The people will oppress one another, man against man, neighbor against neighbor; the young will rise up against the old, and the base against the honorable. The people will oppress one anotherThis phrase highlights a breakdown of societal order and mutual respect. The Hebrew root for "oppress" is "ָעָשַׁק" (ashaq), which conveys a sense of exploitation and unjust treatment. Historically, this reflects a time of moral decay in Judah, where social justice was perverted, and people turned against each other for personal gain. In a conservative Christian perspective, this serves as a warning against the dangers of abandoning God's commandments, which are designed to foster love and respect among individuals. man against man
The repetition of "man" (Hebrew: "אִישׁ" - ish) emphasizes the universality of the conflict. It suggests that the strife is not limited to specific groups but affects all of society. This phrase underscores the pervasive nature of sin and its ability to disrupt harmony. From a scriptural context, it echoes the consequences of the Fall, where human relationships were marred by sin, leading to enmity and division. neighbor against neighbor
The term "neighbor" (Hebrew: "רֵעַ" - rea) implies a close relationship, someone who is part of one's community or social circle. The conflict between neighbors indicates a betrayal of trust and a failure to uphold the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). This phrase serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of community and the destructive impact of sin on social bonds. the young will rise up against the old
This phrase highlights a reversal of the natural order and respect for elders, which was a cornerstone of ancient Near Eastern societies. The Hebrew word for "young" (נַעַר - na'ar) and "old" (זָקֵן - zaqen) reflect a generational conflict, where the youth, lacking wisdom and experience, challenge the authority and guidance of the elders. In a conservative Christian view, this rebellion against established authority is seen as a symptom of a society that has turned away from God's ordained structure. the base against the honorable
The contrast between "base" (Hebrew: "נִקְלֶה" - niqleh) and "honorable" (כָּבוֹד - kavod) signifies a moral inversion, where those lacking integrity and virtue challenge those who are esteemed and righteous. This reflects a society where moral values are turned upside down, and respect for virtue is lost. From a biblical perspective, this serves as a cautionary tale of what happens when a society forsakes God's standards, leading to chaos and moral decay. Persons / Places / Events 1. IsaiahA major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah's ministry spanned the reigns of several kings in Judah. He is known for his prophecies concerning both judgment and redemption. 2. JudahThe southern kingdom of Israel, which is the primary audience of Isaiah's prophecies. During Isaiah's time, Judah faced both internal corruption and external threats. 3. The PeopleRefers to the inhabitants of Judah who are experiencing social and moral decay, leading to widespread oppression and disorder. 4. The Young and the OldRepresents the breakdown of societal norms and respect for elders, indicating a reversal of traditional roles and values. 5. The Base and the HonorableIllustrates the moral inversion where those lacking integrity rise against those who are honorable, further highlighting societal chaos. Teaching Points Moral Decay and Social DisorderIsaiah 3:5 highlights the consequences of turning away from God's commandments, leading to societal chaos and moral decay. Believers are called to uphold God's standards in their communities to prevent such disorder. Respect for Authority and EldersThe breakdown of respect for elders and authority figures is a sign of societal decline. Christians are encouraged to honor and respect those in authority as a reflection of their respect for God. The Role of the Church in SocietyIn times of moral inversion, the church must stand as a beacon of truth and righteousness, promoting justice and integrity in the community. Intergenerational RelationshipsBuilding strong, respectful relationships between generations is crucial for a healthy society. The church can play a pivotal role in fostering these connections. Personal Responsibility and IntegrityEach believer is responsible for their actions and attitudes. Upholding personal integrity and treating others with respect can counteract societal decay. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the societal disorder described in Isaiah 3:5 reflect the consequences of turning away from God? Can you identify similar patterns in today's world? 2. In what ways can Christians actively promote respect for authority and elders within their communities? 3. How can the church serve as a stabilizing force in times of moral and social upheaval, as described in Isaiah 3:5? 4. What practical steps can individuals take to build and maintain respectful intergenerational relationships? 5. Reflect on a time when you witnessed or experienced a lack of integrity or respect. How can you apply biblical principles to address such situations in the future? Connections to Other Scriptures Micah 7:6This verse also speaks of familial and societal discord, emphasizing the breakdown of relationships and respect within the community. 2 Timothy 3:1-5Paul describes the perilous times in the last days, where people will be lovers of themselves, disobedient to parents, and lacking respect for authority, echoing the themes in Isaiah 3:5. Proverbs 30:11-14These verses describe a generation that curses its parents and is pure in its own eyes, similar to the societal upheaval described in Isaiah. People IsaiahPlaces Jerusalem, Sodom, ZionTopics Aged, Ancient, Base, Behave, Child, Crushed, Elder, Enlarge, Esteemed, Exacted, Fellow, Full, Honorable, Honourable, Honoured, Inferior, Insolent, Insolently, Lifted, Lightly, Low, Neighbor, Neighbour, Noble, Oppress, Oppressed, Position, Pride, Proudly, Rise, Storm, Themselves, Youth, YouthsDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 3:5 5727 old age, attitudes
5746 youth Isaiah 3:1-7 5700 headship Library A Paradox of Selling and Buying
'Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.'--ISAIAH iii. 3. THE first reference of these words is of course to the Captivity. They come in the midst of a grand prophecy of freedom, all full of leaping gladness and buoyant hope. The Seer speaks to the captives; they had 'sold themselves for nought.' What had they gained by their departure from God?--bondage. What had they won in exchange for their freedom?-- only the hard service of Babylon. As Deuteronomy puts it: …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureMarching Orders
'Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. 12. For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your reward.'--ISAIAH iii. 11, 12. These ringing notes are parts of a highly poetic picture of that great deliverance which inspired this prophet's most exalted strains. It is described with constant allusion to the first Exodus, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Christian view of Sorrow
"A man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief" Is. Iii. 3. There is one great distinction between the productions of Heathen and of Christian art. While the first exhibits the perfection of physical form and of intellectual beauty, the latter expresses, also, the majesty of sorrow, the grandeur of endurance, the idea of triumph refined from agony. In all those shapes of old there is nothing like the glory of the martyr; the sublimity of patience and resignation; the dignity of the thorn-crowned Jesus. …
