Isa 3:14-15 | KingComments | STEP | A further degeneration of the condition of the people can be seen in the section that starts here and continues to Isaiah 4:1. The people get the leaders they deserve. There are two kinds of leaders: “children” and “women” ( ; cf. ; ). In the leaders are described as children , who are incapable to rule (cf. ). In the section from Isaiah 3:16 to Isaiah 4:1 they are described as women , who are unauthorized to rule (cf. ). In both cases they are leaders who do not have a place of authority, but who assume it. If they take that place, they turn out to be tyrants. It may also be that the man rules formally, but the woman is in control, as we see with Ahab and Jezebel ( ). Children are generally guided by their lusts and passions, without any sense of compassion. Children can be very tender, but also extremely hard. They are capable of mistreating and oppressing those in their power. Women are generally guided by their feelings. They too can be very tender, but also very cruel. In their desire to assert themselves, they go over corpses. In both cases the ability to deliver the people from the state of confusion lacks. What kind of leaders are leading in professing Christianity? Many leaders are leading God’s people away from Christ. They think they are qualified, but they are seducers. When women take (or get!) the lead, only deception can follow. They can only lead the people of God in the wrong direction. They lack a clear direction because they occupy a place not given to them by God. By addressing them as “My people” the LORD wants to reach their hearts, so that they may see how they are and return to Him. He reminds them that these leaders are deceiving them. Instead of leading the people on the right way, they lead them astray by taking them on a wrong way. The LORD cannot endure the attitude of the leaders. He arises and prepares Himself for a lawsuit against them ( ). He is indignant about their attitude and actions and takes the attitude of Judge toward “the nations”, that is the tribes of Israel, the whole of Israel. [The Septuagint – the Greek translation of the Old Testament – translates “the peoples” with “His people”]. After the LORD has prepared Himself for the trial, He actually enters into judgment with the leaders, “the elders and princes of His people” ( ). He particularly blames them for behaving like wild beasts in the vineyard, which they should have guarded against wild beasts. They have devoured the vineyard, so that He does not get any fruit from it, that is to say, no joy, of which the wine speaks. His joy is an undisturbed fellowship with them. The leaders have made that impossible. They have plundered, trampled and abused God’s people and filled their own houses with the plunder. The exclamation “what do you mean …?” expresses the amazement of the LORD ( ; cf. ), as if He cannot understand that the leaders behave so ruthlessly toward their peers (cf. ). He Himself has dealt with them with so much mercy. Why then this way of acting? He exacerbates the accusation by talking about those they mistreat as “My people”. What is done to His people hits Him in the heart. At the same time He presents Himself, as in , as “the Lord GOD of hosts”. They have to do with Him.

‏ Isaiah 3:14-15

The Leaders Are Seducers

A further degeneration of the condition of the people can be seen in the section that starts here and continues to Isaiah 4:1.

The people get the leaders they deserve. There are two kinds of leaders: “children” and “women” (Isa 3:12; cf. 1Kgs 15:13; 2Kgs 11:1 ; 13). In Isa 3:12-15 the leaders are described as children, who are incapable to rule (cf. 1Tim 3:2 ; 6). In the section from Isaiah 3:16 to Isaiah 4:1 they are described as women, who are unauthorized to rule (cf. 1Tim 2:12).

In both cases they are leaders who do not have a place of authority, but who assume it. If they take that place, they turn out to be tyrants. It may also be that the man rules formally, but the woman is in control, as we see with Ahab and Jezebel (1Kgs 21:7).

Children are generally guided by their lusts and passions, without any sense of compassion. Children can be very tender, but also extremely hard. They are capable of mistreating and oppressing those in their power. Women are generally guided by their feelings. They too can be very tender, but also very cruel. In their desire to assert themselves, they go over corpses. In both cases the ability to deliver the people from the state of confusion lacks.

What kind of leaders are leading in professing Christianity? Many leaders are leading God’s people away from Christ. They think they are qualified, but they are seducers. When women take (or get!) the lead, only deception can follow. They can only lead the people of God in the wrong direction. They lack a clear direction because they occupy a place not given to them by God.

By addressing them as “My people” the LORD wants to reach their hearts, so that they may see how they are and return to Him. He reminds them that these leaders are deceiving them. Instead of leading the people on the right way, they lead them astray by taking them on a wrong way.

The LORD cannot endure the attitude of the leaders. He arises and prepares Himself for a lawsuit against them (Isa 3:13). He is indignant about their attitude and actions and takes the attitude of Judge toward “the nations”, that is the tribes of Israel, the whole of Israel. [The Septuagint – the Greek translation of the Old Testament – translates “the peoples” with “His people”].

After the LORD has prepared Himself for the trial, He actually enters into judgment with the leaders, “the elders and princes of His people” (Isa 3:14). He particularly blames them for behaving like wild beasts in the vineyard, which they should have guarded against wild beasts. They have devoured the vineyard, so that He does not get any fruit from it, that is to say, no joy, of which the wine speaks. His joy is an undisturbed fellowship with them. The leaders have made that impossible. They have plundered, trampled and abused God’s people and filled their own houses with the plunder.

The exclamation “what do you mean …?” expresses the amazement of the LORD (Isa 3:15; cf. Psa 94:5), as if He cannot understand that the leaders behave so ruthlessly toward their peers (cf. Mt 18:21-35). He Himself has dealt with them with so much mercy. Why then this way of acting? He exacerbates the accusation by talking about those they mistreat as “My people”. What is done to His people hits Him in the heart. At the same time He presents Himself, as in Isa 3:1, as “the Lord GOD of hosts”. They have to do with Him.