ISAIAH
Isaiah 5:8-23

quote:

"Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field, Until there is no more room, So that you have to live alone in the midst of the land! 9 In my ears the LORD of hosts has sworn, "Surely, many houses shall become desolate, Even great and fine ones, without occupants. 10 For ten acres of vineyard will yield only one bath of wine, And a homer of seed will yield but an ephah of grain." 11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink; Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them! 12 And their banquets are accompanied by lyre and harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine; But they do not pay attention to the deeds of the LORD, nor do they consider the work of His hands. 13 Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude is parched with thirst. 14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure; and Jerusalem's splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry, and the jubilant within her, descend into it. 15 So the common man will be humbled, and the man of importance abased, the eyes of the proud also will be abased. 16 But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness. 17 Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, and strangers will eat in the waste places of the wealthy. 18 Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood, and sin as if with cart ropes; 19 who say, "Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it; and let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come to pass, that we may know it!" 20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and clever in their own sight! 22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink; 23 who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!"

Six woes are pronounced upon six specific sins. The first is upon a people who are covetous and continually striving to obtain more. In this specific instance it was landowners who wanted a monopoly of the land, acquiring what rightfully belonged to the poor. As punishment for their sin the land will lose its productivity and will no longer be able to sustain the population.

The second woe is upon those who engage in drunkenness, idleness, riotous living and revelry. They are so preoccupied with sin they fail to interpret the signs of the times and can not see the judgment about to come.

The third woe is upon an unbelieving people. Isaiah gives an illustration of a heavy cart being drawn by men. Laboriously, these men drag behind them a cart of iniquity. Their sin, the trangression of God's instructions, puts them in a bondage of slavery, a yoke which only the Lord can break. They taunted Isaiah with their unbelief, not believing that judgment is imminent because they had nothing to see to cause them to believe.

The fourth woe is upon those who pervert the truth. The lines between what is moral and immoral, ethical and unethical become blurred so there is no true distinction between good and evil. Their perversion is so great they consider evil to be good, darkness to be light and bitterness to be sweet.

The fifth woe is upon a people who are wise in their own eyes. Proverbs 3:7 tells us to "not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil". True wisdom comes from God and is found only in Him. Wisdom personified in Proverbs is none other than Jesus, the Son of God. Neglecting the source of true wisdom leaves dependence only upon our unreliable human minds.

The sixth woe is upon those who pervert justice. Their drinking caused them to lose their sense of duty in providing justice. It is their rejection of God's righteous instructions, rather than their drunkenness that Isaiah has in mind. The denial of justice to the righteous is one of Isaiah's recurring themes.

Judah is said to be in a woeful condition, but these warnings are to all people, of all ages to recognize sin's destructive power and the necessity of God's righteous judgments. The result of these judgments is that He will be set apart and glorified as an infinitely Holy God. Those who scoffed are very much like those today who ask, "Where is the promise of His coming?". Let's not be covetous, preoccupying ourselves with sin, being wise merely in our own eyes, but instead, seeking truth, being aware of the signs of His coming and looking forward to His glorious appearing!