The Manifestation Of Sin In Society

Pastor Bill Farrow

Isaiah 1:23

23  Your princes are rebellious,
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.

Thy princes … - This is an explanation and an enlargement of the previous verse. Princes mean here those attached to the royal family; those who by rank, or office, had an influence over the people. They are, most often in prophetic literature, symbolic of the leadership of the nation.  As such, we see the first manifestation of sin in the society is seen in the leadership of the nation.  For argument’s sake, we can lump all of the Israelite leadership into one unit.  Israel was, after all, a religious nation, built around the Temple and the offices of Prophet, Priest and King.  That the leadership of any nation be godly is essential to the persistence of God’s blessing upon that nation.  When the leadership becomes rebellious, it is disastrous to the continued blessing of God on that nation.  This was certainly the case in Israel’s history.  The princes rebelled against the authority of God over them and that rebellion had disastrous results.

Rebellious - Against God. The corruption of a nation commonly begins with the rulers. As the leadership goes, so goes the people.  In reverse, we can look at the leadership, and see what the hearts of the people in the nation are truly like.  The people follow the leaders; therefore, we can look at the leaders and see what the people truly are!

Companions of thieves - That is, they connive at the doings of robbers; they do not bring them to justice; they are their accomplices, and are easily bribed to acquit them. A second manifestation of sin in a society is seen in the leadership becoming increasingly self-centered, selfish, and corrupt. 

Every one loveth gifts - Every magistrate can be bribed.

Followeth afar rewards - This word denotes the act of pursuing after in order to obtain something; and means here that they made it an object to obtain rewards by selling or betraying justice They sell justice to the highest bidder. No more distressing condition of a people can be conceived than this, where justice could not be secured between man and man, and where the wicked could oppress the poor, the widow, and the orphan, as much as they pleased, because they knew they could bribe the judge. The absence of true, Biblical justice in a society is a tremendous tell-tale of the degree to which that society has fallen.  We need to note that we are not talking about any person’s perception of justice, but of true and righteous justice as portrayed in the Bible.  That is the standard by which justice must be measured.  It is a godly standard, not a Republican or a Democratic one; a Biblical one, not a conservative or liberal one.  When justice is for sale and when the leadership is sold to self-interest and becomes dishonest, hope for that society is lost.

They judge not - They do not render justice to; (Isa. 1:17). The Chaldee has well expressed the sense of a part of this verse: ‘They say, each one to his neighbor, Favor me in my judgment, or do me good in it, and I will recompense you in your cause.’ The idea is that they are more concerned with compromise and accommodation than they are with what is right.  When any society becomes unjust and unconcerned about real justice, it is a sure mark that sin has taken its toll and is progressively bringing that society to ruin.

The cause of the widow come unto them - Or, rather, come before them. They would not take up her cause, but rather the cause of those who were esteemed able to offer a bribe, and from whom a gift might be expected, if a decision was made in their favor.  Even the mot basic responsibilities of any society, the care of the poor and the widowed, are forsaken in an ungodly society.  Sin and self-interest wreck a terrible cost and bring that society under the judgment of God.

It is important to understand that the solution to this is not to start doing the things they weren’t doing.  That they were not doing these things was only a symptom of the greater need in their lives – that of the true righteousness of God.  The Israelites were in desperate need of something – but that something was not to try and be godly apart from godly character.  They did not need to strive for righteousness apart from the imputed righteousness of Christ.  They needed to submit themselves to God and to obey His command to receive that righteousness by grace through faith.