The Haughty Women of Zion
September 19, 2018·Danielle McEntee
When reading Isaiah 32, and any scripture really, I always stop and take notice when God’s Word specifically addresses women. The reason isn’t super spiritual or meaningful, it’s simply because I am a woman. Selfishly, like many of us, I take notice when something specifically concerns me! As we read, we see that the women of Zion were haughty, and they evoked a general attitude of the City of Judah at that time.
“You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say!” (Isaiah 32:9). When I read this, I can easily apply it, not only to ancient Jerusalem, but to our modern-day world. There are times when I too am guilty of complacency. I allow myself to neglect or ignore thoughts of my eternity, or the eternity of others. I’m not saying that ease and security are inherently wrong, but if we place all our hope in the nature of our present circumstances, that can be destructive. The women in this passage were living with such assurance in their present condition, they failed to see the coming judgment. What these women did not realize was that the devastation to Judah by invasion would soon begin, and the confidence they felt would soon crumble.
“The grape harvest would fail, and the harvest of fruit would not come” (Isaiah 32:10). I read this and feel as if Isaiah is saying, “Go ahead, celebrate now, but what about next year when the harvest fails? What then?!” I speak not only to women, but to all people when I say, it’s so easy to trust in our circumstances, assuming everything will go unchanged! But, as believers in Christ, we know that all earthly things will fade away. It’s only our trust in God that can raise us above our circumstances. When our relationship with the living God is deep and strong, that faith can overcome any fear. These “haughty women” were able to rejoice, because everything around them was prosperous. Isaiah was calling on them to begin to mourn for the land they were feeling so confident about. I don’t believe he was trying to be a “Debbie Downer,” but shaking them into a realization that if their hope is built on anything but the Lord, it will surely crumble.
“Tremble, you complacent women; shudder, you daughters who feel secure!” (Isaiah 32:11). During this time of celebration, the prophet’s words were sure to be incredibly painful. Wouldn’t you agree? Isn’t it when we are enjoying life to the fullest that we most dislike reminders that death stares us in the face? There was a coming judgment, and Isaiah did not want the women of Judah to escape this reality. They would soon mourn when their grape harvest failed, they would soon mourn when Jerusalem’s fortress would become empty, they would soon mourn because there would be no earthly king in Judah. In short, disaster would strike and life, as the men and women of Judah knew it, would vanish. However, verses 15-17 say, “till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, His righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.” Isaiah’s prophecy wasn’t all doom and gloom. He saw a day when the desolation would cease, but his caution was to be prepared for that day.
Only last week, my husband lost his mother. To try and describe this extraordinary woman would take years, so I’ll just say that I’ve never met anyone like her in the entirety of my life. She battled cancer for five years and, every step of the way, she rejoiced in the Lord. Her faith was so deep, so strong, so unshakable, that she was praising God on the days when she felt well, and she was praising God on the days when she was in terrible pain. The summation of her life: she was praising God! She knew that regardless of her health, regardless of her circumstances, her hope was built on nothing less than Jesus’ Blood and righteousness (as the old hymn says). Her death has affected me, much like the words of Isaiah must have affected those women. It’s been a jarring reminder of my own mortality; a reminder that this Earth is not my home. When my children are safe and healthy, when my marriage is flourishing, when my work and church life are fruitful, when I’m financially secure, I can be tempted to rejoice only due to my circumstances. But when the storms roll in and my situations become challenging, seem hopeless, seem overwhelming, I need to rejoice in the Lord just as fervently. Sickness and death will continue to afflict those I love, finances may fail to provide, depression may replace happiness, but in all these things, His love remains the same. Let us not be complacent, but rather, may we find hope in all circumstances, because that hope is originally grounded and rooted in the glory of our Lord.
Pastor Danielle McEntee
