Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20030713.htm

ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVE TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part III: God's Revelation Of The Cause And Cure For Social Role Problems
(Isaiah 3:1-4:6)
  1. Introduction
    1. Scripture has arranged for peaceful social roles where (a) men lead women (1 Tim. 2:9-14), (b) children respect their parents (Eph. 6:1-4) and the younger generation respects the elder generation ( 1 Pet. 5:5a).
    2. However, we all know how badly such orderly roles in society can be upset as women often lead men, children disrespect their parents and the younger generation may lack respect for the older generations.
    3. This need is not new, and Isaiah 3:1-4:6 reveals the cause and cure for such role social problems:
  2. God's Revelation Of The Cause And Cure For Social Role Problems, Isaiah 3:1-4:6.
    1. God predicted a judgment in which He would upset Judah's social roles, Isaiah 3:1-13:
      1. God claimed He would remove the support system of food and water from the land, Isaiah 3:1.
      2. He predicted He would remove the support system of mature male leadership, allowing immature male leaders to rule the people, Isaiah 3:2-3 with 3:4-13. Consequently, this would produce many abuses, chaos and destruction in the social institutions of marriage, family and government:
        1. Due to this judgment, the elders would be disrespected by the younger generation, Isaiah 3:4-5.
        2. Due to this judgment, qualifications for leaders would fall, producing less effective leaders, 3:6.
        3. Due to this judgment, men would eventually not even want to assume oversight, Isaiah 3:7-8.
        4. Due to this judgment, women would finally rule to create some order in the absence of men, 3:9-13.
    2. God then explained why this judgment against Judah's social roles would come, Isaiah 3:14-16:
      1. Since the male leaders of God's people had become self-centered at the cost of the welfare of those under them, they would be removed from effective oversight, Isaiah 3:14-15 with 3:25-26.
      2. Since the women had become proud and self-assured, God would cause them to experience chaotic destruction in their lives, Isaiah 3:16, 17a.
    3. Accordingly, the Lord detailed the woes these selfish men and proud women would face, Isa. 3:17-4:1:
      1. God pronounced the coming woes upon the women for their pride, Isaiah 3:17-24; 4:1:
        1. Judah's women were to suffer humiliating diseases on their heads where expressed their pride, and have the secret parts of their bodies be shamefully exposed, Isaiah 3:17.
        2. The women would lose their ornaments and clothes in which they took so much pride, 3:18-23, 24b.
        3. Judah's women would lose the support of the perfumes that helped them feel so proud, Isaiah 3:24a.
        4. The protective presence of husbands, fathers and grown sons would be removed from these women as these men would all die in the Gentile invasion, Isaiah 3:25-26.
        5. Life would become so hard for them that seven women would seek out one man and ask to be wed to him while supporting themselves so as not to stay childless, Ryrie St. Bible, KJV, ftn. to Isa. 4:1.
      2. God pronounced judgment on the men for their selfishness: they would be removed from the land of the living for being so self-centered at the price of their subordinates, Isaiah 3:25 with 3:14-15.
    4. Opposite all of this future woe in judgment, God then announced how He himself would reverse Judah's social role problems in Israel's coming Messianic Kingdom, Isaiah 4:2-6:
      1. Messiah, the Ultimate and Perfect Leader, would rule, Isaiah 4:2. [He is the "branch" who will spring out of the downed Davidic royal tree as the final hope for the Davidic Covenant, cf. Jer. 23:5-6.]
      2. God will then cleanse the men (Isaiah 4:3) and the women (Isaiah 4:4) from their respective sins.
      3. Following this cleansing, Messiah (Christ) will provide a protective cloud of socially orderly leadership and provision as He did for Israel in her wilderness wanderings, Isa. 4:5-6; Ex. 13:21-22.
Lesson: As SIN and its resulting divine JUDGMENT is the CAUSE and Christ, Israel's Messiah will be the CURE to the social role crises in Judah, Christ is TODAY'S ANSWER for social role crises, and that via His salvation and life in the Holy Spirit's power, Jn. 3:16; Gal. 5:16-23; Eph. 5:18, 21-33.

Application: (1) We must realize that society's ROLE reversals arise from SIN and its RESULTING divine JUDGMENT, so we must (a) trust in Christ for salvation (Jn. 13:16) and (b) depend on the Holy Spirit for a return to peaceful order in these social roles, Gal. 5:16-23. (2) As social role problems in Judah signaled JUDGMENT, our like needs may ALSO signal OUR need to REPENT as a NATION!