“Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him. My people – children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths.” Isaiah 3:10-12
Devotional Thought For The Day
The righteous might not always be able to see the fulfillment of God’s promise that “it shall be well for them.” The righteous, of course, are those who confess their sins, live in God’s gracious mercy and forgiveness, and by the power of His love for us are led into the paths of true love and goodness toward others. Therefore the promise: “they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.” There are times, however, when the righteous appear to suffer the same fate as the wicked – as, for example, when Daniel and other pious believers were taken captive to Babylon along with everyone else. The book of Daniel [and also Esther] chronicles the struggle between good and evil, whether pious Daniel would survive, succeed, and prevail, or whether he would be exterminated. Though he suffered much tribulation, in the end he prevailed, and more importantly was included among those who shall awake to everlasting life [Dan. 12:2]. The same promise is extended to each of us, to store up treasures for ourselves in heaven for “their works do follow them.” [Rev. 14:13]
Likewise, the woes of the wicked may not come upon them immediately or even quickly. Sadly, many are emboldened to wickedness, misinterpreting God’s patience and forbearance as a green light and a free pass to plunge themselves into the wicked desires of their sinful hearts. In time “it shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.” This should cause tremors of fear and angst among the wicked but they are ignorant and have no clue as to what is heading toward them. Nonetheless, it will ultimately come, if not in this life then in the next for they will surely be among those who “awake to shame and everlasting contempt.” [Dan. 12:2]
In this time and life, the ill that befalls the wicked is described: “children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.” The fulfillment of this back in Isaiah’s day may have been somewhat different than in our own, but the parallels of this warning to our day are striking. Gangs of children strike fear and terror in many neighborhoods. Children are a handful in classrooms today, and teachers have little recourse. Parents’ schedules and finances are ruled and dominated by children’s activities. There is a dearth of real leadership in the world today. In many places men have reneged leadership and vacated positions of leadership; women have literally stepped in and taken over. The leadership of men is often emasculated and feminized, so that even if a man is in the titular position of leadership, he is dominated and controlled by feminine thoughts and behaviors. When a man attempts to exercise strong leadership he is assailed by both women and feminized men as being chauvinistic, overbearing, power-mongering, undemocratic, insensitive, and brutish – for even trying to press a course of action.
There is no question that there are excellent feminine qualities of caring, compassion, refinement, sensitivity, and gentleness. These are important to have and exercise in many contexts of human interaction. But there are also fine masculine qualities that are essential in many contexts of human interaction, strength, firmness, and even force, and when absent, disaster impends. It seems that only in sports is this still understood, even in women’s sports, where no apologies or compassion are offered in the heat of competition. But alas, even participants in these activities are being pressed to adopt different dynamics, to become more “sensitive.” The stakes are relatively small in sports; in real life, the stakes can be immense, and when leadership misleads us and swallows up the “right” paths, real suffering and heartache is sure to come. This is exactly what is happening, not only in Congress but also in our courts of law, right now – with complete abortion freedom and homosexual “rights.” This is “feminized” leadership, a capitulation of both men and women to what is evil and dark, and refusal to stand strongly and forcefully for what is right. And remember: “it shall be ill for him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.”
Sadly, many people have had this kind of leadership for their entire lifetime, and have no clue as to how to weigh and contrast it wisely. It is uncertain how and where the other kind of leadership will resurrect if it is eradicated. These are the challenges of our times, and while we may have to endure the larger context we are encouraged in our own smaller venue of life, that if we walk in right paths, in repentance, faith, and commitment to God’s ways “it shall be well” for us and we “shall eat the fruit” of our deeds. God grant us courage, strength, and commitment to do so.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, help us to clearly see and grasp the right ways of life, that which You instruct and will for us to walk in. Preserve us from the treacherous ways of the wicked, and deliver us from the consequences that they are sure to bring. Give us strength and integrity like Daniel had, to stand strong and firm in faith and true love, regardless of the consequences. Grant that true leadership not fail completely. Amen.