Isaías 5
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Isaías 5
Spurgeon asks…Has it been so with us? Have we rewarded the Well-beloved thus ungratefully for all his pains? Have we given him hardness of heart, instead of repentance; unbelief, instead of faith; indifference, instead of love; idleness, instead of holy industry; impurity, instead of holiness? Dug it all about - The verb means to dig around as in the preparation of a plot of land for planting. Built a tower - It was common practice to build a stone tower on a hilltop to keep watch over their lands, protecting them against wild animals and thieves. The tower would allow watchmen to see in all directions which speaks of Jehovah's all sufficient provision of protection for His vineyard. Contrast the more modest "shelter" of (Isa 1:8). God's vineyard had every advantage. Planted it - Jehovah reiterates His sovereign provision to Israel… Yet I planted you a choice vine, a completely faithful seed. How then have you turned yourself before Me into the degenerate shoots of a foreign vine? (Jer 2:21) Hewed out a wine vat (NIV = "winepress") - A trough into which the grape juice flowed. The grapes were trampled on, and the juice flowed into the wine vat (cf. Jer 48:33; Am 9:13). The vine vat reflected God's hope for a good (spiritual) harvest (expected it to produce good grapes). As
Isaías 5
Spurgeon applies this passage asking… O you that profess to be his people, what more could Christ have done for you? What more could the Holy Spirit have done? What richer promises, what wiser precepts, what kinder providences, what more gracious patience?”
Isaías 5
Spurgeon comments: O Lord, how great are thy works! He is lost in wonder. He utters an exclamation of amazement. How vast! How stupendous are the doings of Jehovah! Great for number, extent, and glory and design are all the creations of the Infinite One. And thy thoughts are very deep. The Lord's plans are as marvellous as his acts; his designs are as profound as his doings are vast. Creation is immeasurable, and the wisdom displayed in it unsearchable. Some men think but cannot work, and others are mere drudges working without thought; in the Eternal the conception and the execution go together. Providence is inexhaustible, and the divine decrees which originate it are inscrutable. Redemption is grand beyond conception, and the thoughts of love which planned it are infinite. Man is superficial, God is inscrutable; man is shallow, God is deep. Dive as we may we shall never fathom the mysterious plan, or exhaust the boundless wisdom of the all comprehending mind of the Lord. We stand by the fathomless sea of divine wisdom, and exclaim with holy awe, "O the depth!" A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. In this and the following verses the effect of the psalm is heightened by contrast; the shadows are thrown in to bring out the lights more prominently. What a stoop from the preceding verse; from the saint to the brute, from the worshipper to the boor, from the psalmist to the fool! Yet, alas, the character described here is no uncommon one. The boorish or boarish man, for such is almost the very Hebrew word, sees nothing in nature; and if it be pointed out to him, his foolish mind will not comprehend it. He may be a philosopher, and yet be such a brutish being that he will not own the existence of a Maker for the ten thousand matchless creations around him, which wear, even upon their surface, the evidences of profound design. The unbelieving heart, let it boast as it will, does not know; and with all its parade of intellect, it does not understand. A man must either be a saint or a brute, he has no other choice; his type must be the adoring seraph, or the ungrateful swine. So far from paying respect to great thinkers who will not own the glory or being of God, we ought to regard them as comparable to the beasts which perish, only vastly lower than mere brutes, because their degrading condition is of their own choosing. O God, how sorrowful a thing it is that men whom thou hast so largely gifted, and made in thine own image, should so brutify themselves that they will neither see nor understand what thou hast made so clear. Well might an eccentric writer say, "God made man a little lower than the angels at first, and he has been trying to get lower ever since." Nor… consider the work of His hands - "Culpable negligence constantly persisted in, losing much blessing, and involving terrible condemnation." (Spurgeon) Psalm 28:5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, nor the deeds of His hands, He will tear them down and not build them up. Spurgeon comments: Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands. God works in creation -- nature teems with proofs of His wisdom and goodness, yet purblind (dim-witted) atheists refuse to see Him: He works in providence, ruling and overruling, and His hand is very manifest in human history, yet the infidel