A nation that forgets God rejects the counsel of the elderly and the wise. Power goes into the hands of the wrong people. This results in lack of everyday provisions and oppression of the people. Isaiah describes this in Isaiah 3:1-5, “1) For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, 2) The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, 3) The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. 4) And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. 5) And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.”
Consider the condition of Jerusalem and Judah.
1. There was shortage of food
2. The mighty, honorable, and wise rulers were removed.
3. Young rulers, even children were set up over them.
4. There was chaos. Everyone oppressed each other.
5. There was disrespect against the elderly. Children were proud and treated their elders disrespectfully.
6. The low-minded, ignoble people of society were elevated above the honorable.
What a sad picture! When people forget God and try to do things their own way, they end up doing things backwards from what is right. Government and society run opposite of the way they should
What is the remedy for a nation like this? What is the recourse for the ones who seek righteousness? The remedy is the fear of the Lord. Ecclesiastes 8:12 says, “Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him.” God will take care of those who fear Him, and it will be well with them.
The Lord wants the nations to fear Him. He is able to chastise and punish or to bless. He is able to bring down the nations or make them great. Nations would do well to fear the Lord, “4) For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5) For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. 6) Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7) Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 8) Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. 9) O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. 10) Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.” (Psalm 96:4-10)