Lies that produce extreme destruction

Here is the subsequent outtake from the Wednesday night study at my church:

Isaiah 9: [14] Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

What’s that talking about? [15] The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

So what he’s talking about is you’ve got some bad leaders. And the bad leadership in the nation, the prophets and then the politicians, and what they’re doing is they’re teaching lies, explains Richard Jordan.

Those bad leaders don’t lead people to seek the Lord. They lead people away from the Lord. There are two phases of the thing.

In Isaiah 9:16 is the problem: [16] For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

They’re not preaching truth; what they’re doing is preaching lies.

The whole problem starts with a spiritual problem; it starts with the prophets prophesying lies instead of sound doctrine.

Jeremiah 5:31: [31] The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

Well, there’s the underlying difficulty. The spiritual problem behind the prophets prophesying lies and the religious system supports that and the people love what they’re getting out of it and that’s total deception.

Isaiah 3: [1] For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

The prosperity is going to go away: [2] The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

[3] The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counseller, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
[4] And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
[5] And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
[6] When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:
[7] In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.

He’s going to take away all the people who have some wisdom and he’s going to put people over them that are just dumb as the kids.

You ever watch kids try to run something? It’s all about who? "Me." They don’t have the expertise to do those things. They’re just a bunch of self-interested, self-promoting kids.

Isaiah 5: [13] Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

[14] Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
[15] And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:

So they’ve lost the people with understanding, because truth isn’t being proclaimed. Lies are being proclaimed and lies don’t produce health. Lies only produce destruction.

Isaiah 9: [17] Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

That’s an amazing verse. You read it and say, “That’s really weird.” He’s not going to have any joy in young men, neither have mercy on their fatherless and widows.

Isaiah 10: [1] Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;

[2] To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!
[3] And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

These are people that the law said you’re to take care of. God says, “I got no joy in any of that.” It’s completely the opposite of what you would think. They’re the people you’re supposed to take care of!

In verse 17 He tells you the reason. What’s happened? Everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer. In other words, the corruption has penetrated the whole culture all the way down to the most extreme . . . it’s extended to all the classes of the culture. Completely gone.

Isaiah 1: [17] Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

[18] Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

That’s what they were supposed to be doing. You say, “Well, why does God turn on them?” Because the culture has gotten so corrupt; the leadership is so bad that the corruption has extended all the way down into the very bottom levels of society. Even down to the place where the people have no power. The decay has spread and infected the entire culture and God says, “I’ve got no use for any of you.”