Isaiah 3:19

Isaiah 3:19 says, The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,  Then, Isaiah begins to list the things that God will take away.  He starts with chains and bracelets, and the chains were not chains of oppression, but chains worn to make a person feel more beautiful or richer than other people.  Then, he begins to list items of apparel that are worn more to show off than of necessity.  The things that we use to make ourselves look richer in the world should never become mor important than our relationship with God, because one day they will be gone.

Verse twenty adds, The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,  Isaiah continues to list these items of adornment that God will one day take away.   

Verse twenty-one continues, The rings, and nose jewels,  We find some of those who profess themselves to be Christians wearing nose studs or rings, but this is nothing new.  Evidently, women of Judah did the same thing, and God said He would take all that away when He came in judgment.  As already stated, God’s word does not change, so what He pronounced as wrong then is still wrong today.  It wasn’t the jewelry that was wrong in and of itself, but the attitude that it was more important than helping the less fortunate was.   

Verse twenty-two states, The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,  Isaiah then begins to list items of clothing that were worn more to feel superior to others than of an actual need.   

Verse twenty-three adds, The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.  I believe that the glasses don’t refer to those need to help a person see better but glasses that worn just to enhance ones looks.   Thousand-dollar suits worn while poor people starve will never impress God.

Verse twenty-four continues, And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.  Isaiah said one day all these beauty aides were going to stink and would be destroyed.  No matter how much we spend on our personal adornment, it is never going to last beyond this lifetime, so we need to learn to help those in need before we splurge on beautiful things.   

Verse twenty-five says, Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.  Moving on to the men, Isaiah said they were going to fall by the sword since they would no longer have God’s protection.  Matthew Henry says that since the women were making themselves look more beautiful for the men, that the men they were doing this for would be killed in battle, which would make their efforts even more vain. 

Verse twenty-six adds, And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.  Isaiah warned them that God said their cities were going to become desolate, all because of their pride and disobedience to Him.  We should never put prideful actions above doing God’s work and following His guidance to first reach out with the gospel and then to help the less fortunate.

Isaiah 3:13

Isaiah 3:13 says, The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.  God first pleads with or calls people to come to Him for salvation by faith, and if they don’t, then one day He will call them to judgment.  That applied to the people of Judah then, as it has applied to all people for all time.  These are the only two choices anyone will ever have.   

Verse fourteen adds, The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.  God is aware of our actions based on greed, and one day, He will pronounce judgment on those who have lived by greed and have not only not cared about the poor and needy but have taken even what little they have to enrich themselves.   

Verse fifteen continues, What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.  God asked the people of Judah, a part of His chosen people, why they had beaten down the poor.  God’s word has always told His people to help the poor and the widows and orphans.  He never said that we are to view them as a burden and someone else’s problem.  I believe that he expects a nation that calls itself a Christian nation to do the same, but ultimately, it is the responsibility of every Christian to help the less fortunate, no matter what the government or others may be doing.  

Verse sixteen says, Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:  The more affluent women were looking to glorify themselves and were not concerned about the poor.  There are many women today who are more concerned about how they look than about the poor and needy. They strut about showing of their fine clothes and look down on the poor and needy.  I said women because that is what the verse says, but men can be just as guilty.   

Verse seventeen adds, Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.  Isaiah warned them that God was one day going to judge them and take away all their beauty and conceited attitudes.  He has not changed.  As followers of Christ, we will always be expected to take care of the less fortunate instead of being concerned about how fine we may dress.   

Verse eighteen continues, In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,  Isaiah warned them that God was one day going to judge them and take away all the things that they wore to make themselves look more beautiful while they oppressed the poor.  We will never carry any beautiful trinket to heaven, but the help that we supply to the poor, in particular widows and orphans, will be noted in heaven.   

Isaiah 3:7

Isaiah 3:7 says, In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.  Isaiah said God had said to him that He would not be a healer of those who didn.t believe in Him and follow His laws.  Matthew Henry says a leader should heal those he serves, bringing them together with a meekness of attitude.  We need leaders today who work to bring people together with a meek attitude and not separate them out of arrogance and self-pride.  The people of Judah were in a bleak situation, not even having enough clothing to wear.  The church today should never find itself spiritually naked because we have stopped being obedient to God.   

Verse eight adds, For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.  God said Judah and Jerusalem had fallen into ruin, not because God had failed to protect them, but because the people had failed to be obedient to Him.  If we find ourselves failing as followers of Christ today, it will never be because God has failed us, but always because we have failed Him.  This is not to say that as His followers we will always have everything we want, but spiritually we will always have everything we need to successfully follow Him.   

Verse nine continues, The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.  Isaiah said that the people of Judah and Jerusalem's appearance even showed their sin against God, committed openly as it had been done in Sodom.  They didn’t even try to hide it.  People of the world today openly defy God, but we need to pray that the people of the church never will.  God said that they had earned evil as a reward.  God will never reward evil with good, but He will always stand in opposition to it. 

Verse ten states, Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.  God told Isaiah to tell the righteous that it would be well with them, and they would eat of fruit of their righteousness. Matthew Henry says that this means that no matter what happens to the wicked, God’s people will always be safe under His protection.  God is going to meet the spiritual needs of His people, even if the world at times leaves them destitute. 

Verse eleven adds, Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.  There is still this warning to evil, or lost, people of the world today.  Someone may even be kind and generous to those around them, but if they don’t put their faith in Jesus Christ, they will still face the judgment of God one day. 

Verse twelve continues, As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.  The people of Judah and Jerusalem were to be so powerless because of their lack of faith that they would be ruled over by women and children, who were considered to be pretty much powerless at that time.  Still, it seems that at times today within the family that women and children rule over the men, and this should never be the case with God’s people.  This does not mean that women and children are powerless, but that they all should be under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and that the man has the ultimate responsibility for the family’s following God’s direction.