Isaiah 3 Devotional

Heaven's Advocate for the Poor

“Why do you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.”Isaiah 3:15 (BSB)

Isaiah 3 describes a society coming apart. The LORD announces that he will remove food and water, soldiers and judges, prophets and counselors, until inexperienced youths are in charge and neighbors turn on one another (3:1-5). No one even wants to take charge of the ruins that are left (3:6-7). The cause is named plainly: Jerusalem has spoken and acted against the LORD and parades its sin as openly as Sodom (3:8-9).

Then God rises to judge, and his charge is specific. The elders and leaders have devoured his vineyard, and goods stripped from the poor are sitting in their houses. He asks why they crush his people and grind the poor down (3:13-15). The poor have no defender in Jerusalem's courts, but they have one in heaven, and he calls them his people. He also assures the righteous that things will go well for them (3:10). The vulnerable people around you are not invisible to God, and his care for them can shape how you treat them.

To think about: Who around you is easy to overlook, and how might God's concern for them change the way you treat them this week?