You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say! – Isaiah 32:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 28, 2020): Isaiah 32

The idea that women are property is an ancient one. In fact, even in the cultural West, which considers itself advanced, it is only slowly that that idea is changing. Women have only gained the right to vote in the past one hundred and fifty years. In the grand story of our existence, that is an extremely short time period. Equal pay for equal work is still a controversial concept in our culture. Oh, I know that most people will give the idea a verbal assent, but the reality is that if we believed in equal pay for equal work, then it would be a reality in our culture, and that does not seem to be the truth.

For most of history, women have been used as second class citizens. In many cultures, they are not seen as being worthy of being educated and have often been encouraged to remain at home to do the menial work that needs to be done there and leave the important things to the men. Maybe that is why the world is so messed up. It is not that women are actually smarter than men; this is not about role reversal, but simply that for most of history, over half of the population has been sidelined on important decisions for no other reason than their gender at birth. Over half the community has been told to stay at home and let the men think about the important things.

Isaiah once again has a message that is directed at the women. Life is about them too, and they need to rise up and be an influence in the culture. Isaiah believes that the women of Jerusalem are worthy of being addressed, and that they have something incredibly important to do. According to Isaiah, women can no longer be left on the sideline. The disaster that is coming will affect their world as much as will the world of the men.

And so Isaiah speaks directly to these women, especially women of leisure who have likely been sealed off from the reality of the outside world by their husbands. It is time for them to rise up, to worship, to mourn, and to have an influence on what is going on.

Because that is the real truth behind the role of women in our society, while this was likely not publicly acknowledged, women have always exercised an influence on our culture. It is just that their impact has been on the men in their lives. They may have led from the second chair, but make no mistake, they have led. And Isaiah knows that they must continue to lead.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 33