March 4
Whose Riches? “Woe unto them that…take away the right from the poor.” —Isaiah 10:1, 2
Read Isaiah 10:1-4
Our Scripture portion today is a follow-up to the one we looked at yesterday. Today we are confronted with the fourth judgment spoken against the people of God, which ends with the same refrain: “For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”
More chastisements were necessary for the Lord to achieve His desired goal with His people. But this time, only a small segment of the children of Israel were addressed. The judges of the people had pronounced justice to the advantage of the rich, allowing them to oppress the poor. The rich tried to increase their riches at the expense of the poor. Especially the widows and orphans, being the most vulnerable, had to endure hardship. The prophet therefore directed his message against the judges and those who benefit from their corrupt judgements. Where will they go when God’s retributive judgment comes? Of what benefit will their riches, their gold, and their treasures be? This powerful elitist class would either be destroyed or bound and led away into captivity (v. 4), which is how the Lord would punish them. They placed more stock in their earthly possessions than in the Lord. Is that also true of us?
Of what sin were the judges actually guilty?
This devotional was taken from “The Time of Your Life” a daily devotional published by the Youth & Educational Committee of the FRC. To order a printed copy of this book, contact: bookorders@frcna.org.