Review of Isaiah 3:1-15

Over the past few sections, we have read about the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. Let's review our observations.

Isaiah demonstrates the lack of good leadership.

In Isaiah 3:1-3, Isaiah reveals God's plans to strip Jerusalem of its food and water, as well as its leaders. In verses 4-5, Isaiah describes the disorder that will ensue with a lack of leadership. Isaiah then shows how desperate the people will grow for a leader, any leader (Isaiah 3:6-7).

We saw that God can use even disorder to accomplish His purposes. Indeed, this is a powerful God who can take even chaos and turn it into order. We also contrasted poor human leadership with the final and fulfilling reign of Jesus Christ, the perfect leader.

The people are defiant of God and His laws.

Isaiah reminds the people that God's judgment comes because of their unrepentant sin. They have no one to blame for their misery but themselves (Isaiah 3:8-9).

We examined the process that births sin and ends in destruction. We acknowledged the Bible's teaching that only God can reverse the death that sin brings. Once again, we see the picture of a powerful God who can bring life where only death once reigned.

The people sow what they reap.

In verses 10-11, Isaiah says that it will go well with the righteous, but the wicked will be destroyed. The results of their deeds will be consistent with the nature of their deeds.

We discussed our opportunities to reap good things from the good we sow in helping others. Whatever our abilities and interests, God can use them for the good of other people.

God reveals how the leaders have negatively influenced the rest of His people.

While each man or woman is personally responsible for his or her own choices, God also clearly places a responsibility on the leadership to lead their subjects toward righteousness. In Isaiah 3:12, Isaiah claims the rulers have led the people astray. In Isaiah 3:13-15, God rises in judgment against these leaders and rulers because they have helped to destroy God's people.

We saw that each Christian has a gift God would like to use in service to others. We realized that God cares very much for the overlooked and mistreated.

Conclusion: God will judge the leaders who have abused their responsibilities.

God displays His power in our lives by transforming chaos and death into order and life. Yet He wants us to use this very same power to influence others positively. When we abuse or fail to use the gifts He has given us, we fail, in some sense, to show appreciation for the renewal He introduces into our lives. And God will certainly evaluate us for our service, or lack thereof. Essentially, this is what Jesus taught when He told the parable of the loaned money, which you can read in Matthew 25:14-30. I'll paraphrase it below.

The Parable of the Loaned Money

As a wealthy man prepared to travel, he brought his servants together. He wished them to take care of his property and money while he was away from home. The man gave $5000 to one servant. To a second servant, he entrusted $2000. Finally, he gave $1000 to a third servant. Then he left.

Immediately, the first servant, the one with $5000 of his master's money, sought a suitable place to invest the money. He invested so wisely that he doubled the money. The second servant, though he had less money, also invested wisely. He, too, doubled his master's money. But the third servant acted quite differently. He snuck off with his shovel, dug a hole in the ground, stuffed the money into the ground and covered it up.

The wealthy man stayed on his journey for a long time. When he finally returned, he called his servants together again. He asked what they had done with the money which he'd entrusted to their care. The first servant brought in his $10,000 and said, "Sir, you remember that you gave me $5000. I have gained $5000 more for you."

The master was pleased. "Well done, faithful servant. You have done so well with what I've given you, that I will give you even more."

The second servant then brought in his $4000, and the master expressed the same pleasure for this servant's use of his money.

But the third servant received quite a different reaction. The servant brought in his $1000 and explained, "Sir, I know you have high expectations. I did not want to lose the money you had given me, so I hid it away where it would be safe. Here's every penny you left with me."

This time, the master was disappointed. "You are both wicked and lazy. If you knew I had high expectations, why did you not put my money to use? At the very least, you could have put it in the bank and received interest on my deposit."

The master took the money from this last servant and gave it to another who would use it more wisely.

A Final Word

We all have the opportunity to influence someone else. Not every interaction is going to exert life-altering influence on the other person, but it will have either a positive or a negative influence. Likewise, we only have two options when using our gifts, abilities, and resources. We can use them as God intended, or we can abuse them. Failing to use them is really just a form of abuse. If we use them as God intended, we will exert positive influence on other people and reap positive results for ourselves. If we abuse our gifts, we will exert negative influence on others and reap negative results for ourselves.

To read the previous article from Isaiah, click here.
To read the next article from Isaiah, click here.