The Only Certainty

 

Isa 3:24 And so it shall be: Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; Instead of a sash, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, baldness; Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty. 25 Your men shall fall by the sword, And your mighty in the war. 26 Her gates shall lament and mourn, And she being desolate shall sit on the ground. 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, "We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; Only let us be called by your name, To take away our reproach."

“And so it shall be.” No getting around it. This will be the price that Judah and Jerusalem will pay for their rebellion against God. It will be a full-fledged war against the armies of Nebuchadnezzar and the Israelites will lose big time. Their “mighty” men will perish “in the war.”

 

The women will be enslaved, branded like cattle to let all know that they belong to their captors. Heads shaved to get a handle on lice. No perfume to cover up the lack of showers. No fancy dresses and sashes, but gunny sacks and ropes to hold it all together. Although this speaks of the Babylonian captivity, I can’t help but think of the lot of the Jewish women during the holocaust!

 

The loss of life so colossal in the war with Nebuchadnezzar that in the aftermath, there will be a shortage of available men to marry.

 

These kinds of conditions went hand in hand with losing a war in the days of Isaiah. I shudder to think of the post war conditions that are possible to the losing parties in this day and age.

To think of such consequences is unsettling because in this uncertain world, it is always a possibility. That’s why the best thing we can do as a nation is turn back to God the only One who is Certainty!

Ps 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance. 13 The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. 14 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; 15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. 16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, 19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. 22 Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.