Wed.’s Devo - Woe to Judah

Read: Isaiah 3:1-5:30; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; Psalm 53:1-6; Proverbs 22:28-29

God said he was taking away all support and supplies from Judah. The support and supply were their people. God was going to take away their soldiers and armies, their judges and prophets, their elders and leaders and their charmers and sorcerers. Instead of their wise and elderly as leaders, they would be led by immature boys. The people would not be united but filled with hatred towards one another. (Sounds like what they tried to do to America.) They would beg anyone to lead them and no one would feel qualified or equipped to lead. 

They will be proud of their sins and not even try to hide them. But, he told the righteous that it would go well with them. They will eat the fruit of their righteousness. The wicked will receive what they dealt out to others. God will judge the elders and the princes who devoured the people and taxed them to poverty while they enjoyed the spoil. The wicked women of the land would be exposed for their sin and all their finery will be taken from them. 

The men will fall in war and there will be no men left to marry. Women will beg men to marry them just to take away their reproach of singleness. 

But, it will be a great day for the children of God. They will remain and be called holy. God will cleanse Jerusalem with his fire and cover his righteous with a cloud by day and fire by night just like he did for the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. 

Chapter 5 is a song about a vineyard that God established on the earth. It was supposed to be his testimony on the earth of who he was but it produced wild grapes. This vineyard was Jerusalem. God had done all he knew to prune them but they refused to yield good grapes. So now he was going to get rid of it and it will be hard for them to make a living there. They will go into exile because they refused to know the Lord and be taught by him. They will be humbled, but God will be exalted. God’s chosen remnant will receive the ruins of the wicked. 

Isaiah gives many woes to the wicked who called good evil and evil good. They were wise in their own eyes, took bribes and drank themselves into stupidity. They despised the Lord and will reap the reward of sin. God will send nations from afar to destroy them. 

In Corinthians Paul explains how he married them to Christ and is afraid they have strayed away from their devotion to Christ. They were quick to receive a different Jesus than the one he told them about. Their deceivers were what he called “super apostles” who charged them money to hear what they had to say. He reminded them that he taught them free of charge and came to serve them. Paul called these men false apostles and deceivers. He said that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light just like these men have done. 

Lord, we are nearing the day when you are going to do again what you did in Isaiah’s day. You are coming to judge the unrighteous and set the captives free. Thank you that You are our deliverer and our strong tower. We trust in your loving care.