Verse of the Day Devotion: Isaiah 3:10  

“Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions.” – Isaiah 3:10  

This verse is part of a prophesy given by Isaiah to the people of Israel and Judah.  Because of the evil done by them, God is using Isaiah to declare judgement on them because of their sins.  “For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their speech and their actions are against the Lord, To rebel against His glorious presence.”

Note all that they will lose.  “For behold, the Lord God of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah Both supply and support, the whole supply of bread And the whole supply of water; The mighty man and the warrior, The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder, The captain of fifty and the honorable man, The counselor and the expert artisan, And the skillful enchanter.” Isaiah 3:1-3.  Everything that was necessary would be taken away.  Food and water as well as warriors and soldiers who protect them from their enemies.  The good judges will be gone, and the prophets will no longer be there.  All that will be left will be the those who have little wisdom or knowledge that would give them the ability to lead the nation properly.  It will come to the point that the people will simply look to anyone who has not lost everything to lead them, with the idea they would provide for their needs from their goods. 

This will be a very difficult time for Israel and Judah.  However, not all of the people will experience all these difficult things.  In verses ten and eleven, we see the dichotomy that is found within this prophecy.  “Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions. Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, For what he deserves will be done to him.” Isaiah 3:10-11.  The two disparate groups are the righteous and the wicked.  The ones who did not obey God, the wicked, will find themselves in hard times.  As Isaiah said, they will get what they deserve.  However, not all the people did wrong.  There were a segment of the population who obeyed the Lord and did not act or speak evil about Him.  And thus, all will go well with them.  They will be taken care of and will not suffer to the degree the wicked do.    

It is important that we remember our God is a just God.  “Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.” Isaiah 30:18.  He will deal with the ungodly in a far different way than the righteous.  If He punishes a nation for their wickedness, He will take care of the ones who remain true to Him.  As things get more difficult as time progresses, we can trust God to take care of us as He punishes the unrighteous.  He will give to all what He deems they deserve.  So, during difficult times, stay strong and continue to look to Him for all your needs.  He will be there to protect the righteous through everything.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.