For behold, the Lord God of hosts
is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah
support and supply,
all support of bread,
and all support of water;
the mighty man and the soldier,
the judge and the prophet,
the diviner and the elder,
the captain of fifty
and the man of rank,
the counselor and the skillful magician
and the expert in charms. Isaiah 3:1-3
The Lord says this through a prophet and who actually listens? Sure, on this side of history and now its within our ‘holy’ book – so we obviously think – “Who wouldn’t take this very seriously?” But at the time (and just like now) God had His prophets delivering ‘messages’ to His people, and this one is pretty severe. God is not one to mince words, He chooses them VERY carefully. So maybe we should really consider what He says and why He is saying it. And then we should be inquiring of the Holy Spirit how the ‘word’ applies to us personally. If the Lord is going to take away the bread AND the water – the main sustenance of life and food it should immediately set off extreme alarm bells. Who really is our Bread of Life and is our living water? But the Lord doesn’t just stop there – He continues to share who also He will be taking away. All the representatives of the offices that are props to society seem to be mentioned. Again I ‘see’ the ‘palace prophet’ type mentioned. That supposedly righteous respected religious position is as corrupt as all the rest and will be removed by the Lord.
In verse three we see those men – the military officer and the ‘honorable man’, the counsellor and the cunning artificer (master in the arts), and the eloquent orator also being taken away. All these types are highly esteemed in the courts and governments of men. But the true desert-wandering prophet of God stands above them all because they don’t belong to this ‘kingdom’. Are we looking to all these types to save our country? Are we putting our hope in men, rather than in God? Right now, I see a majority of the country in kind of a ‘celebratory’ high because of the last election. But if we don’t listen to the real desert-wandering prophet(s) of God and the messages they are told to bring to us … what really is in store for us? Now many in the great religious ‘halls’ (Mega Churches) they also have all their ‘palace prophets’ and eloquent orators as well, so there are many ‘voices’ that are competing for your ears. And this is our current problem – a lack of discernment of being able to ‘hear’ the Voice of the Lord for themselves. How many sitting the pew on Sunday morning are actually able to discern the Voice of the Holy Spirit inside of them? Have they developed that spiritual relationship with the Holy Spirit beyond that simple one of ‘conviction’? Are they actually obeying His daily instructions to them? Are they pursuing that relationship into every area of their lives?
So for the consequences of becoming their own ‘wise’ men and no longer listening to God’s directives – Jerusalem will be stripped of all their leadership. “But … but … we just elected them and are about to install them….? They were about to save us!” God is in charge and in control… not men. Be careful who you put your ‘hope’ in. Is this what will happen to our country? Honestly? I don’t know. All I know is …we as a country have slid FAR from God’s standards and are doing EVERYTHING He hates, and His supposed ‘Church’ is FAR from being ‘spotless’ and ready for Him. Most of us are NOT prepared for His return. Are we serious about restoring God’s laws and standards back to our government halls? Are we serious about exposing the sin in our own lives and repenting before Him? Are we serious about real justice instead of self-power?
These historical prophetic messages are as truth filled now as they were back when they were first delivered. The question is do the readers have the ‘counsel’ of the Holy Spirit within them to receive what the Lord wants to show them? Can we actually learn the lesson the Holy Spirit is currently wanting us to learn?
We are NOT ‘out of the woods’ yet ….as a country and people.
Listen. Repent. Prepare.
Who are we truly following?