Today let’s study together the third chapter of Isaiah. Today’s title is “God who removes”. At the end of chapter 2 Isaiah says, “Stop trusting in mere humans who have but a breath in their nostrils” (2:22) In today’s passage in order to show that there is no value in trusting in such humans, everything that had supplied and supported them is removed.
Today I would like to talk about three aspects of the “God who removes”.
1. God removes “both supply and support”. (1)
2. The result of depending on the wrong things is that tragedy and confusion come upon the whole country.
3. However, even in the midst of this, those who repent receive the grace of God.

I. God who removes (vs. 1-3)
First please look at verses 1 to 3.
Here it says, “all supplies of food and all supplies of water.” (1) “All supplies of food and all supplies of water” (1) are the things in our life that we can’t do without. Everyday we eat as if it is the normal thing. We drink as if it is the normal thing. In reality such food and drink is given to us by God. Even so we think that we got them by our own strength and we think we can live without God so God will take away all food and water.
That’s not all. In verse 2 it says, “the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder.” “The hero and the warrior” (2) refers to military leaders and soldiers. In Japan too there is the National Defense force and by these people we have protection against attacks from surrounding countries. Then there are “the judge and the prophet”. (2) The judges are the politicians. The prophets point the way. I don’t know for sure what is meant by prophets. I don’t know if it was the result of Israel not depending on God, but depending on man and so consequently there was no need for the prophets and so they were removed. Or maybe the prophets themselves became degraded so they were removed. I don’t know. Here they are listed with the judges so this probably refers to the prophets that had a voice in the decision of the direction the country goes. These people were also removed. For the country and for the church to have such leaders removed the unification of the whole is lost and should be a cause of concern. Such people will be removed.
Next is “the diviner and the elder”. It is interesting that the diviner would be paired with the elder. The diviner and elder share the common ground of giving a feeling of peace and security. Man has such feelings of uneasiness. The diviners and elders listen to such anxieties, and show the way. Young men and women have such anxieties about the future. They don’t know what kind of job they should take. They worry about dating and what to do about marriage. They have such anxieties and the diviners and elders give answers to their uncertainties. The diviners are very different from the elders, but they are both very respected so people can go to them for counseling. Such people will be removed.
Next, are “the captain of fifty and the man of rank”. (3) “The captain of fifty” is like a policeman and “the man of rank” (3) is like the people who work in public offices. These types of people are there so we can live with ease, but they will be removed.
Next, are “the counselor, (and) skilled craftsman”. These are people with skills. They are skilled workers like architects, civil engineers, and industrial technicians. Today that would be like scientists. Japan is especially a skilled country. With this technology we are fighting in the world. If all these technicians were removed, everything will disappear. Such technicians will be removed.
Then the “clever enchanter” is removed. These are those who make idols and also those who make curses.
God says that he will remove each one of these people. This was fulfilled later by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. Please look at II Kings 24:14
II Kings 24:14
The prophecy came true when the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar “carried all Jerusalem into exile” (II Kings 24:14) to Babylon in 605 B.C. However, this is not just a prophecy of the deportation by Babylon, but is also a prophecy about the age at the end of the world. When the time called the Great Tribulation comes, such people will be removed.
This happens because man does not depend upon God, but man. They depend on what they can see. Judah’s mistake was the camouflaged “supply and support” they depended on. (1) In the chapter before Isaiah warns, “Stop trusting in mere humans who have but a breath in their nostrils” (2:22) This is the problem. Man confounded God and the things that God made. In time more than God they depended on such things and made light of God. When they should have depended upon God, they depended upon fleshly things. We have lost our original relationship with God.

II. The result of depending on the wrong things (vs. 4-7)
Let’s look at what happens, the result, of depending on such supplies and supports. Please look at verses 4 to 7.
Tragic things will occur in Judah as the result of the removal of all the things which the people of Judah depended on. The leaders who govern Judah will change. Immature leaders with no experience will be made leaders. “Mere youths” (4) will become their officials. This is not slandering young people. This “youth” refers less to the age of youth as to the lack of experience, to immaturity, to not having ability and attributes. Children who have no interest in anything but themselves will govern the country so the country will fall into confusion.
As a result “people will oppress each other”. (5) “The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored.” (6) Respect and reliance will disappear. Fighting will never cease. Then like verse 6 says people will cry out that it doesn’t matter who it is they just want someone to govern this confused world. Here it says, “A man will seize one of his brothers in his father’s house, and say, ‘You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!’” (6) “Cloak” was a sign of material fluency. In a collapsing society, someone who has as little as a decent suit of clothes will seem prosperous enough to be made a ruler. Just because he has a cloak they ask him to become their leader. However, when they try to draft such a person to be a leader, he will reply that his wealth is only an illusion. He has no better answers than they have for the situation. Both the person who is asked and the person who asks say they have no ability and ambition so there’s no possibility that they can do it, and run away from the situation. “But in that day he will cry out, ‘I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people.’” (7) No matter what happens, no one will take responsibility for it. Because people depended on other people, and in things of this world more than God, the country was confused and it invited a tragic result.

