
cannot be done.
15) we must admit that it was our fathers of the last 100
or so years who stripped God's word of its a practical application
into society, v. 14. My father has been a Baptist pastor every
since I can remember. He considers me a heretic because I stand
for the law-word of God against all enemies, foreign and domestic
(from within and without the church). To him, voting borders on
sin because a Christian should not be involved in politics.
16) there must be complete judgment against sin before
righteousness can be exalted.
17) we will not continue at this point, but Isaiah's description
of the women is very interesting, vs. 16-26.
The conclusion must be that there can be no relief from
oppression without a return to the Lord as revealed to us in His
total word. Women, children and sodomites rule because God's people
refuse to allow God to rule their every thought and action. Ungodly
rulers will remain until ungodliness is dealt with.
But amid all the doom and gloom, the lord always gives
a ray of hope, v. 10. Are we sowing fruit that we will be willing
to eat in the coming years?.
Pastor Need
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