A man will seize one of his brothers in his father’s house, and say, “You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!” But in that day he will cry out, “I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people.” – Isaiah 3:6–7
When a nation experiences God’s judgment, no one wants to become leader. Formerly leadership in Israel had been a desirable role because leaders used their positions to enrich themselves (Is 1:23). But in the future when God’s judgment falls on these disobedient and ungodly people, Isaiah prophesies that no one will want the responsibility. The need for leadership will be urgent, for all those in leadership roles will be killed in battle or taken away in exile (Is 3:24-26). In these hard times, the bar set for leadership is very low. You have a cloak – you’re qualified! But the desire for leadership roles will also be very low, down to nil. There will be no benefits to leadership, only responsibilities. No one will have any solutions for the problems they were facing. Whatever resources they have will be needed to take care of their own personal needs.