Isaiah 3:1-16: a reflection

1For, behold, the Lord, GOD of Armies, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah supply and support, the whole supply of bread, and the whole supply of water; 2the mighty man, the man of war, the judge, the prophet, the diviner, the elder, 3the captain of fifty, the honorable man, the counselor, the skilled craftsman, and the clever enchanter. 4I will give boys to be their princes, and children shall rule over them. 5The people will be oppressed, everyone by another, and everyone by his neighbor. The child will behave himself proudly against the old man, and the wicked against the honorable. 6Indeed a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, “You have clothing, you be our ruler, and let this ruin be under your hand.” 7In that day he will cry out, saying, “I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing. You shall not make me ruler of the people.” 8For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen; because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory. 9The look of their faces testify against them. They parade their sin like Sodom. They don’t hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought disaster upon themselves. 10Tell the righteous that it will be well with them, for they will eat the fruit of their deeds. 11Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them, for the deeds of their hands will be paid back to them. 12As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. My people, those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths. 13The LORD stands up to contend, and stands to judge the peoples. 14The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders of his people and their leaders: “It is you who have eaten up the vineyard. The plunder of the poor is in your houses. 15What do you mean that you crush my people, and grind the face of the poor?” says the Lord, GOD of Armies. 16Moreover the LORD said, “Because the daughters of Zion are arrogant, and walk with outstretched necks and flirting eyes, walking daintily as they go, jingling ornaments on their feet;

In a searching word of judgment, God confronts the leaders of his people for how they have treated the poor and vulnerable, taking their oppression personally. What do you mean that you crush my people, and grind the face of the poor? God asks; it is you who have eaten up the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses. God sees how the leaders have exploited and oppressed the poor among his people, grinding their faces, plundering them, growing rich at their expense; and he holds them to account for it, calling the poor my people, taking their oppression as done against himself. This shows that God takes the oppression of the poor personally and holds those in power to account. God takes the oppression of the poor personally. God holds leaders to account for how they treat the vulnerable. The poor are God's people; their oppression grieves him. God cares about how those in power treat the poor.

Notice how personally God takes the treatment of the poor. He does not speak of them as unimportant, or their oppression as a minor matter; he calls them my people, and speaks of their oppression as done against himself, confronting the leaders sharply: what do you mean, crushing my people and grinding the face of the poor? The image of grinding the face of the poor is vivid and painful, of the vulnerable trampled and exploited by those with power over them; and God takes it personally, as an affront to himself, and holds the leaders to account. This reveals God's heart for the poor and vulnerable, and his concern about how they are treated, especially by those in power. God is not indifferent to the exploitation and oppression of the poor; he sees it, he takes it personally, and he holds those responsible to account. This should shape us. If we have any measure of power, influence, or advantage over others, we are called to use it justly and compassionately, not to exploit or oppress the vulnerable; and we are called to care about the treatment of the poor, as God does, not to be indifferent to their oppression. God's heart is for the poor, and we do well to share it, and to treat the vulnerable justly. God cares deeply about the treatment of the poor and vulnerable. Do not exploit those over whom you have any advantage. Share God's heart for the poor; do not be indifferent to their oppression. Use any power you have justly, not to grind the vulnerable.

That is worth taking to heart, for God takes the oppression of the poor personally and holds those in power to account, and we do well to share his heart for the vulnerable and to treat them justly. We can be indifferent to the oppression of the poor, or exploit those over whom we have advantage; but God confronted the leaders sharply for grinding the face of the poor, calling them my people and taking their oppression as done against himself. God cares about the poor. Do not be indifferent to the oppression of the vulnerable, or exploit any advantage you have; share God's heart for the poor, and treat them justly. Share God's heart for the poor and vulnerable and treat them justly, not being indifferent to their oppression or exploiting any advantage you have over others, for God, in a searching word of judgment, confronted the leaders of his people for how they treated the poor, asking, what do you mean that you crush my people and grind the face of the poor, and saying it was they who had eaten up the vineyard and that the plunder of the poor was in their houses; for God takes the treatment of the poor personally, calling them my people and speaking of their oppression as done against himself, and the vivid image of grinding the face of the poor pictures the vulnerable trampled and exploited by those with power over them, which God takes as an affront to himself and holds the leaders to account for, revealing his heart for the poor and his concern about how they are treated especially by those in power, so that he is not indifferent to their exploitation but sees it, takes it personally, and holds those responsible to account, which should shape us, since if we have any measure of power, influence, or advantage over others we are called to use it justly and compassionately rather than to exploit or oppress the vulnerable, and to care about the treatment of the poor as God does rather than being indifferent, sharing his heart for them and treating the vulnerable justly.

Lord, in a searching word of judgment, you confront the leaders of your people for how they have treated the poor and vulnerable, taking their oppression personally. What do you mean that you crush my people, and grind the face of the poor? you ask; it is you who have eaten up the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses. You see how the leaders have exploited and oppressed the poor among your people, growing rich at their expense; and you hold them to account, calling the poor my people, taking their oppression as done against yourself. This shows that you take the oppression of the poor personally and hold those in power to account. Show me how personally you take the treatment of the poor. You do not speak of them as unimportant; you call them my people, and speak of their oppression as done against yourself. The image of grinding the face of the poor is vivid and painful, of the vulnerable trampled and exploited by those with power over them; and you take it personally, as an affront to yourself. This reveals your heart for the poor and vulnerable, and your concern about how they are treated, especially by those in power. You are not indifferent to their exploitation; you see it, take it personally, and hold those responsible to account. This should shape me. If I have any measure of power, influence, or advantage over others, I am called to use it justly and compassionately, not to exploit or oppress the vulnerable; and I am called to care about the treatment of the poor, as you do. Take that to my heart, for you take the oppression of the poor personally and hold those in power to account. Keep me from being indifferent to the oppression of the vulnerable, or exploiting any advantage I have over others; help me share your heart for the poor, Lord, and treat the vulnerable justly, using any power I have with justice and compassion rather than to grind the face of the poor.