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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The Lord takes His place in court;
He rises to judge the people. The Lord enters into judgment against the elders
and leaders of His people:
“It is you who have ruined My vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
The Lord says, “The women of Zion
are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, strutting
along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. Therefore the
Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will make
their scalps bald.”
In that day the Lord will snatch
away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, the
earrings and bracelets and veils, the headdresses and anklets and sashes, the
perfume bottles and charms, the signet rings and nose rings, the fine robes and
the capes and cloaks, the purses and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras
and shawls.
Instead of fragrance there will be
a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead
of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding. Your men will fall by
the sword, your warriors in battle. The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute,
she will sit on the ground.
In that day seven women will take
hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes;
only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”
Isaiah 3:13-26,
4:1
This ends this
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Today is the last part of this
eight part series on the signs of God’s judgment as drawn from the third
chapter of the Book of Isaiah and it’s a fitting place for us to close. For
when the fullest extent of God’s judgment is imparted, it will be when the Lord
takes His place in court.
When there is a trial, no
determination can be made, guilty or innocent, until the judge is in the
courtroom and presides over the proceedings. Here, in the closing verses of
Chapter 3 and the opening verse of Chapter 4, we find the Lord God Almighty rising
to judge His people as He takes His place in the courtroom, in this case the
courtroom of Jerusalem and Judah.
What were the charges levied
against the Israelites?
Go to the word of God for today for
the answers.
1. “You (the Israelites) have ruined My vineyard.”
2. “The plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by
crushing My people and grinding the faces of the poor?”
3. “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting
with their eyes, strutting along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on
their ankles.”
The people of Israel ruined the
places where the Lord wished to reap a harvest. They abused the poor and
underprivileged. They chose sinful immorality over righteousness, sexually and
in the way they worshipped false gods and idols.
And so God, like any judge after
levying a charge of guilty, delved out penalties.
What was in store for the people of
Jerusalem and Judah?
Back to the scriptures.
1. In regard to the sexually immoral
women:
“In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and
headbands and crescent necklaces, the earrings and bracelets and veils, the
headdresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, the signet
rings and nose rings, the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses and
mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.”
And in addition to this:
In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat
our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take
away our disgrace!”
2. As for the rest of the
Israelites:
Instead of fragrance there will be a stench
Instead of a sash, a rope
Instead of well-dressed hair, baldness
Instead of fine clothing, sackcloth
Instead of beauty, branding.
Men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle.
The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the
ground.
The beauty and splendor of
Jerusalem and Judah (and their people) were soon to be no more. In the end, the
once holy and powerful city and kingdom would be reduced to destitution and
destruction, laid to waste and its people hauled away into exile, to a place
where they will lament over what was and how it could have all been so
different had they not chosen sin and wickedness over righteousness and
holiness.
Friends, God is far from done
judging His people here on earth. We should always keep this in mind for when
He decides to enter the court and take His place, we all will be called into
account for the way we lived our lives.
What would God say about you? What
verdict would He render? And if guilty, what penalty do you think He might have
in mind for you?
We would be well served to not even
place ourselves squarely in the crosshairs of judgment. We can do just that
when we choose to accept Jesus as our Savior, and then seek His way of living
for when we do, we will not receive a condemning diatribe from God. Rather, we
will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant! And as I feel about my Son,
the One who you have chosen to follow, I shall feel about you for you have
decided to follow Him, He who is the Way and the Truth and the Life. In and
through Him, you will be saved.”
Amen.
In
Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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