Daily Manna 24 October
KEY VERSE: “Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” – (Isaiah 3:11)
TEXT: Isaiah 3:3-24
The captain of fifty and the honorable man,
The counselor and the skillful artisan,
And the expert enchanter.
4 “I will give children to be their princes,
And babes shall rule over them.
5 The people will be oppressed,
Every one by another and every one by his neighbor;
The child will be insolent toward the elder,
And the base toward the honorable.”
6 When a man takes hold of his brother
In the house of his father, saying,
“You have clothing;
You be our ruler,
And let these ruins be under your power,”
7 In that day he will protest, saying,
“I cannot cure your ills,
For in my house is neither food nor clothing;
Do not make me a ruler of the people.”
8 For Jerusalem stumbled,
And Judah is fallen,
Because their tongue and their doings
Are against the Lord,
To provoke the eyes of His glory.
9 The look on their countenance witnesses against them,
And they declare their sin as Sodom;
They do not hide it.
Woe to their soul!
For they have brought evil upon themselves.
10 “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them,
For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him,
For the reward of his hands shall be given him.
12 As for My people, children are their oppressors,
And women rule over them.
O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err,
And destroy the way of your paths.”
13 The Lord stands up to plead,
And stands to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment
With the elders of His people
And His princes:
“For you have eaten up the vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the faces of the poor?”
Says the Lord God of hosts.
16 Moreover the Lord says:
“Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
And walk with outstretched necks
And wanton eyes,
Walking and mincing as they go,
Making a jingling with their feet,
17 Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab
The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
And the Lord will uncover their secret parts.”
18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery:
The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents;
19 The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;
20 The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands;
The perfume boxes, the charms,
21 and the rings;
The nose jewels,
22 the festal apparel, and the mantles;
The outer garments, the purses,
23 and the mirrors;
The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.
24 And so it shall be:
Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;
Instead of a sash, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, baldness;
Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;
And branding instead of beauty.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
Sunday School Times once featured the story of a little boy who came running to his mother, shouting, “Mother, I am nine feet tall!” His mother said, “Don’t talk such nonsense.” He answered, “I really am nine feet tall.” She said, “What makes you think so?” “Because I measured myself.” “How did you measure yourself?” “I took off my shoe and measured myself with that. It is just the same size as my foot, and I really am nine feet.” “Oh, I understand now” said his mother, “but, Sonny, your measure was not the right one. You may be nine feet tall measured by your shoe but you are not that tall measured by a twelve-inch ruler.”
Israel, in prophet Isaiah’s time apparently measured themselves with the wrong ruler. They had become defiant and had all classes of pride – pride of race, place and grace. In this backslidden state, they provoked God and incurred His wrath. Here, Isaiah announced the terrible price they would pay for their wickedness. God threatened to destroy all their sources of pride – the abundance of supplies available to them, the power of their military, their noble class and their government. God was going to mete out these desolations to Judah and Jerusalem by the hands of the Babylonians and the Romans.
God specifically referred to the pride of the daughters of Zion who instead of investing in godliness and character, wasted so much money and time on fashion and vanity. If God frowned at such showy and worldly clothes, who says it does not matter what we put on? The Lord threatened to subject them to humiliation as female slaves in exile. As the cup of the world’s iniquity gets full and brings down divine judgment, true servants of God have no cause to panic.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The paycheque of a sinful career is a sorrowful cup.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 7-9
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Price of Defiance and Pride – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 24 October 2021