E. H. Chapin—The Crown of Thorns The Personal History of Herod - the Two Worlds in Jerusalem.
It is an intensely painful history, [581] in the course of which Herod made his way to the throne. We look back nearly two and a half centuries to where, with the empire of Alexander, Palestine fell to his successors. For nearly a century and a half it continued the battle-field of the Egyptian and Syrian kings (the Ptolemies and the Seleucidæ). At last it was a corrupt High-Priesthood - with which virtually the government of the land had all along lain - that betrayed Israel's precious trust. …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah How those are to be Admonished who Praise the Unlawful Things of which they are Conscious, and those who While Condemning Them, in no Wise Guard
(Admonition 32.) Differently to be admonished are they who even praise the unlawful things which they do, and those who censure what is wrong, and yet avoid it not. For they who even praise the unlawful things which they do are to be admonished to consider how for the most part they offend more by the mouth than by deeds. For by deeds they perpetrate wrong things in their own persons only; but with the mouth they bring out wickedness in the persons of as many as there are souls of hearers, to …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great "But Whereunto Shall I Liken this Generation?"
Matth. xi. 16.--"But whereunto shall I liken this generation?" When our Lord Jesus, who had the tongue of the learned, and spoke as never man spake, did now and then find a difficulty to express the matter herein contained. "What shall we do?" The matter indeed is of great importance, a soul matter, and therefore of great moment, a mystery, and therefore not easily expressed. No doubt he knows how to paint out this to the life, that we might rather behold it with our eyes, than hear it with our …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Brief Memoir of Thomas Watson
Compiled by C. H. Spurgeon Thomas Watson's Body of Practical Divinity is one of the most precious of the peerless works of the Puritans; and those best acquainted with it prize it most. Watson was one of the most concise, racy, illustrative, and suggestive of those eminent divines who made the Puritan age the Augustan period of evangelical literature. There is a happy union of sound doctrine, heart-searching experience and practical wisdom throughout all his works, and his Body of Divinity is, beyond …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Of Civil Government.
OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT. This chapter consists of two principal heads,--I. General discourse on the necessity, dignity, and use of Civil Government, in opposition to the frantic proceedings of the Anabaptists, sec. 1-3. II. A special exposition of the three leading parts of which Civil Government consists, sec. 4-32. The first part treats of the function of Magistrates, whose authority and calling is proved, sec. 4-7. Next, the three Forms of civil government are added, sec. 8. Thirdly, Consideration …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion Letter Li to the virgin Sophia
To the Virgin Sophia He praises her for having despised the glory of the world: and, setting forth the praises, privileges, and rewards of Religious Virgins, exhorts her to persevere. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, to the Virgin Sophia, that she may keep the title of virginity and attain its reward. I. Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised (Prov. xxxi. 31). I rejoice with you, my daughter, in the glory of your virtue, whereby, as I hear, you …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux "All Our Righteousnesses are as Filthy Rags, and we all do Fade as a Leaf, and Our Iniquities, Like the Wind, have Taken us Away. "
Isaiah lxiv. 6, 7.--"All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Not only are the direct breaches of the command uncleanness, and men originally and actually unclean, but even our holy actions, our commanded duties. Take a man's civility, religion, and all his universal inherent righteousness,--all are filthy rags. And here the church confesseth nothing but what God accuseth her of, Isa. lxvi. 8, and chap. i. ver. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning "Thou Shalt Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother. "
From this Commandment we learn that after the excellent works of the first three Commandments there are no better works than to obey and serve all those who are set over us as superiors. For this reason also disobedience is a greater sin than murder, unchastity, theft and dishonesty, and all that these may include. For we can in no better way learn how to distinguish between greater and lesser sins than by noting the order of the Commandments of God, although there are distinctions also within the …
Dr. Martin Luther—A Treatise on Good Works Concerning Salutations and Recreations, &C.
Concerning Salutations and Recreations, &c. [1273] Seeing the chief end of all religion is to redeem men from the spirit and vain conversation of this world and to lead into inward communion with God, before whom if we fear always we are accounted happy; therefore all the vain customs and habits thereof, both in word and deed, are to be rejected and forsaken by those who come to this fear; such as taking off the hat to a man, the bowings and cringings of the body, and such other salutations of that …
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. The Prophet Micah.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. Micah signifies: "Who is like Jehovah;" and by this name, the prophet is consecrated to the incomparable God, just as Hosea was to the helping God, and Nahum to the comforting God. He prophesied, according to the inscription, under Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. We are not, however, entitled, on this account, to dissever his prophecies, and to assign particular discourses to the reign of each of these kings. On the contrary, the entire collection forms only one whole. At …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Isaiah 3:5 NIVIsaiah 3:5 NLTIsaiah 3:5 ESVIsaiah 3:5 NASBIsaiah 3:5 KJV
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