Tag: When Leadership Lacks Community Suffers - Isaiah 1-6

Isaiah 3:1-7 (Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem ... the Loss of Leadership)::

For behold, the Lord God of hosts

is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah

support and supply,

all support of bread,

and all support of water;

the mighty man and the soldier,

the judge and the prophet,

the diviner and the elder,

the captain of fifty

and the man of rank,

the counselor and the skillful magician

and the expert in charms.

And I will make boys their princes,

and infants shall rule over them.

And the people will oppress one another,

every one his fellow

and every one his neighbor;

the youth will be insolent to the elder,

and the despised to the honorable.

For a man will take hold of his brother

in the house of his father, saying:

“You have a cloak;

you shall be our leader,

and this heap of ruins

shall be under your rule”;

in that day he will speak out, saying:

“I will not be a healer;

in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;

you shall not make me

leader of the people.”

Tag: When Leadership Lacks Community Suffers

The nation of Israel is in a time of judgement under God’s discipline.  As God looks down on the corruption of men he sees the impact of sin.  In the above passage that impact of this sin is the lack of quality leadership (politician; military; business; family; religious) in the community.   The lack of leadership is so poor that even in incompetent do now want to lead - note the last lines - even those have material goods (a cloak ... signifying social status), won’t lead.   Leadership is a great indication of the quality of an organization, a family, and/or a country.   When there is poor leadership the community suffers.  This is God’s message to the nation.  The leaders were already accused by God of leading the people away from His justice:

Isaiah 1:23

Your princes are rebels

and companions of thieves.

Everyone loves a bribe

and runs after gifts.

They do not bring justice to the fatherless,

and the widow's cause does not come to them.

Godly leadership is an indication of a Godly nation, community or family.  Without it, the nation, community or family falls.