The issue of leadership is front and center in the news right now. The presidential election is in full swing, which has turned our attention for a long time now toward candidates who are vying to be the next leader of our nation. The President of the United States has a tremendous amount of power and influence—not just in our country, but around the world. He can set a course for the better or for the worse that will leave an impact on the world for years to come.
This is also the time of year when football coaches are getting hired or fired. Every team that decides to make a coaching change hopes that they could be just one good hire away from the Super Bowl or the BCS Championship game. Between the coach’s salary and the impact that he can have on ticket sales, millions of dollars are on the line.
The impact of leadership can hardly be calculated. Human leaders can wield a tremendous amount of power, but we must never be fooled into thinking that human leaders of any kind are a solid foundation on which to place our ultimate measure of trust. Like the foolish man in Jesus’ parable who built his house on sand, we are also on shaky ground if we give our highest esteem and honor to human leaders. I believe the simple message that we will learn from Isaiah today is:
Don’t wear blinders as you follow human leaders!
I suspect that most of you know what blinders are. They are a covering that people place around the eyes of horses to keep them looking in only one direction. They give the horse a very limited perspective. That can be very helpful for controlling a horse, but we don’t want to take that approach for ourselves when we consider our human leaders.
As we study Isaiah again this morning, we will see the influence that ungodly leaders had among the people of Judah. We will see just how thorough their influence was, and we will read about the Lord’s response to it.
1. The establishment of evil through the leaders (2:22-3:15)
In Isaiah 2:22, we find a straightforward command, with the rationale for this command given in what comes after it. You may know that the chapters and verses that we have in our Bible today were not part of the original text when it was written. Chapter and verse numbers were added in the Middle Ages to help people find their way around the Bible. Every so often, I find a place where I think the chapters were divided poorly, and I think this is just such an example here. Even though v. 22 is in chapter 2, it really seems to belong with the text of chapter 3.
Let’s look at this command [READ 2:22]. The mention of nostrils and breath points our thoughts back to Genesis 2 when God formed Adam’s physical body from the dirt, and Genesis 2:7 says that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” So behind the command of this verse is the reminder that human beings are completely helpless and powerless apart from God. We are as lifeless as a mound of dirt apart from Him. So why should we have an undue regard for or an elevated trust in human beings?
The Jewish people had struggled with the temptation to place all of their trust in humans ever since they forced the prophet Samuel to place a king over them. They told Samuel that they wanted a king like all the other nations, someone who would fight their battles for them—even though God had said that He would be the one to fight for them.
So Isaiah’s command was very appropriate and very timely as well, since we see that God was about to remove their leaders from them. Look at vv. 1-3 [READ vv. 1-3]. This list is very thorough. It mentions those who were qualified to lead, those who had experience as leaders, and those who weren’t qualified but were still relied upon by the people. In exchange for the leaders on this list, the people were going to receive weak leaders and ultimately slide into a state of anarchy [READ 3:4-5].
Let me make two points about these verses. First, notice that this state of anarchy was the result of God’s discipline and punishment upon the people. There may be moments where we feel like dealing with our leaders is an act of punishment, but we must never forget that human government is an institution that has been ordained by God. Now, leaders are just as sinful as the rest of us, so governments can become a curse to their own people, but the alternative of living under no government is not a better option. People have often fantasized about a society in which no one has authority over anyone else, but the Bible presents authority structures in society, the home, and the church as good things. Even the members of the Trinity have embraced an authority structure for themselves, with God the Son being submissive to God the Father, and the Holy Spirit being submissive to the other two members. As James Madison wrote, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”1 But since we are not, we should be thankful for God’s institution of government.
Second, please notice that the state of anarchy would feature young people being insolent or insulting toward older people. The Bible always presents disrespect from the young toward the old as a serious sin. It was punishable by death under the Law of Moses; it is the height of foolishness in the book of Proverbs; it is associated with murder and hatred of God in Romans 1. Youthful rebellion is never presented as a “phase” that young people go through or a normal part of the process of growing up. Parents, we must view rebellion as a deadly cancer in our child’s soul, and young people, you must view it the same way. You may think its just part of growing up, but you’re not growing—you are spiritually dying when you embrace rebellion.
As we continue through the passage, we see that God’s actions against the leaders will create a desperate search for leadership, but no one will desire to answer the call [READ vv. 6-7]. Think about what a reversal of the norm this is! People usually trip over each other to chase after positions of leadership. Right now, people are raising and spending millions of dollars to become the next President of the United States, but God would humble the nation so much through the exile that was about to come that no one would desire to take leadership!
Isaiah then reminds us again that all of this was coming because the people had not only embraced sin—they had made a bold display of it [READ vv. 8-9]. We see that the people had lost any sense of shame over their sins. A nation finds itself in a precarious situation when its people no longer have any shame over sin. When sin is not only accepted, but celebrated; when we are no longer embarrassed to have our sins on public display; when we sanction sin as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle, days of disgrace for that nation are not far behind. As Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
Many Christians in the United States are wondering if our nation is in this position today, and if we are, is there any hope left for God’s children? What are we to do? Give into despair and run for the hills? Not at all! Just look at the next verse [READ v. 10]. In the midst of those dark days, when judgment was looming on the horizon, God had a message of hope for the righteous. Don’t think for a moment that God fails to take notice of those who obey Him in the midst of a godless society. In 2 Peter 2, Peter mentions Noah’s deliverance from the flood and Lot’s deliverance from Sodom and Gomorrah, and then in v. 9 he says, “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” Just like in Egypt where the whole land was covered in darkness except for the area in which the Jews lived, God knows how to take care of His people. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any hardships or difficulties, but it does mean that there will always be reward for serving God. So why do we go against the grain? Why don’t we just go with the flow of a sinful society? Because it shall be well with the righteous!