III. It will be well with the righteous (vs. 8-15)
The third point is that the solution to this problem is to repent and turn to the Lord. Please look at verses 8 to 15.
Here the cause is given as to why society is in disorder, people’s hearts are uneasy, and the whole town is ruined. That is because they defied God. “Their words and deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence.” (8)
Proverbs 14:34
People turned their backs on God and were living selfishly. That was the problem. Insolent man calls this freedom. That is far from freedom, but is a ship with out an anchor. It is instable like a kite without a string. Then from this time on people begin living life drifting about.
Such people are like verse 9 and don’t think their sin is shameful. Like the people of Sodom in Genesis 19, they don’t try to hide their sin. In Genesis 19 the people of Sodom go to Lot and tell him to bring out the two messengers of God to them. The men of Sodom said that they wanted to know them. This “to know” means sexually. For a man to know a man sexually refers to homosexual acts. They weren’t ashamed to say such things and said it boldly.
However, to such an Israel God speaks words of encouragement. That is verses 10 and 11. Let’s read them together.
That means that even so still “it will be well with” (10) those who follow the Lord God. That is because before the Lord they are “paid back” (11) for their deed of repenting of their sin. In other words, they can receive the grace of God. However, the wicked who defy the Lord God will receive disaster. That is because just as the righteous will “be paid back” (11) for “their deeds”, the wicked will receive the appropriate judgment for the evil they have done.
Romans 2:6-8
Therefore, we must repent of our sin, the condition of turning our backs on God, and believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and also as our Lord. Then we must depend not upon people, but upon God. That is the meaning of a righteous person. This type of person “will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.” (10) That is because Romans 3:23, 24 makes the following promise.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
All men are sinners and can’t by their own power or effort be justified. (Romans 3:24) There is no other way that we can be justified except by believing in God’s son Jesus Christ. No matter how much effort we make, or how much good we do, we can’t compensate for our own sin. It is only by believing in Jesus Christ who died on the cross and who became our redemption that we can be forgiven of our sin and be justified. We have to accept God’s salvation.
Our real problem is that when a problem occurs we try to deal with it ourselves. By our own strength we try to solve the problem. You will know whether you are trying to solve problems by your own strength by whether you are always tired and disgusted or not. When you try to solve problems by your own strength you fall into such a condition. However, God desires that you stop trying to do something about the problem and trust in God.
No matter how bad the situation, God can change the situation completely. No matter how much it looks like your life has no hope, God can bring hope. When we are sinking in our problems, God will raise us up by the strength that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and solve the problems.
George Muller who was named “the person of faith” in his lifetime took care of 9,975 orphans. During that time thousands of times there wasn’t enough money and food. However, when he felt the pressure of needs, he didn’t tell anyone about the needs, and just prayed. Then God always for sure met the need.
This happened from May 1864 until the next May. In the orphanage there were 15 big cisterns, but because of a drought the water in the water cisterns ran dry. 10 kiloliters were needed everyday for the 300 children. 9 deep wells also ran dry. On top of that a spring, that until then had never dried up even once, almost all its water quit springing up.
George Muller prayed together with all the staff and children. They prayed to God who controls the weather too, “Please send rain!” Contrary to their earnest prayers, it didn’t rain at all. However, God instead of providing rain, moved some people’s hearts and the necessary water was given. First, a farmer that had a well, helped them. When his water ran short, next a different farmer shared water from the creek that ran through his field. Such people willingly cooperated even though they had never been asked to do so. Until the rain fell and the cistern filled with water, there was not a day when the necessary water was not given.
“Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.” (10) “It will be well with them,” (10) that believe in Jesus and live depending upon God. “They will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.” (10)
How about you? When you have a problem, how do you deal with it? Do you try to solve it by your strength? It is sad, but more than being loving, we tend to be cold to others. More than living overflowing in joy, we feel defeated, depressed, and disappointed. More than having peace, we are tense, and feel pressure. More than having perseverance, we demand and complain, and take out our frustrations on other things and people. More than being kind to others, we do everything for ourselves. More than being a good models, we feel that don’t have any good in us. More than having the manner of a kind heart, we hit the other person with anger and complaints. It is because we can’t solve things in our own strength.
Psalm 55:22
Let’s leave everything in God’s hands. Trust in the Lord. Stop depending upon your effort. Let’s completely leave your life in the hands of the Lord. If so, the Lord will give us fruits in our hearts.
The problem is when we are going to do this. If we postpone doing so, there are times when someday is deadly. “Someday I’ll go to the dentist. Someday I’ll have the surgery. Someday I’ll spend enough time with my family. Someday I’ll be a more earnest Christian. Someday I’ll be actively involved in the work of the church. Someday…” While we are thinking this, there will be a time when someday does not come.
The important thing is now. Now believe in the Lord. Now decide to leave all in the hands of the Lord. If you do that now, this minute, the grace of the Lord’s salvation will begin.

Let’s apply it to our lives!

1. What are you depending on? Does it have more of a grip on your heart than God?

2. When you have problems, how do you deal with them? Are you trying to solve them by your own strength? What is hindering you from depending upon God?