Isaiah 3-5
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Isaiah is a mix of warnings of God's coming judgment and visions of
a hopeful future when the Messiah, Jesus, will come. We see this in these chapters.
What stood out to me in Isaiah’s warnings in these chapters was
his warning toward women in chapter 3.
“The Lord says, ‘The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with
outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes.” It says the Lord will take away their finery – all the
jewelry, perfumes, fine clothes and purses.
It is so easy for women in our culture to get consumed with the
importance of appearance. 1 Peter
3:3-4 says, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as
braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your
inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great
worth in God’s sight.”
Then I love in the midst of all his warnings of judgment is the
hope of the day of the “Branch of the Lord,” which is a title of the
Messiah. The Lord will wash away
all the filth and violence. “Then
God will bring back the ancient pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire
by night and mark Mount Zion and everyone in it with his glorious presence, his
immense, protective presence, shade from the burning sun and shelter from the
driving rain.” (Isaiah 4:5-6 The
Message)
When God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised
Land He led them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They didn’t move until the cloud moved. He did this to show He was always there
and to guide them where they needed to go. I love that this example is used when talking about Jesus
because through Him we have the Holy Spirit who is just like the cloud and fire
leading the Israelites. He helps
us know He is always there and is guiding us each day.
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