God Will Judge
13 The Lord arises to contend,
And stands to judge the people.
14 The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people,
“It is you who have devoured the vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 “What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the face of the poor?”
Declares the Lord [o]God of hosts.
Judah’s Women Denounced
16 Moreover, the Lord said, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud
And walk with [p]heads held high and seductive eyes,
And go along with mincing steps
And tinkle the bangles on their feet,
17 Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs,
And the Lord will make their foreheads bare.”18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, 19 dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, 21 [q]finger rings, nose rings, 22 festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, 23 hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans and veils.
24 Now it will come about that instead of [r]sweet perfume there will be putrefaction;
Instead of a belt, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp;
Instead of fine clothes, a donning of sackcloth;
And branding instead of beauty.
25 Your men will fall by the sword
And your [s]mighty ones in battle.
26 And her [t]gates will lament and mourn,
And deserted she will sit on the ground.
This section continues right along to a similar tune as previous chapters. The Israelites had rebelled, and God continued to use Isaiah to point out their sin and call them to repentance. Then it takes a somewhat rare turn, as God rebukes even the women for their behavior. Yet it isn’t for idol-worship or oppressing the poor that they are condemned.
They were likely complicit in those things also, especially those who were of foreign birth. Instead, his concern is with them leading men astray. He describes all sorts of things, anklets, headbands, earrings, mirrors, veils, etc. Most of these things were not bad or evil in and of themselves, but it was the heart behind it.
We see this clearly in v. 16 as they “walk with heads held high and seductive eyes…” They were not beautifully adorned to please their husbands, or to attract a mate, or any virtuous cause. No, they were out to make heads turn, to attract attention from anyone and everyone. As a result, God’s judgment was to take away any semblance of the beauty he had given them.
To be clear, God makes beautiful people, and he makes homely people too. However, He is far more interested in the beauty of our hearts, or the lack thereof. I’ve referenced the story of David’s anointing before, where God told Samuel that man looks at the outward appearance, but He looks at the heart. So obviously, it wasn’t just the woman who were guilty of this obsession with outward appearance, and it isn’t today either.
There is always a balance though, as our bodies are gifts from God, as much as anything else. We should not be slovenly, but take good care of every gift He has given us, including our appearance. Yet to be absorbed by the superficial, as the “daughters of Zion” were, is to take God’s gift in a direction it was never intended.
Do not be conceited, but be presentable, and above all keep your eyes on Him. Do not allow the external to rule your life, or to lure you into sin. Honor God above all, with every part of who you are, outward and in, and let His light shine in you.