Isaiah 3

The judgement pronounced in the third chapter is because the Lord is angry for their infidelity, they have trusted in what men can do rather than what the Lord has already said He’ll do.

^2:22  Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils:

For wherein is he to be accounted of?

Therefore the first few verses are a list of the kinds of men God will humble with the coming invasion (v2-3).  This gives us more of an idea what kinds of things the LORD considers to be idolatry and infidelity.  Idolatry does not have to strictly be bowing down in front of an idol, but simply putting one’s ultimate trust in anything besides God.    In this case, Judah, the central focus of God’s covenant people, is guilty of putting their trust in men such as these.

So ironically, God will make their leaders appear to be children, lost and confused, and unable to lead (v4).  Of course it is foolish for anyone to put their trust in man.  So what if government can provide peace and safety?  So what if your country’s economic situation is stable allowing people to buy and sell whatever they please?  Everyone will soon be confronted with their mortality, and then judgment on their souls.    But those who learn godliness by trusting and obeying God, they will not be ashamed (v10-11)

Verses 10 and 11 give us a proverb that generally true.

¹⁰  Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him:

For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

¹¹  Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him:

For the reward of his hands shall be given him.

I say generally true because all proverbs have some exceptions to the rule, such as in the case of Job.  But even Job receive his righteous reward.  Righteous people, though they may suffer in this life will also ultimately be comforted, such as “Lazarus vs. the rich man” (Luke 16:25).

The point is, God covenanted a people so that He might enjoy the fruits of His labor.  In other words,  God saves a people that they might learn to be like Him and do righteously.  And so in Chapter 5, the LORD will complain saying that He planted a vineyard (Israel) to produce righteous fruit, but instead they did wickedly and trusted in men, oppressed the poor, and the like.

This is in my opinion what Hebrews is talking about that a “fault” is found in the Old Testament.  Though there was a covenant between God and Israel, still yet they did wickedly and did not perform the righteousness God wanted them to.  We learn that this is because of man’s sinful nature propels them to idolatry.  So in the New Covenant we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Whom by believe in Jesus Christ, allows the believer to experience a new nature.  One day our bodies will die and so the old nature will die along with it.  But just as Jesus resurrected from the dead, so will we are in Christ, thus the new life we live is bound up in the new life of given by the Holy Spirit.