The Causes and the Symptoms of A Decaying Nation - Isaiah 3

A nation does not fall overnight. There are causes and there tell tale signs. The basic cause is going against God righteousness and justice and is even proud of doing so. That will leads to the wrong use of resources. Exploiting the poor to serve the waste of the luxurious living of the leaders. In fighting, poverty and death will be the natural consequence. 

Isaiah Chapter 3 The Downfall of A Nation Mind-map:

The order of the verses are re-arranged and grouped together to get the sequence order, from causes to consequences. 

The Content:

• The Cause
  • Isa 3:8 For Jerusalem and Judah has fallen,
    • because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence.
    • Isa 3:9 ... they proclaim their sin like Sodom; ... For they have brought evil on themselves.They were even proud of their sins!
  • The Sins
    • Isa 3:14 The Leaders have devoured the vineyard, and took the spoils of the poor
    • Isa 3:15 crushed and grind the face of the poor
    • Isa 3:16 The daughters of Zion are haughty, wearing jewellery, glancing wantonly, going around partying ...Ladies of the Leaders were more concerned about their beauties & pleasures
• 
  
• God
  • Judges
    • Isa 3:13 The LORD stands to judge peoples.The Lord stands up for the oppressed
  • Protects the Righteous
    • Isa 3:10  Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. 
  • Punishes the Wicked
    • Isa 3:11  Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him. 
• 
  
• Destruction of A Nation
  • Remove Resources
    • Isa 3:1 For behold, the Lord is taking away from Jerusalem and Judah support and supply, such as bread, water. 
  • Replace Leaders
    • Isa 3:2-3 the mighty man, soldier, judge, prophet, diviner, elder, captain of fifty, man of rank, counselor, magician etc,
    • Isa 3:4 boys to be their princes, infants shall rule over them.Get the Foolish to be Leaders
    • Bad Leadership
      • Isa 3:12  My people—infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths. 
  • Cause In-Infighting
    • Isa 3:5 The people will oppress one another, his fellow and his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable.
• 
  
• Resulting in Poverty
  • Isa 3:6 For a man grabbed hold of a relative, saying: “You have a cloak; you shall be our leader, and this heap of ruins shall be under your rule”;
  • Isa 3:7 And he will reply, “I will not be a healer; in my house, there is neither bread nor cloak; you shall not make me a leader of the people.”No one knows what to do with the mess of poverty
  • Ladies Lose their covering, beauty, ornaments, spouses, and children.
    • Isa 3:17  therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will lay bare their secret parts. 
    • Isa 3:18 The Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents;
    • Isa 3:19-23 the pendants, bracelets, scarves; headdresses, armlets, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets， signet rings, nose rings; festal robes, the mantles, cloaks, and the handbags; mirrors, linen garments, turbans, and the veils.
    • Isa 3:24 Instead of perfume there will be rottenness; and instead of a belt, a rope; instead of well-set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a skirt of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty.
  • MenLose their lives
    
    • Isa 3:25  Your men shall fall by the sword and your mighty men in battle. 
    • Isa 3:26  And her gates shall lament and mourn; empty, she shall sit on the ground. 
• Summary
• Cause - The leaders & their ladies went against God's righteous laws without repentance. In particular, they exploited the poor for their own indulgence in luxurious living.
• God upholds His Laws of Justice and the bad leaders brought forth their downfall.
• The symptoms of a decaying nation: wrong use of resources (from needful production to wasteful luxurious living), bad leaderships, exploitation of poor, luxurious living of the elites, internal strife, and fighting. It actually self-destructs!

Lim Liat (c) 25-8-17