Isaiah 3-4 Series

Isaiah 3-4

Shaken and Strengthened

Loss of Stability vs. 1-15

Loss of Excess vs. 16-4:1

Gain True Beauty & Security vs. 4:2-6

Intro:

Spilt Blueberries at Costco

A Couple of weeks ago we were doing some school shopping

We went by Costco to stock up on a “few” lunch supplies for our kids

A basket full and $250 later we were all set

During the shopping I needed to rearrange our basket to fit everything in

I picked up some plastics boxes of fruit to make some room for some milk

On top of those boxes of fruit was a plastic container of fresh blueberries

As I went to move them to the from of the cart I didn’t have them balanced right and the blueberries went toppling out of my hands on to the floor of Costco

This happened in the dairy section in the Santa Maria store

If you know that section that is where most of the food samples are

As hundred of blueberries went rolling everywhere it brought the section to a standstill

People couldn't move their baskets out of fear of crushing blueberries

Husbands were stranded from wives, Parents from children

But the worst by far was that customers were cut off from the free samples

People were visibly shaken and didn’t know what to do

One man who couldn’t get his taquito gave me a look like I had ruined his dinner

Sometimes things happen in life that leave us visibly shaken

Other times God does a work spiritually to shake us of things that aren’t necessary

Israel is often referred to as a olive tree with Gentiles grafted in

Do you know that they harvest olive trees by shaking the olives off

Sometimes God may shake the fruit off of you so he can use it

In the process of that shaking He strengthens us through His son Jesus Christ

Today we are going to see how God is going to shake Israel but thru the process strengthen them

Read Is 3:1-5

Transition:

God’s work is both terrible and beautiful.

He leads us into loss in order to enrich us with lasting gain.

The whole section of Isaiah 2:1–4:6 has two bookends: the prophecy of the nations attracted to God’s people (2:2–5) and the prophecy of God’s people visited by him (4:2–6).

In between, God speaks bluntly about the mess that his people are right now

In 3:1 God says he is “taking away” something from his people.

Then again in 3:18 he says he will “take away” something further.

But in 4:2–6 He doesn’t say that he will give something back.

He promises to “create” something new.

Sounds like the work of Salvation: I am going to take away your sin and old life and make you a new creation

God knows how to enrich us through loss.

Sometimes he takes away more than we wish he would, but only to give us more of himself forever.

Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

And we will not gain what we cannot lose without giving up what we cannot keep.

Loss for the sake of gain—this is the way of God for us.

Stability Shaken vs. 1-15

Isaiah starts right off telling them that God is cutting them off

The days of prosperity are over

He goes right after the basics; bread and water

The basic necessities will be tough to come by

Ezek 4:16 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay.

Moses warned them about this if they left serving God

Lev 26:26 When I break your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven and shall dole out your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.

Not only that but he is going to wipe out the army and rulers

It will be so bad that infants will rule over Israel

God also brought judgment on Jerusalem and Judah by depriving them of godly, competent leaders on every level

One way God may bring judgment on a nation is to curse them with incompetent, ungodly leaders.

Often, this is the simplest avenue of judgment: giving people what their wicked hearts desire.

Eccl 10:16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning!

Because of this ungodly, incompetent leadership, the people will be oppressed, and there will be a breakdown of order in society

(The child will be insolent toward the elder, and the base toward the honorable).

God is going to shake Israel down to its core where they have to look to God