will not discern Him: He works in grace -- remarkable conversions are still met with on all hands, yet the ungodly refuse to see the operations of the LORD. Where angels wonder, carnal men despise! God condescends to teach, and man refuses to learn. He will tear them down: He will make them "behold, and wonder, and perish." If they would not see the hand of judgment upon others, they shall feel it upon themselves. Both soul and body shall be overwhelmed with utter destruction for ever and ever. And not build them up. God's cure is positive and negative; His sword has two edges, and cuts right and left. Their heritage of evil shall prevent the ungodly receiving any good; the ephah shall be too full of wrath to contain a grain of hope. They have become like old, rotten, decayed houses of timber, useless to the owner, and harboring all manner of evil, and, therefore, the Great Builder will demolish them utterly. Incorrigible offenders (Ed: An apt description of His "Vineyard") may expect speedy destruction: they who will not mend, shall be thrown away as worthless. Let us be very attentive to all the lessons of God's word and work, lest being found disobedient to the divine will, we be made to suffer the divine wrath. Isaiah 5:13 Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude is parched with thirst: people: Isa 1:7 42:22, 23, 24, 25 2Ki 17:6 2Ch 28:5, 6, 7, 8 For: Isa 1:3 27:11 Jer 8:7 Ho 4:6 Mt 23:16-27 Lk 19:44 Jn 3:19,20 Ro 1:28 2Pe 3:5) honorable men are famished = Jer 14:18 La 4:4,5,9 multitude: Jer 14:3 Am 8:13 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Isaiah momentarily stops listing the woes and gives two predictions in Isa 5:13,14. Therefore - A term of conclusion (cp second term of conclusion in Is 5:14). In Is 5:12 he has just described the effect of strong drink in inducing a spiritual stupor regarding God's Ways and Word. Here he draws out the logical conclusion of such spiritual insensitivity - first, lack of knowledge and second, an explicable exile. My people - NAS capitalizes "My" assuming that it is Jehovah speaking, not Isaiah, but it is not completely clear in this verse. My people go - Not "will go" but spoken of this future event as if it was already occurring ("destined to go") or had been completed, so sure was Jehovah's Word of judgment. Into exile - To Assyria as described in 2Ki 17:6 in 722BC. To Babylon in 605, 597, 586BC. Recall that Isaiah is prophesying between 740-680BC. Their lack of knowledge - Obviously not speaking of "knowledge" in general but specifically the knowledge of the Ways and Word of Jehovah. Jesus alluded to a similar "gap" in the "spiritual knowledge" of the first century Jews… saying, “If you had known in this day (cp Is 59:8), even you, the things which make for peace (cp Lk 1:77, 78, 79, Ac 10:36, Ep 2:14-note, Ep 2:17-note, Jn 14:27, 16:33)! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. (Lk 19:42) Later in the prophecy of Isaiah we read the critique that… they are not a people of discernment (knowledge superior to mere gathering of data, cp Is 1:3), therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them. and their Creator will not be gracious to them." (Isa 27:11) Other OT prophets level a similar charge (cp Jesus' "staccato" series of scathing woes against the hypocritical Pharisees = Mt 23:16-28)… Jeremiah 8:7 "Even the stork in the sky Knows her seasons; and the turtledove and the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration; but My people do not know the ordinance of the LORD. Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (experiential knowledge of the living God. To know God is to live in harmony with His will = obedience to His illuminated Word. Loss of the knowledge of God leaves a destructive vacuum in personal and national life). Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Comment: At risk of sounding judgmental it seems that the church in America has forgotten that this same Word is to not just make us "smarter sinners" but is to be used as a "mirror" to allow self-examination (Jas 1:24-note, Jas 1:25-note) that we might be more like the Savior! Sir Isaac Newton spoke to the root cause of Israel's lack of knowledge - Certainly no one could say that he was not an intellectual or that he was not a man of remarkable ability. One day someone said this to him: Sir Isaac, I do not understand. You seem to be able to believe the Bible like a little child. I have tried but I cannot. So many of its statements mean nothing to me. I cannot believe; I cannot understand. Newton replied… Sometimes I come into my study and in my absentmindedness I attempt to light my candle when the extinguisher is over it, and I fumble about trying to light it and cannot; but when I remove the extinguisher then I am able to light the candle. I am afraid the extinguisher in your case is the love of your sins; it is deliberate unbelief that is in you (This was problem with all of Israel except the