The Branch (Isaiah 3-4)
This morning, we will switch it up by studying Isaiah in the morning and praying in the evening. In the evenings, we have been studying through the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah is not just an Old Testament book meant for the Israelites. It contains the promises that the New Testament fulfills. So, our understanding of the New Testament will always be hindered if we haven't studied books like Isaiah. For example, in Chapter 2, God promises to establish the kingdom of God as the greatest kingdom on earth. He's talking about raising his kingdom from the dead and establishing it as the greatest kingdom on earth. You and I are a part of that kingdom if we are in Christ. The New Testament tells us that Jesus came to establish the kingdom. When he was on earth, he preached, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." It is nearly here. The kingdom of heaven is established in the Book of Acts, which we studied over the last year. It's a kingdom where all nations can find eternal peace. Isaiah foretold that.
Have you studied Isaiah? That's what we are doing on Sunday nights. I want to give you a taste of that this morning.
The Full City Will Be Empty
If you are like me, you like being a part of a wealthy nation. It's a tremendous blessing to have access to everything we have access to. We can go up the road and pig out on several different types of food. We can go online and order things from all over the world. We have the opportunity and ability to do almost whatever we want. The question for today is, "Where do those opportunities and abilities come from, and how do we feel about them?"
After God gives us a picture of the kingdom of God, he tells us why his people could not receive this kingdom in 700 BC. The reason is interesting.
Isaiah 2:6–8 (ESV) — 6 For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. 7 Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. 8 Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.
They are rejected because they are complete. They are full of the ways of the world, full of riches, full of armies, and full of idols. Now, we know that having blessings isn't a bad thing. God gives blessings to the Israelites repeatedly. The bad thing is that they enjoy those blessings while becoming worldly. God wants them to be distinct from the world and to trust in him, but they have grown to trust in their riches. They are content with what they have and don't care about what God wants. God makes this clear throughout Chapter 2.
Isaiah 2:22 (ESV) — 22 Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?
They regard men highly. They overthink themselves and their accomplishments and too little of God. But in reality, they are nothing without God. In Chapter 3, God will show them man is just a breath. He cannot bring about anything significant on his own. If God wants to, he can remove what he is supplying. Look what happens.
Isaiah 3:1–7 (ESV) — 1 For behold, the Lord God of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and supply, all support of bread, and all support of water; 2 the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, 3 the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the skillful magician and the expert in charms. 4 And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. 5 And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable. 6 For a man will take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying: “You have a cloak; you shall be our leader, and this heap of ruins shall be under your rule”; 7 in that day he will speak out, saying: “I will not be a healer; in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; you shall not make me leader of the people.”
All he has to do is stop giving them rain and protecting them from enemies; the effects are staggering. They become empty. They lose all their leaders. He just goes through the list of leaders and points out that they are all gone. Instead of great leaders, some immature children hurt and oppress each other and the people. Sound familiar?
It kind of becomes humorous in verse 6. He points out that no one wants to be a ruler anymore because they rule over a heap of ruins. All of the joy in that nation is gone because they thought they were great, and God took away his help.
God's Judgments Are True
It's not enough for God to pronounce judgments against his nation. Throughout the prophets, God wants his righteousness and justice to be clear. We wouldn't want a God who takes away supplies from people for something as silly as pride. We are all very proud people, whether we recognize it or not. But pride is a big deal to God and is at the heart of the issue. However, it is not all that they are guilty of. It's not the only reason they deserve such loss. Listen to the next section and see if you can pick up on the other things they are doing wrong.
Isaiah 3:8–15 (ESV) — 8 For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. 9 For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves. 10 Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. 11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him. 12 My people—infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths. 13 The Lord has taken his place to contend; he stands to judge peoples. 14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of his people: “It is you who have devoured the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses. 15 What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor?” declares the Lord God of hosts.
The first verses there say it all. They have not just ignored God's gifts. They have actively set themselves against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. What does that mean? It means they are making a mockery of God. They do things that are against the law in spite. There are a few phrases that indicate this.
First, God says they are actively trying to provoke God by proclaiming their sin like Sodom. People who act like Sodom are rapists and murderers. They create a society that we don't want to live in. These people are testing God to see if he will do anything. They don't believe he's real.
Next, look at verse 15. He says they are grinding the face of the poor. Verse 14 says, "The spoil of the poor is in your houses." These people are destroying poor people to become full and wealthy. This is ridiculous and wholly opposed to God's will. His law makes a way for the poor to excel. He stands for the poor and helpless.
