Sometimes a pollster announces that such and such a place has emerged as the most desirable town/village/city to live in. Isaiah used to think of Jerusalem like that. People were trustworthy and did what was right, and there was fairness for all. But now its leaders had jettisoned all this. They were corrupt, grabbing what they could. Anyone with gifts was welcomed, while those with needs (like an orphan or a widow) were dismissed (vs 21–23). Are you not outraged when you hear of someone ill-treating a child or some other defenceless person? So how will the Lord, the Mighty One of Israel, react? He is outraged too, of course, and will judge those who rebel against him by ill-treating the weak (vs 24,28–31). (The ‘sacred oaks’ and ‘gardens’ (v 29) were where pagan fertility rites took place. They underline how far Jerusalem had forsaken God’s ways.)  

But the Lord is not just a judge. He is a redeemer as well. He will restore the city. He knows what it needs: good people to lead, for a start. Although there are many different systems of government, there is no system that is so good that it doesn’t need good people! It will need citizens of integrity, who will act well in the nitty-gritty of life. And it will need repentance for the past (vs 25b–27). 

Meditate on the descriptions of God in verse 24 and turn your thoughts into a prayer of reverent worship and thanks.

Massive decline can be traced in Jerusalem’s history. The once great city has lost its status as a place recognised for its loyalty to God. Its lofty standards of justice and righteousness have vanished. The litmus test is defence of the vulnerable (v 23). This is the second time that Isaiah has focused on orphans and widows (see also v 17). They receive a prominence that is too often overlooked. The powerful in Jerusalem are more interested in lining their pockets than supporting the needy. That’s not unusual. The abuse of power repeatedly sees leaders accumulate wealth while thousands starve or disappear. Mobutu’s international airport and colossal mansion built in his home village, where there was no running water or electricity, is but one example.¹ Jerusalem is worse. This is God’s people oppressing their own, behaving like heathen idol-worshippers. Scarily, it turns them into enemies (vs 24,25) of the Lord, the Mighty One.

Peter warns that God’s judgement begins with God’s household.² Far from being exempt, God’s people come under scrutiny as those who should know how to live, making just decisions and modelling right behaviour. What is his purpose in turning his hand against his people? It is redemptive intervention with the aim of purification and restoration (vs 25,26). 

Such is God’s restoring power that there will again be a city called ‘righteous’ and ‘faithful’. This is the kind of transformation that will create a new heaven and new earth. There will be deliverance, but that inevitably means punishment and shame for some (vs 28,29). Oaks with fading leaves and unwatered gardens present a picture of the fruitlessness of those who disown the Lord, much as of those who do not remain in Christ and are ineffectual. 

Give thanks for your security in Christ’s love. Then spend time reflecting on the link between remaining in Christ’s love and your church’s concern for the disadvantaged. 

¹ Mobutu Sese Seko, President of Congo/Zaïre, 1930–97  ² 1 Pet 4:17