◄ Isaiah 3:7 ►
On that day he will cry aloud: "I am not a healer. I have no food or clothing in my house. Do not make me leader of the people!"
Study Bible
On that day
This phrase sets the temporal context for the prophecy, indicating a specific time of judgment or significant event. In the Hebrew text, "on that day" (בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא) often refers to a time of divine intervention or fulfillment of prophecy. It is a common phrase in prophetic literature, signaling a moment when God's plans come to fruition. Historically, this could refer to the impending judgment on Judah and Jerusalem, a theme prevalent in Isaiah's early chapters. Theologically, it reminds believers of the certainty of God's timing and the unfolding of His divine will.

he will cry out
The Hebrew root for "cry out" (יִשָּׂ֣א) conveys a sense of desperation or urgent appeal. This expression suggests a moment of distress or need, where the individual seeks help or relief. In the context of Isaiah, it reflects the societal breakdown and the lack of leadership, as those who might be expected to lead or help are overwhelmed by the circumstances. This serves as a reminder of the human tendency to seek deliverance in times of crisis, pointing to the ultimate need for divine intervention.

I have no remedy
The phrase "I have no remedy" (לֹ֣א אֶהְיֶ֔ה חֹבֵ֖שׁ) indicates an acknowledgment of inadequacy or inability to provide a solution. The Hebrew word for "remedy" (חֹבֵ֖שׁ) can also mean "healer" or "bandager," suggesting a lack of capacity to heal or mend the situation. This highlights the depth of the crisis facing the people, where even those in positions of potential leadership confess their helplessness. It underscores the theme of human insufficiency apart from God, emphasizing the need for divine intervention and guidance.

in my house
This phrase suggests personal responsibility or resources, as "house" (בְּבֵיתִ֑י) often symbolizes one's domain or possessions. The speaker's admission of having no resources "in my house" reflects the broader societal collapse, where even personal reserves are depleted. Historically, this could relate to the economic and social turmoil in Judah during Isaiah's time. Spiritually, it serves as a metaphor for the emptiness of relying solely on human strength and resources, pointing believers to seek sustenance and provision from God.

no bread or cloak
The mention of "no bread or cloak" (לֶ֣חֶם וְאֵ֔ין שִׂמְלָ֖ה) symbolizes basic necessities, with "bread" representing sustenance and "cloak" representing protection or covering. The absence of these essentials indicates severe deprivation and vulnerability. In the historical context of Isaiah, this reflects the dire conditions resulting from divine judgment. Theologically, it serves as a reminder of the fragility of human existence and the ultimate dependence on God for provision and protection.

do not make me
The plea "do not make me" (לֹ֥א תְשִׂימֻ֖נִי) reveals a reluctance or refusal to assume responsibility or leadership. This reflects the societal chaos and the reluctance of individuals to step into roles of authority during times of crisis. It highlights the breakdown of social order and the fear of bearing the burden of leadership. Spiritually, it can be seen as a call to recognize one's limitations and the need for divine wisdom and strength to lead effectively.

leader of the people
The term "leader of the people" (קְצִ֥ין עָֽם) denotes a position of authority or governance. In the context of Isaiah, it reflects the absence of capable leadership during a time of national crisis. The Hebrew word for "leader" (קְצִ֥ין) can also mean "prince" or "official," indicating a role of significant responsibility. This highlights the theme of leadership failure and the consequences of turning away from God's guidance. It serves as a reminder of the importance of godly leadership and the need for leaders who seek wisdom and direction from the Lord.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is the author of the book. He prophesied during the reigns of several kings of Judah and is known for his messages of judgment and hope.

2. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, which is the primary audience of Isaiah's prophecies. During Isaiah's time, Judah faced political and social turmoil.

3. The Day of the Lord
A prophetic term often used to describe a time of divine judgment and intervention. In Isaiah 3, it refers to a period of judgment upon Judah for their sins.

4. The Ruler
In this context, the ruler is a hypothetical leader who refuses to take responsibility due to the dire circumstances and lack of resources.

5. Bread and Cloak
Symbolic of basic necessities and protection, their absence signifies extreme poverty and vulnerability.
Teaching Points
The Burden of Leadership
Leadership is a responsibility that requires provision and care for others. Isaiah 3:7 highlights the reluctance to lead when resources are scarce, reminding us of the weight of leadership.

The Consequences of Sin
The societal breakdown in Isaiah 3 is a result of Judah's sin. This serves as a warning that sin can lead to chaos and a lack of capable leadership.

Dependence on God
In times of crisis, human leaders may fail, but God remains the ultimate provider and protector. We must place our trust in Him rather than solely in human authority.

The Importance of Community Support
The absence of basic necessities like bread and cloak underscores the need for community support and care for one another, especially in difficult times.

The Call to Serve
Even when resources are limited, we are called to serve and support each other, reflecting Christ's example of selfless leadership.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the reluctance of the ruler in Isaiah 3:7 reflect the challenges of leadership in times of crisis?

2. In what ways can we ensure that we are not solely dependent on human leaders but are also placing our trust in God?

3. How does the societal breakdown in Isaiah 3 serve as a warning for us today regarding the consequences of sin?

4. What practical steps can we take to support and care for our community, especially when resources are limited?

5. How can we emulate Christ's example of leadership and service in our daily lives, even when we feel inadequate or under-resourced?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Samuel 8
The people's demand for a king and the subsequent warning about the burdens of leadership connect to the reluctance of the ruler in Isaiah 3:7.

Micah 3:1-3
The failure of leaders to provide justice and care for the people parallels the situation in Isaiah 3:7, where leaders are unwilling or unable to lead.

Matthew 9:36
Jesus' compassion for the crowds, who were like sheep without a shepherd, contrasts with the refusal of leadership in Isaiah 3:7.
Sermons
A Picture of AnarchyE. Johnson Isaiah 3:1-7
National and Spiritual AnarchyW. Clarkson Isaiah 3:1-8
A Foolish Ruler: Justinian Ii (Of ConstantinopleIsaiah 3:4-8
Juvenile Government a CurseF. Delitzsch.Isaiah 3:4-8
Puerile GovernmentJ. A. Alexander.Isaiah 3:4-8
A Reason for Refusing RulershipIsaiah 3:6-7
Clothing in the EastR. Macculloch.Isaiah 3:6-7
Government Going A-BeggingIsaiah 3:6-7
I Will not be an HealerF. Delitzsch.Isaiah 3:6-7
Let This Ruin be Under Thy HandR. Macculloch.Isaiah 3:6-7
Seeking to Transfer RulershipJ. Parker, D. D.Isaiah 3:6-7
People
Isaiah
Places
Jerusalem, Sodom, Zion
Topics
Appoint, Binder, Bread, Chief, Cloak, Clothing, Cry, Garment, Healer, Helper, Leader, Lift, Lifteth, Mantle, Oath, Protest, Remedy, Ruler, Saying, Speak, Swear, Voice
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 3:1-7

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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 Scripture

Marching 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

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