We cannot say the same, however, for those who disobey God. Look at v. 11 [READ v. 11]. The prophet then mourns for his people and the leaders who lead them into such a terrible spot [READ v. 12]. This verse is not meant as any sort of insult to women any more than it would be meant to insult infants. It simply stresses that the leadership situation in Judah did not reflect God’s desire. The Old Testament Law called for men to be the leaders. God was pleased to use women to lead at strategic times—like Deborah in the book of Judges, or Esther in the book that bears her name. But this was not the basic structure that God had called for.
And so we find these sobering words in vv. 13-15 [READ vv. 13-15].
Judah’s leaders had used the people, abused them, and had ultimately led them down a sinful path. We see just how thoroughly the corruption of sin had spread when we see the exhibition of evil in the women of the nation.
2. The exhibition of evil seen in the women (3:16-4:1)
Let’s read vv. 16-17 [READ vv. 16-17]. The picture of the women in v. 16 is a picture of women who are all decked out in accessories to put themselves on display. In their pride, they are thinking only of themselves and are trying to draw attention to themselves.
Now, the Lord is not singling out the women here in order to degrade women. In fact, I think the reality is just the opposite. In any nation or society, the women are generally the last holdouts for morality; they are generally the last ones to embrace ungodliness. I think this is because of the maternal instinct. The maternal instinct works against temptations like selfishness and pride. It draws a woman toward family life, which supports and reinforces morality. So women normally remain on the moral high ground far longer than anyone else; thus, I believe that in this passage the Lord is saying that even the women—the last line of defense for morality—even they have embraced sinful ways.
John Adams, our nation’s second president, once wrote, “From all that I had read of history of government, of human life, and manners, I have drawn this conclusion, that the manners of women are the most infallible barometer, to ascertain the degree of morality and virtue in a nation. All that I have since read and all the observation I have made in different nations have confirmed me in this opinion.”2 If this is true, then we see that the nation of Judah had fallen far indeed. So the Lord declares what He will do to the women in the next section [READ 3:18-4:1].
The nation of Judah was in need of a deep cleansing, and in the rest of chapter 4, we see that the Lord had just that in mind.
3. The erasing of evil through the Lord (4:2-6)
[READ v. 2]. Let’s make sure we understand what this verse is saying. It speaks of the branch of the Lord. A branch is something that grows out of the trunk of a tree and is one with it. It carries the life of the root and bears its fruit. When we get to chapter 11, it becomes very obvious that this phrase is referring to a person—a leader who will rule over the nation.
This verse also refers to this person as the “fruit of the land.” Since this phrase is parallel to “the branch of the Lord,” it seems to be talking about the same person, rather than serving as a literal reference to produce or vegetation. So this future leader is described as a branch of the Lord and a product of the land. This seems to tell us that this leader will have both a divine and human origin—which is exactly what we find in Jesus, who will ultimately fulfill this prophecy.
The rest of the chapter describes what the situation will be in Jerusalem [READ vv. 3-6]. Verses 5-6 describe symbols of the Lord’s presence with the people, which will be fulfilled when Jesus reigns in the city. He will provide comfort and protection for the people. So even though Judah had some dark days ahead in its immediate future, their ultimate destiny remained one of glory.
So this whole section from chapter 2 to chapter 4 ends just as it had begun—with a prophecy about a glorious day that is coming for Jerusalem and for the entire world during the kingdom of the Messiah. Until then, we must remember that God takes note of those who obey Him. Let’s quickly review the lessons that we should take with us today.
First, God has ordained appropriate structures of authority in our world to be a blessing for us, not a curse. God has established human government to provide a restraint against lawlessness and anarchy. If human government becomes a curse, the problem is not in the fact that there is a government—the problem is with the people who occupy those government positions.
God has also called young people to submit to the authorities in their lives, most notably their parents. Youthful rebellion in the Bible is always portrayed as a dangerous, foolish, and sinful way of life. Young people, it is God’s desire for you to submit to your parents, and it is honestly in your best interest as well.
Second, God takes note of those who obey Him, even in the midst of an ungodly society. Even if everyone around forsakes the Lord, your obedience does not go unnoticed. The Lord is able to give you a fitting reward for your obedience even as He deals with the wickedness around you.
Third, we should also remember the important role that women play in our society. In general, women are a moral preservative among us, and in many cases we need to follow their moral example. We should also see to it that we protect feminine virtues and a biblical picture of womanhood, so that our moral foundation will retain its last remaining pillar of strength.
Notes:
1. James Madison, The Federalist Papers, no. 51.
2. From Dr. James Dobson, Bringing Up Girls (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2010), 37.
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