Because Israel had turned its back on God, its rulers were wicked. What happens in a nation when the wicked rule? When the wicked rule, a nation is oppressed, but the wicked do not escape. The wicked will be judged and will eat the fruit of their doings. “Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” (Isaiah 3:11) Yesterday, we saw that it will be well with the righteous. They will receive the reward of their own hands. The fruit of the righteous is peace, quietness, and assurance forever. Righteousness is blessed by God. Wickedness brings upon itself the consequences of its own actions. These consequences are death and destruction. Proverbs 1:31,32 explains, “31) Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32) For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.”
One sign of a wicked people is that children and women rule over them and oppress them. “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.” (Isaiah 3:12) This does not mean that there are no good woman rulers. It indicates that there was a lack of real men. Where were the men to stand and lead and guide the nation and set up defenses and safeguards for its protection? Children became rebellious and demanding and this was considered acceptable. They were not held responsible for their behavior. Moreover, the women usurped leadership and authority that belonged to the men. Verse sixteen described the women as “haughty,” which means contemptuously or disdainfully proud.
Even the ancients of the people, the elderly, had become hard and unyielding and were using excessive authority over the people. The LORD stood up to plead with them. “13) The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. 14) The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.” (verses 13 and 14) They oppressed the people and fed themselves and grew rich at the expense of the common citizen.
It may look like there is no hope for the oppressed, but God sees what is happening. He will hold the wicked ones responsible. God asked, “What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.” (verse 15) The poor were of no more value to rulers over the Israelites than the refuse of the wheat. They could be bought and sold on the market like the cheapest of wares. Amos 8:4-6 says, “4) Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, 5) Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? 6) That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?”
What will the Lord do about this oppression of the poor and needy? In Amos 8:7, God says, “Surely I will never forget any of their works.” Psalm thirty-seven explains, “10) For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be… 12) The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. 13) The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. 14) The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. 15) Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken… 17) For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.” (verses 10,12-15,17)
Because God will destroy the wicked and uphold the righteous, He encourages, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2) For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3) Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” (Psalm 37:1-3) It looks like the wicked are multiplying and prospering now, but they will soon be gone. Their day is coming. God is taking care of the righteous. One day, “He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.” (See Psalm 37:6,7)