God says, "They have brought this evil on themselves." I say this to my kids. I tell them what not to do and what will happen if they don't listen to me and do it anyway. So when they do what I told them not to do, please don't assume that it's my fault they are being punished. It's their fault. They brought this on themselves. They touched the hot iron after I said it would be bad if they touched it. God says this about his people. He warned them and tried to turn them away, but they insisted on being evil and suffering consequences.
There is one more statement that I find very interesting in this text. He says, "It is you who have devoured the vineyard." What does this imply? It tells us that they had something beautiful and flourishing that provided joy and happiness. But they chose to devour it instead of caring for it. The reason why there is no vineyard is on their shoulders. If they would not have been so selfish and indulgent, they would still have a vineyard.
Throughout this section, God makes the case that they are wicked and deserve punishment. He is contending for himself to be seen as righteous in this. He says, "It will be well with the righteous, but the wicked will suffer due to their sins. Did you notice the particular sins he calls them out for committing? They have robbed the poor and ground his face.
The Daughters of Zion
Then, in one more section of judgment, he compares what Jerusalem is doing and what will happen to Jerusalem to the daughters of Jerusalem. He paints a picture of spoiled and evil women.
Isaiah 3:16–4:1 (ESV) — 16 The Lord said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet, 17 therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will lay bare their secret parts. 18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; 19 the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; 20 the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; 21 the signet rings and nose rings; 22 the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; 23 the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the veils. 24 Instead of perfume there will be rottenness; and instead of a belt, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a rich robe, a skirt of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty. 25 Your men shall fall by the sword and your mighty men in battle. 26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; empty, she shall sit on the ground. 1 And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach.”
Verse 16 describes the daughters of Zion as proud, flirty, joyful, and decadent. They skip along, enjoying the riches they have stolen from the poor. Then, verse 17-4:1 describes how God will put a scab on their heads, make them stink, take away their riches and beauty, and bring them to the point of begging for someone to marry them. They will be humiliated instead of proud.
This picture is of God taking people who are so full of wealth and making them empty. Verse 1 of Chapter 4 says they can hardly find a man because so many have been taken away or killed. They go from proud and full to empty and humiliated.
Application
Isaiah depicts Israel as taking the blessings that God has given them and using them for evil. They aren't just struggling with temptations and dealing with weaknesses. They have received everything they have from God and act like they got it themselves. Then, they take those blessings and destroy them by being foolish.
Do we see how evil that is? What about us? What are we doing with God's blessings? I know what the world around us is doing. They follow the path of Israel, defying God's presence and proclaiming their sin like Sodom. But does this have an application for us?
Do we take the blessings of God and carry an attitude of superiority over the less fortunate? Do we look down on people who don't have as much? Are we full of pride? That pride leads us to hoard our gifts from God. He gave us these gifts to honor and glorify his name, not so that we can overindulge.
Are we becoming worldly? As we grow full, it's easy for us to become complacent and attach ourselves to this world instead of ourselves to God. He's the source of all these things. He can remove his hand if he wants, and they would all be gone quickly. If we are becoming worldly, it's just a matter of time before we set ourselves against God. We cannot worship God and this world. They are against one another. So, we must repent and put our trust more fully in God. We must let go of trusting in things that aren't God and put our trust entirely in him.
The Branch of the Lord
Is this what God wants for his people? No. He wants them to enjoy peace and prosperity. That's why he gave those things to them. So, he will provide what is needed to save them.
Isaiah 4:2–6 (ESV) — 2 In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. 3 And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. 5 Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. 6 There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.
Along with the judgment for the wicked, God provides hope for salvation. There is a branch. What is this about? Why is there "the branch of the Lord?" This is a figure that is used to describe the Messiah. In Jeremiah, God tells us about a branch of David. Branches are also called shoots. They represent young saplings that sprout up. But the word branch makes us think of a family tree. God will provide a branch of his that will be beautiful and glorious. This Messiah figure is also called the fruit of the land. So, in this barren land full of emptiness and rubble, God will give a branch that produces fruit.
Notice what will happen to those who take hold of the branch. It will be their pride and honor. They stop regarding man and start regarding the branch of God. The wicked people who repent and take hold of the branch will be called holy, their name is recorded for life in Jerusalem, and they will be cleaned. These all sound amazing. God is going to take wicked people and clean them up. They will be set apart for God.
The idea of them being recorded for life is found throughout the Bible. It indicates that God has a book of names that belong to him. In Revelation 20:12-15, God talks about the Book of Life containing the names of all who will inherit eternal life. So, God is promising those who trust in the branch eternal life.
When it says that "the Lord will wash away the filth," he's talking about their sin as though it is vomit or feces. If you have been around babies, you know what it's like to clean up the filth of an exploded diaper. Jenna and I usually get the other to take care of it. We don't want to clean that up. But God says he will wash us clean. He's going to take care of us and provide what we need.