Isaiah 3:1-4:6

In Isaiah’s day, the city of Jerusalem prided itself over its leaders: “the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the skillful magician and the expert in charms” (3:2-3).  God would humble them by taking away those great leaders.  Their women  prided themselves because of their beauty and luxurious living.  The Lord will take away “the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets;  the signet rings and nose rings;  the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the veils” (3:18-23).  He is making room for only one source of pride: the Branch of the LORD (Jesus Christ) and the fruit that the land will produce under him (4:2). That is the fruit of true righteousness.

LORD, may we pride ourselves only in Jesus Christ, and the fruit of his kingdom.