Isaiah5

Isaiah chapter 5 opens with the parable of a vineyard, representing Israel, which God meticulously cultivated but yielded only wild grapes, signifying their unrighteousness. Consequently, God declares He will lay waste to His vineyard. The chapter then pronounces a series of woes against the people for their greed, drunkenness, moral perversion, and injustice, culminating in a declaration of divine judgment and the swift, devastating invasion by a foreign nation.

The Song of the Vineyard

Let me sing for my well beloved a song of my beloved about his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a very fruitful hill.

He dug it up, gathered out its stones, planted it with the choicest vine, built a tower in its midst, and also cut out a wine press therein. He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.

“Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.

What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Why, when I looked for it to yield grapes, did it yield wild grapes?

Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away its hedge, and it will be eaten up. I will break down its wall of it, and it will be trampled down.

I will lay it a wasteland. It won’t be pruned nor hoed, but it will grow briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it.”

For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for justice, but, behold, oppression; for righteousness, but, behold, a cry of distress.

Woe to the Land Grabbers

Woe to those who join house to house, who lay field to field, until there is no room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land!

In my ears, the LORD of Hosts says: “Surely many houses will be desolate, even great and beautiful, unoccupied.

For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield an efah.”

Woe to the Drunkards

Woe to those who rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; who stay late into the night, until wine inflames them!

The harp, lyre, tambourine, and flute, with wine, are at their feasts; but they don’t respect the work of the LORD, neither have they considered the operation of his hands.

Exile Due to Lack of Knowledge

Therefore my people go into captivity for lack of knowledge. Their honorable men are famished, and their multitudes are parched with thirst.

Therefore Sheol has enlarged its desire, and opened its mouth without measure; and their glory, their multitude, their pomp, and he who rejoices among them, descend into it.

So man is brought low, mankind is humbled, and the eyes of the arrogant ones are humbled;

God Exalted in Judgment

but the LORD of Hosts is exalted in justice, and God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness.

Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, and strangers will eat the ruins of the rich.

Woe to Those Who Embrace Sin

Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, and wickedness as with cart rope;

Who say, “Let him make speed, let him hasten his work, that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it!”

Woe to Those Who Pervert Morality

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Woe to the Self-Appointed Wise

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Woe to Those Mighty in Drink

Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink;

Woe to the Corrupt Judges

who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice for the innocent!

Judgment Like Consuming Fire

Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as the dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have rejected the law of the LORD of Hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

God's Unrelenting Anger

Therefore the LORD’s anger burns against his people, and he has stretched out his hand against them, and has struck them. The mountains tremble, and their dead bodies are as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is still stretched out.

The Coming Invasion

He will lift up a banner to the nations from far, and he will whistle for them from the end of the earth. Behold, they will come speedily and swiftly.

No one shall be weary nor stumble among them; no one shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the belt of their waist be untied, nor the strap of their sandals be broken:

whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent. Their horses’ hoofs will be like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind.

Their roaring will be like a lioness. They will roar like young lions. Yes, they shall roar, and seize their prey and carry it off, and there will be no one to deliver.

Darkness and Despair

They will roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land behold, darkness and distress. The light is darkened in its clouds.

Study Notes for Isaiah 5

Verse 1

Isaiah introduces a parable, presented as a love song, concerning God's relationship with Israel. The 'wellbeloved' refers to God, and the vineyard represents Israel.

Verse 2

This verse emphasizes the extensive care and provision God gave to Israel. The tower and winepress symbolize protection and potential for blessing.

Verse 3

God calls upon the people to judge the fairness of his dealings. This is a rhetorical device to emphasize Israel's culpability.

Verse 4

This verse highlights God's frustration and disappointment with Israel's failure to produce good fruit. The 'wild grapes' symbolize corruption and injustice.

Verse 5

God announces the consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness: judgment and destruction. The removal of protection signifies the withdrawal of God's favor.

Verse 7

This verse explicitly identifies the vineyard as the house of Israel. God expected justice and righteousness, but instead found oppression and cries of distress.

Verse 8

Isaiah begins a series of 'woe' oracles, condemning specific sins prevalent in Israel. This first woe targets the insatiable greed of those who accumulate land at the expense of others.

Verse 9

This verse is a prophetic pronouncement of the consequences of greed: desolation and emptiness. The large houses will become uninhabited.

Verse 10

This verse describes the economic consequences of God's judgment. The land will become unproductive, yielding only a fraction of what it should.

Verse 11

This woe condemns those who prioritize excessive drinking and revelry over God's will. Their indulgence blinds them to the needs of others and the work of God.

Verse 12

This verse illustrates the self-indulgent lifestyle of the people, who are consumed with pleasure and oblivious to God's actions. The lack of regard for the 'work of the LORD' is a key indictment.

Verse 13

This verse explains that the people's ignorance of God's ways led to their captivity. The 'honorable men' and 'multitude' suffer the consequences of their spiritual blindness.

Verse 14

This verse uses vivid imagery to describe the insatiable nature of Sheol (hell) as it consumes the wicked. It highlights the comprehensive destruction that awaits those who reject God.

Verse 15

This verse speaks to the leveling effect of God's judgment. Both the lowly and the powerful will be humbled before Him.

Verse 16

In contrast to the humbling of humanity, God's justice and holiness will be magnified through his judgment. This verse provides a glimmer of hope amidst the pronouncements of doom.

Verse 17

This verse describes the desolation that will follow judgment. The land will be left for grazing, and strangers will consume the possessions of the wealthy.

Verse 18

This woe condemns those who actively pursue sin, even to the point of being bound to it. The imagery of 'cords of vanity' and a 'cart rope' illustrates their deliberate and persistent engagement with evil.

Verse 19

This verse reveals the arrogance and defiance of the wicked. They mock God's warnings and demand immediate proof of his power, revealing their unbelief.

Verse 20

This woe condemns the inversion of moral values, where good is called evil and evil is called good. This represents a profound spiritual and moral decay within society.

Verse 21

This woe is directed towards those who are arrogant and self-reliant in their own wisdom, rejecting God's guidance. True wisdom comes from fearing the Lord (Proverbs 9:10).

Verse 22

This woe echoes the earlier condemnation of drunkenness, but specifically targets those who pride themselves on their ability to consume large quantities of alcohol. It highlights the misplaced priorities of the people.

Verse 23

This woe condemns those who pervert justice by acquitting the guilty for bribes and denying justice to the innocent. This corruption undermines the foundations of a righteous society.

Verse 24

This verse uses the imagery of fire to describe the swift and complete destruction that will come upon the wicked. Their rejection of God's law and word will have devastating consequences.

Verse 25

This verse emphasizes the severity of God's anger and the devastating effects of his judgment. The earthquake and scattered corpses illustrate the widespread devastation, yet God's anger is not yet satisfied.

Verse 26

God will raise a signal to summon a distant nation to execute his judgment against Israel. This verse introduces the theme of foreign invasion as a means of divine punishment.

Verse 27

This verse describes the relentless and unstoppable nature of the invading army. Their readiness and determination highlight the futility of resisting God's judgment.

Verse 28

The imagery continues, emphasizing the strength and readiness of the invading army. The description of their horses and wheels evokes a sense of overwhelming force.

Verse 29

The invading army is compared to roaring lions, symbolizing their ferocity and eagerness to seize their prey. They will carry away their captives without opposition.

Verse 30

The chapter concludes with a scene of utter darkness and despair. The land is filled with sorrow, and even the light of heaven is obscured, signifying the complete withdrawal of God's blessing.

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