Isaiah 3-5--characteristics of a nation that has left God, these are not signs that a nation is going
down, they are signs that God has turned on them, this is the beginning of their judgment
3:1-5; 12
For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay
and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water. 2The mighty man, and the man
of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, 3The captain of fifty, and the
honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer [skilled workman/magician, enchanter],
and the eloquent orator. 4And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
5And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child
shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
12As 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.
God will remove their leaders and replace them with kids and women and this will be oppression on
everyone. (Vs. 6-11) No man with a brain wants to rule these ruins because these people have
forsaken God. It’s not men being lazy, it’s men realizing the situation for what it is: hopeless, why
bother? Kids, women and guys who take advantage of the poor take over--this is God’s judgment on
them.
3:16-26--women were busy trying to be beautiful and this is another cause of judgment, God will
shame their women.
Chapter 4--there is a remnant that will get it and survive and the Lord will be beautiful to them. God’s
people enjoy the fruits of God’s wrath
5:1-7--illustration of the vineyard and the vinedresser that Jesus borrows. The vine is rebellious, only
produces bad grapes, so the vinedresser gives up, doesn’t even bother with it anymore.
5:8,9--Six woes to Israel--compare with Christ’s woes to Religious leaders in Matthew 23
Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be
placed alone in the midst of the earth! 9In mine ears said the LORD of hosts, Of a truth many houses
shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.
Materialism, more than one house, house after house all smashed together.
5:11-13
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue
until night, till wine inflame them! 12And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in
their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
13Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their
honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
All about drinking and partying and cooking and eating.
5:20-23
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and
prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to
mingle strong drink: 23Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the
righteous from him!
Morality is completely messed up. The wicked are celebrated and the righteous are rejected and beer
drinkers become heroes!
5:24,25
Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be
as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the
LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25Therefore is the anger of the
LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten
them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his
anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
God is the judge, one might want to be interested in what the Judge has to say! He comes to judge
and He will do it.
Is there any hope? Not really! So why should anyone bother? Because God says to!
Isaiah 6:1-4
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and
his train filled the temple. 2Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he
covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3And one cried unto
another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4And
the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
God is holy. What is holy? It’s not perfection, sinlessness, that’s righteousness. Holy means
separate, completely different. When we see Him it’s so different fear is the result. He is not like us.
Isaiah 6:5-7
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone (destroyed, ruined); because I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of
hosts. 6Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken
with the tongs from off the altar: 7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy
lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
The result of getting a glimpse of God is total fear and awareness of your sin. The place of
forgiveness is with God. Isaiah is now ready, he has seen God and his sin has been removed. Live
coal--signifies action on the Day of Atonement, in other words, Isaiah was shown that a sacrifice
had been made for his sin.
Isaiah 6:8
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I,
Here am I; send me.
No man wanted to help this place in ruins, but God wanted someone. When you see God you have a
desire to go do something! Send me, what would you have me to do? So what does God want Isaiah
to say and do? Isaiah was the man who would take on the job of guiding the ruined nation.
Isaiah 6:9-10
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but
perceive not. 10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest
they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and
be healed.
Go talk to this people and make sure they don’t get the point! What? How long must he do this
foolishness?
Isaiah 6:11-13
Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the
houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, 12And the LORD have removed men far away,
and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. 13But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall
return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast
their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
Do it until there is nothing left. Isaiah’s job was a failure from the get-go. There was no way it was
going to work. Isaiah’s job was to be one more guy who told them that they rejected. He was not
sent to save them, but to be one more reason for their condemnation.
But God is always faithful, just when it looks like there is no answer, God comes up with something
and totally redeems the situation.
Isaiah 7--Isaiah’s first mission. Jerusalem is being attacked but is not defeated, God tells King Ahaz
that these two kings and their people will be wiped out, don‘t worry.
Isaiah 7:10-13
Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it
either in the depth, or in the height above. 12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the
LORD. 13And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but
will ye weary my God also?
The one time God says It’s OK for a man to ask for a sign, he refuses to! Man never does what God
says. God will give them a sign anyway.
Isaiah 7:14-16
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and
shall call his name Immanuel. 15Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil,
and choose the good. 16For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the
land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
There will be a child born who will live at this time and will signify the destruction of the bad guys.
There was a kid born at this time that signified this stuff. This also points forward to the birth of
Christ. Isaiah is not the answer, his job was to point people to a Child, to Christ, God with us.
Isaiah 4:2
In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be
excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
Branch, Messianic title, always He and He alone is the hope.
Isaiah’s first message is this: It’s never too late, a child can come and change the score! Our country
might be going down, but you don’t need a country, you need a Child.
Matthew 1:20-23
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream,
saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is
conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and
shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with
us.
Isaiah’s first message is one that points people to Christ. Christ who is the point of the Law and the
Prophets. It’s Isaiah’s first message! It has never ceased being the first message. Christ is our
Deliverer, our Savior, the world will go to hell without Him. Consider it not strange when it happens,
just make sure you know who the Savior is.