“What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the face of the poor?” declares the LORD God of hosts [sabbaoth]. (Isaiah 3:15)
Used primarily around the Babylonian exile, this extended fusion of divine names was reserved by the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah for terse charges against Israel. God’s decadent and faithless people were accountable to the covenant-keeping Master of the universe, who always acts on behalf of His people, who has at His disposal all the angelic forces, and who can marshal any army on earth for His purposes. The LORD God of Hosts is not to be taken lightly when He speaks: Adonai Yahweh Sabbaoth!
Who was God speaking to in Isaiah 3:15? None other than “the elders and princes of His people” (Is 3:13). What was their offense? Unfaithfulness to God, which led to the oppression of others and obsession with self.
God described the actions of Israel’s leaders and prominent men as “crushing My people and grinding the face of the poor.” Meanwhile, the women were caught up in their sexual allurement: “The daughters of Zion are proud and walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, and go along with mincing steps and tinkle the bangles on their feet … the LORD will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, dangling earrings, bracelets …” (Is 3:16, 18-26). God’s people had become self-obsessed and with little care for anyone else, especially society’s most vulnerable. God repeatedly portrayed their idolatry using the metaphor of divorce. Their unfaithfulness to Him showed in their callousness toward others, excessive narcissism and extreme self-interest.
The Christian movement in recent history has struggled with the role of social involvement, despite such a clear window into God’s heart in passages like Isaiah 3:15. Early 20th century saw a move toward more social engagement, but was accompanied unfortunately with an abandonment of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In response, conservative evangelicals attempted to counter the liberal movement away from the purity of the Gospel. “Social gospel” became a derisive term, and efforts to relieve earthly human suffering were replaced by an exclusive focus on the eternal suffering of hell, the spiritual need for salvation from God’s anger, and entrance into His eternal rest.
Yahweh Adonai Sabbaoth cares for the poor and disadvantaged, and we should not take that lightly. Did not Jesus teach, “… inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matt 25:40 NKJV)?
Lord, I confess my inordinate attention to myself at the expense of those around me who are disadvantaged.
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