S) "6 When a man lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying,
'You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler,
And these ruins will be under your charge,'"
Isaiah 3:6 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Isaiah 3
O) This chapter is a prophecy against Judah, in judgment of their spiritual adultery against the God. In it, a large section is devoted to the idea that they will have oppressive leadership over them (described as a capricious child, or literally, "arbitrary power"). The result of that kind of people, who have abandoned God and have been subjected to such terrible leadership, is that it will take very little to impress them. In this case, they see a man with a cloak, in the midst of drought and famine, and they simply assume he has means and is therefore the leader they need. The root of that problem is that people are still looking to other people for help. In this case, the man elected protests, because he is no better off than any of the other people (see v.7).
A) The spiritual implications of this passage run very, very deep. Understanding that the church is the new Israel, but that God is still very much going to judge His bride first, then the parallels here are alarming. Bad leadership in the church does infinitely more harm than any bad political leadership ever could. The most important thing for me, then, is that I am not looking for men to be my answer. Only Christ can lead me perfectly. Now, I am certainly called to subject myself to godly authority, but it must not be who appears to be qualified. Certainly, I cannot afford to be deceived by a fresh coat. Ultimately, anyone I follow must first be following Christ, otherwise I am in danger. There are a number of ways that I can guard against this kind of deception. Certainly, being grounded in my Bible is the first step. Being in prayer constantly is another need. There is also wisdom in counsel, to be sure. Testing the fruit of leadership is also a must. The New Testament is full of this kind of wisdom, because false teachers were certainly a concern for the first century church, as it is now. But, remembering verses like the one above, serves as a stark reminder about how much things can spiral if I am not careful about who I follow.
A) The spiritual implications of this passage run very, very deep. Understanding that the church is the new Israel, but that God is still very much going to judge His bride first, then the parallels here are alarming. Bad leadership in the church does infinitely more harm than any bad political leadership ever could. The most important thing for me, then, is that I am not looking for men to be my answer. Only Christ can lead me perfectly. Now, I am certainly called to subject myself to godly authority, but it must not be who appears to be qualified. Certainly, I cannot afford to be deceived by a fresh coat. Ultimately, anyone I follow must first be following Christ, otherwise I am in danger. There are a number of ways that I can guard against this kind of deception. Certainly, being grounded in my Bible is the first step. Being in prayer constantly is another need. There is also wisdom in counsel, to be sure. Testing the fruit of leadership is also a must. The New Testament is full of this kind of wisdom, because false teachers were certainly a concern for the first century church, as it is now. But, remembering verses like the one above, serves as a stark reminder about how much things can spiral if I am not careful about who I follow.
P) Father, You are perfect and good, but people are not. Even the best people still fall short of Your glory, Lord. Please give me open eyes and ears, that I can discern rightly who to follow, and what counsel to keep. Give me wisdom and understanding. Help me to stay in Your word forever. Teach me, lead me, guard me, and keep me. All to Your glory, Father God. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.
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