Sieged

It is Wormtongue from the Lord of the Rings. He deceives and undermines and then is surprised when his king is angry at him; angry enough to raise his sword against him; angry enough to banish him from the kingdom. He even says, “All I have ever done, was in service to you my king.” Or some such ridiculous drivel. That Wormtongue. Doesn’t he know that he brought this on himself? Doesn’t he know that his selfishness caused a wake of hurt and pain and it is now time to pay for it? It is not the king’s fault. Gandalf, the wizard who freed the king and exposed Wormtongues treachery, is not to blame. Nope! Wormtongue. It’s all on him.

The oracle found in Isaiah 3:1-12 describes a siege. Some have suggested that it could describe the 154 years of constant warfare that plagued Judah from 740 B.C. to 586 B.C. with, first the Assyrians, and then, the Babylonians. If this is the case, Isaiah is describing this time period using the image of a siege. Behold, the Master, Yahweh of armies, is going to turn away from Jerusalem all of her supplies. Isaiah used the masculine and feminine of the same word (“supply” and “support” in the NASB) to emphasize that all of the supplies will be cut off. Sieges were effective because people need food and water. Walls may keep out the enemy, but when the enemy cuts off the supply chain, a city will often fall without raising a sword in defense. But it is not just the food and water. It is also the leaders. Sennacherib did just this very thing in 701 B.C. When your fighting men are killed or carted off somewhere, they cannot be replaced. When the rulers, prophets, diviners, elders, captains of fifty men, counselors, and the skilled magic user are all gone, who will you turn to? And notice that two of these (the diviners and skilled magicians) are people the Israelites were commanded not to turn to. The military, political, and religious leaders are gone. What now Judah?

God will give them young boys as rulers; impulsive children as those who have authority over them. Well, that’s a recipe for disaster. Everyone is going to try to oppress the other person. Bully before anyone has a chance to bully you. The impetuous young will storm against elder; the once respected neighborhood leader. Those of no consequence with storm against the honorable; the weighty. Evil will strut and vileness will be exalted among the sons of men.

If a person has managed to hold onto his cloak, he will be seized and told to be a leader of a pile of rubble. Literally, he is told to put the pile of rubble under his hand. Take charge son! So, merely having a cloak has become a symbol of leadership because most people no longer even have this. This person will lift up, probably in defiance or protest, and says, “I will not bind you.” The act of binding a wound is alluded to here. The wound is too big for him and he is actively trying to manage his own household, where bread and cloak are lacking. It is hard to think of helping others when you feel the weight of just existing.

Why is this happening? This is not just Assyrian and/or Babylonian aggression. This is God. Because Jerusalem has staggered; because Judah has fallen to the ground. Their speech and actions are directed toward – against – Yahweh. This is no accidental trip and fall. They are rebellious against God’s eye of glory. This can mean that God sees all things or that they parade their evil in front of God’s honor; his glory. The look on their faces bear witness against them. Evil defiance leaps out here. They parade their sin like the people of Sodom did. They don’t even attempt to hide it. Well, that all sounds familiar. Woe, grief, to them. They have brought this evil on themselves. No one else is to blame. They may rale against God, but this is a consequence of their evil. There is a sliver of good news here. God sees those who are, in the midst of this chaotic mess attempting to live righteously. They will eat of the fruit of their actions. There will be a remnant. And the wicked rebellious will reap what they deserve. Children will become their oppressor. Women will rule over them. In a male dominant society this was an insult. Not one man can be found to be leader. Chaos and misdirection will rampantly rage through the streets.

It is interesting that evil people will blame others; their victims; God; the church; society; everyone and everything, for the evil that returns to them. If the people of Judah would have repented and turned to God, all of this chaos would have been avoided. So many people are living under spiritual siege today. But Satan cannot cut off the supply of what you really need. Keep turning to Jesus and live victoriously.