A Cursed Community Has Incompetent Leaders

Isaiah 3:4
“I will make mere youths their officials;
children will rule over them.”

New Living Translation
I will make boys their leaders, and toddlers their rulers.

Amplified Bible
And I will make mere boys their princes, And capricious (impulsive, unpredictable) children will rule over them.

Contemporary English Version
He will let children and babies become your rulers.

Good News Translation
The LORD will let the people be governed by immature boys.

Isn’t this scary? That when God is angry with a community He gives them incompetent leaders. When all around us we see incompetent leaders, it is a sign that we are cursed. We need to pray for forgiveness of community sin. A cursed community has incompetent leaders.

In Isaiah chapter three we are told that God is about to judge Israel and punish them for their sins. What catches our attention is how God will punish His people. God will punish people by withdrawing supply and support for food and water, Isaiah 3:1.

God will also punish His people by withdrawing heroes and warriors, judges, prophets, diviners, and elders, Isaiah 3:2. God will also withdraw military leaders, counselors, skilled artists, and the clever fellows, Isaiah 3:3.

First, this teaches us that when we see these people amongst us, it is a favor from God, He can withdraw them. Imagine heroes that we celebrate are God-given. People who win awards, receive accolades, and are celebrated beyond our borders. If we are cursed, there will be no hero in our midst, no one who is known or celebrated anywhere for anything. Closed community of whining failures giving excuses why they have never achieved anything, yet at the core of it is a curse. Do you lack heroes in your country, community, church, workplace, school? You should wonder why.

Warriors in a community are God-given. God can withdraw warriors. Judges who make decisions. Prophets who speak God’s word and even wise elders are all God-given. Counselors who help us through crises are God-given. When a community is cursed these people are replaced by the incompetent.

God tells Israel in our text today, that His curse will bring extremely incompetent people to lead them. The various versions we have cited above are even much more explicit. As a result of bad leadership, there will be oppression in the community, Isaiah 3:5. Do you have bad leadership and oppression? You could be a cursed community.

Childish leaders can’t discuss anything without resorting to physical fighting. Do your leaders fight physically and publicly without shame? You could be in a cursed community where God has withdrawn mature leaders.

Leaders who listen to gossip are boys not men. Leaders who spend office hours being told unconfirmed stories on what so and so thinks about them, these are toddlers who deserve diapers. Leaders who can’t handle criticism or a different opinion are not yet teenagers. If your leaders are always concerned about what was said and they get angry when they are criticized or given a different view, those are children in adult bodies.

Leaders who surround themselves with incompetent people who only agree with them and never give a different opinion are short sighted kids. Leaders who think loyalty is being agreement and disagreement is betrayal. Leaders who find safety in being surrounded by people of their race and tribe only. If such are your leaders, you could be a cursed community.

Small boys are greedy. Leaders who use public office to enrich themselves are visionless kids. They have no legacy of service. The only notable thing is unexplainable acquisition of wealth. These are cursed children with adult bodies.

If all the leader worries about is who can potentially replace them, they are childish and may never grow up. Adults know that we are here for a season and only God can replace them. Children are obsessed with being replaced soon. A cursed community has incompetent leaders!

New Living Translation
In those days a man will say to his brother, “Since you have a coat, you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of ruins!”

Good News Translation
A time will come when the members of a clan will choose one of their number and say to him, “You at least have something to wear, so be our leader in this time of trouble.”

The leadership crisis will be so bad that anyone can be a leader on flimsy grounds. A man will tell his brother that because you are wearing a coat, be our leader, Isaiah 3:6. What nonsense is that? Yet isn’t that how some leaders amongst are chosen? On flimsy grounds on qualifies to lead?

Are we facing a leadership crisis? Are we choosing leaders that are incompetent children and toddlers? When leaders can’t see the obvious safe path to take, could it be teething problems of new leaders or a curse of having been given childish incompetent leaders?

We must learn to honestly examine ourselves and acknowledge our sins and situations. The first step to recovery is acknowledging that what we have as leadership are boys and toddlers. We must take note that we have chosen leaders not based on competence but flimsy grounds. Then we should now confess and repent our sins as a community.

When we repent our sins as a community, God will restore our heroes, our warriors, our elders, our prophets, our judges, etc. God will end oppression amongst us. The quality of leadership and life in a community can indicate whether we are all cursed and we should consequently repent.

Why should all of us be cursed? Because we all support the sins of our leaders by silence and inaction. We are all cursed because we have not condemned the wrongdoing we witness. We are all cursed because we support discrimination, racism, and tribalism. We are all cursed because we are no better than the leaders we condemn. We need to be forgiven our community sins.

May God save us from community sins and bad leadership. May we get the wisdom to realize in case we are cursed so that we seek divine help. May this curse come to an end in Jesus’ name, Amen!

1. Rei Kesis YouTube Channel (subscribe, click on notification and share) –http://youtube.com/reikesis
2. Rei Kesis books on Amazon (Amazon will sell and deliver anywhere in the world. For those in Kenya you can buy from any ABC close to you. ABC is Adventist Book Center) –https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rei+kesis&ref=nb_sb_noss
3. Rei Kesis daily blog –https://reikesis.com/