Read
13The Lord is ready to accuse
and judge all nations.
14He will even judge
you rulers and leaders
of his own nation.
You destroyed his vineyard
and filled your houses
by robbing the poor.
15The Lord All-Powerful says,
“You have crushed my people
and rubbed in the dirt
the faces of the poor.”
The Women of Jerusalem
16The Lord says:
The women of Jerusalem
are proud and strut around,
winking shamelessly.
They wear anklets that jingle
and call attention
to the way they walk.
17But I, the Lord, will cover
their heads with sores,
and I will uncover
their private parts.
18-23When that day comes, I will take away from those women all the fine jewelry they wear on their ankles, heads, necks, ears, arms, noses, fingers, and on their clothes. I will remove their veils, their belts, their perfume, their magic charms, their royal robes, and all their fancy dresses, hats, and purses.
24In place of perfume,
there will be a stink;
in place of belts,
there will be ropes;
in place of fancy hairdos,
they will have bald heads.
Instead of expensive clothes,
they will wear sackcloth;
instead of beauty,
they will have ugly scars.
25The fighting men of Jerusalem
will be killed in battle.
26The city will mourn
and sit in the dirt,
emptied of its people.
1When this happens, seven women will grab the same man, and each of them will say, “I'll buy my own food and clothes! Just marry me and take away my disgrace.”
Reflect
There’s nothing pretty about war, defeat and captivity. And that is precisely what is being described in today’s reading. Isaiah is prophesying the LORD’s judgment on the southern Kingdom of Judah.
With stunning accuracy Isaiah’s words were fulfilled. In 597 BC, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians and the leading citizens were deported to Babylon. A second deportation occurred ten years later after the destruction of Jerusalem and the sacred temple in 587 BC. The well-heeled and fashionable found themselves destitute as they were led off in chains.
Isaiah lays out the cause for this judgment. The leading men of Judah oppressed the poor. The LORD asks, “How dare you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?” (Isaiah 3:15) Meanwhile the haughty women of the city had approved of this robbery of the weak as they looked on with disdain.
If God were to enter into judgment with Canada, what would he see? Are the attitudes and social conditions markedly different from those found in Isaiah’s day? What is my attitude toward the homeless, the poor and the marginalized? Do I look down on those who are of a different race, religion or culture?
Questions like this leave me squirming. Like the daughters of Zion, I may be more smug than compassionate.
Paul, the apostle, has this advice for us: But if we had judged ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged (1 Corinthians 11:31). In other words, if we correct our attitude and conduct, we will not need to face God’s judgment.
Respond
LORD God, forgive me for looking down on those who are less fortunate. Show me the way of compassion, just as your Son, Jesus, had compassion on me. Amen.
David Kitz
David Kitz is an actor, an award-winning author, and teacher. For more than thirty years, he has served as an ordained pastor. His love for drama is evident to all who have seen his Bible-based performances. He has toured across Canada and United States with a variety of one man plays for children and adults. Raised in Saskatchewan, David now lives in Ottawa with his wife Karen. Books in print: The Soldier Who Killed a King, Little Froggy Explores the BIG World, Psalms Alive!, Tunks on Tongues