Isaiah 3:1-15
Up to the end of ch. 12 the main subject will be the judgment of Israel and Judah; then from ch. 13 to ch. 27 that of the nations. It is always with His household – the most responsible realm – that God begins this judgment, and it will be so for professing Christendom (Romans 2:9; 1 Peter 4:17). The total failure of man is more striking in those who have responsibilities and hold a position in the public eye. Amongst them are found, despite the strict teaching of God, the fortune teller and those "versed in enchantments" (v. 3 JND translation; Deuteronomy 18:10). How deep is the corruption into which Israel has fallen! Nevertheless God can distinguish the righteous from the wicked (vv. 10, 11) and repays everyone according to his deeds. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" we find stated in Galatians 6:7 (cf. Job 4:8; Hosea 8:7; Hosea 10:12-13).
One of the unfortunate fruits harvested by the nation is social disorder, the reverse of established order. Discipline no longer exists, children challenge the authority of their parents and teachers; "the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient" (v. 5), moral values and restraints are laid aside. How many similarities there are between this deep decay of Israel and that which we see today in our own country with its profession of Christianity.