Yahweh takes away the feminine beauty items (Isa 3:18-3:24)

“In that day,

Yahweh will take away

The finery of the anklets,

The headbands,

The crescents,

The pendants,

The bracelets,

The scarves,

The headdresses,

The armlets,

The sashes,

The perfume boxes,

The amulets,

The signet rings,

The nose rings,

The festal robes,

The mantles,

The cloaks,

The handbags,

The garments of gauze,

The linen garments,

The turbans,

And the veils.

Instead of perfume

There will be rottenness.

Instead of a girdle,

There will be a rope.

Instead of well-set hair,

There will be baldness.

Instead of a rich robe,

There will be a girding of sackcloth.

Instead of beauty,

There will be shame.”

One of the ways that Yahweh reacted to the proud Jerusalem women was to take away their beauty items. What is surprising to me is to see how many different items there were. Some are common, but some are also exotic. The list includes the following items: anklets, headbands, crescents, pendants, bracelets, scarves, headdresses, armlets, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, signet rings, nose rings, festal robes, mantles, cloaks, handbags, gauze, linens, turbans, and veils. There would be reversal of some things, like rottenness instead of perfume, rope instead of fine girdles, baldness instead of fine hair, sackcloth instead of rich robes, and shame instead of beauty. I do not know how these women reacted to this oracle.

Futile sacrificial offerings (Isa 1:11-1:13)

“‘What to me

Is the multitude of your sacrifices?’

Says Yahweh.

‘I have had enough

Of burnt offerings

Of rams.

I have had enough

Of burnt offerings

Of the fat of fed beasts.

I do not delight

In the blood of bulls.

I do not delight

In the blood of lambs.

I do not delight

In the blood of goats.

When you come

To appear before me,

Who asked this

From your hand?

Trample my courts no more.

Bringing offerings is futile.

Incense is an abomination to me.’”

In a total rejection of the priestly Levitical Israelite line that stressed the importance and necessity of sacrificial offerings, Yahweh, via Isaiah, seems to call all of the Temple sacrifices useless. Why were there multitudes of sacrifices? Yahweh, the Lord, had had enough of priestly burnt offerings of rams, fatten animals, blood, bulls, lambs, and goats. Who asked you to bring all these animals? Why, of course it was God’s law, the Torah, especially the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. It was a common theme as late as the wisdom literature. Here is an opposite strain of thought. Yahweh did not want his courts trampled, but that was what the law called for. This is a strong condemnation of incense, which was praised throughout all the other biblical writings because of its sweet smell. What a stunning reversal against the Torah!

The wise Qoheleth (Eccl 1:15-1:18)

“‘What is crooked cannot be made straight.

What is lacking cannot be counted.’

I said to myself.

‘I have acquired great wisdom.            

My wisdom surpasses all

Who were over Jerusalem before me.

My mind has had great experience of wisdom.

My mind has had great experience of knowledge.

I applied my mind to know wisdom.

I applied my mind to know madness.

I applied my mind to know folly.

I perceived that this also is but a chasing after wind.

In much wisdom

Is much vexation.

Those who increases knowledge

Increase sorrow.’”

This book once again has the first person singular of Qoheleth speaking. He points out, quite correctly, that the crooked cannot be made straight. However, you can come close. On the other hand, there is no doubt that you cannot count something that is not there. Then Qoheleth gets quite personal. He explains that he has great wisdom and knowledge, greater than anyone whoever was in Jerusalem before him. He knows the difference between wisdom, madness, and folly. In a kind of reversal of the Proverbs, he seems to imply that that with all this wisdom, he is still like chasing after the wind. More problems and vexation come with wisdom. There is an increase in sorrow that comes with more knowledge. Wisdom is not the be all and end all like in Proverbs.