The first Bible I bought for myself was a Good News Bible. Annie Valloton's line drawings made a great impact on me - illustrating and helping me remember the message of the text. I vividly recall the pictures she drew for Isaiah 3: a beautifully dressed woman, haughtily stepping along, like a model on a catwalk. Then, the same woman in the same pose, her nose in the air, but stripped naked of her finery.Isaiah uses his word skills to achieve the same effect, listing every piece of adornment the proud woman is wearing, and stripping them all away.
Shame, shame, shame.
Yesterday, people were grabbing hold of a man with a cloak and saying "Be our leader!" Today, women are grabbing hold of any available man and saying "Marry me! Give me status!"
One of Isaiah's favourite phrases is "Daughter of Zion." He frequently pictures the nation as a woman, he describes her beauty and her pain, he dwells on her love and loss. The Daughter of Jerusalem is losing her beauty.
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