remnant). Turn to God in repentance; be prepared to let the Spirit of God reveal His truth to you, and it will be His joy to show the glory of the grace of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ.” In the NT, Jesus in the context of their spiritual ignorance (see Lk 19:42 above) warned of impending disaster upon Jerusalem… they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation (They failed to recognize their Messiah's first "visitation"!). (Luke 19:44) (This prophecy was fulfilled in 70AD when the Romans under General Titus defeated Israel, sacked the Temple and leveled Jerusalem) Paul echoes this charge against all humanity declaring that… they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, (so) God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper (Ro 1:28) Earlier Jehovah had declared that… An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master's manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand. (Isaiah 1:3-note) Honorable men are famished (Literally "Their glory are men of hunger") - The rich will not escape divine retribution! Isaiah 5:14 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: Sheol: Isa 14:9 30:33 Ps 49:14 Pr 27:20 Eze 32:18-30 Hab 2:5 Mt 7:13 Rev 20:13-15 enlarged: Nu 16:30-34 Pr 1:12 jubliant: Isa 21:4 1Sa 25:36-38 2Sa 13:28,29 Ps 55:15 Da 5:3-6,30 Na 1:10 Lk 12:19,20 16:20-23 17:27 21:34 Ac 12:21-23 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Therefore - Second successive term of conclusion, and oh what a divine conclusion! The party is over! Sheol (see note) - the underworld, the abode of the dead, not a state of unconsciousness. In context Sheol stands for death, personified as a devouring enemy who was about to open its mouth wide and swallow up the revelers. In other words, Sheol the place of the dead spirits will develop a ravenous appetite which is ironic because the very ones consumed are those who had an insatiable appetite for consumption of wine and food (Is 5:11, 12)! Enlarged its throat - "“will make wide its throat" which is utter divine irony, for these victims of the abysmal insatiability of Sheol had themselves made wide their throats, living to gratify their insatiable fleshly appetites. Paul describes the end of those whose "belly" is their "god" declaring that… end is destruction (apoleia), whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame (aischune), who set their minds (phroneo in the = continually. The habit of their life is live for the temporal in lieu of the eternal!) on earthly things. (Php 3:19-note) Without measure - "Without limit" NET Bible notes that… Death is portrayed in both the OT (Pr 1:12; Hab 2:5) and Canaanite myth as voraciously swallowing up its prey. In the myths Death is portrayed as having “a lip to the earth, a lip to the heavens… and a tongue to the stars.” (G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 69, text 5 ii 2-3.) Death describes his own appetite as follows: “But my appetite is the appetite of lions in the waste… If it is in very truth my desire to consume ‘clay' [a reference to his human victims], then in truth by the handfuls I must eat it, whether my seven portions [indicating fullness and completeness] are already in the bowl or whether Nahar [the god of the river responsible for ferrying victims from the land of the living to the land of the dead] has to mix the cup.” (Driver, 68-69, text 5 i 14-22). Isaiah 5:15 So the common man will be humbled and the man of importance abased, The eyes of the proud also will be abased: the common: Isa 2:9,11,17 9:14-17 24:2-4 Ps 62:9 Jer 5:4,5,9 Jas 1:9-11 Rev 6:15,16 the eyes: Isa 10:12 13:11 37:23,29 Ex 9:17 Job 40:11,12 Da 4:37 1Pe 5:5 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries The Hebrew is identical to the first part of Isaiah 2:9… So the common man has been humbled and the man of importance has been abased, but do not forgive them. (Is 2:9a) Common man ('adam)… man of importance abased - The ultimate end of the judgment is utter humiliation of sinful men and (in the next verse) exaltation of Jehovah, which has always been God's primary purpose for mankind (cp "glorify God and enjoy Him forever"). Since they were arrogant, God would remove those things that made them so arrogant. Humbled (07817) (shachach/sahah) (Is 2:9-note, Is 2:11-note,), Is 2:17-note)) means to be bowed down, prostrated, humbled which is the sense in this passage. It can also mean to bow in homage (Pr 14:19), to bow (as a mourner Ps 35:14, 38:7), to crouch (as a wild beast, Job 38:40). Later in Isaiah shachach is used of laying low a city or city walls (Is 25:12, 26:5). Abased (08213) (shaphel/sapal [word study]) (Frequent in Isaiah - Is 2:9, 11, 12, 17; 5:15; 10:33; 13:11; 25:11, 12; 26:5; 29:4; 32:19; 40:4; 57:9) conveys the basic sense of to be low physically, which leads to the more important figurative meanings of abasement, humbling, humility The eyes - Why the eyes? What this man looks at is what he desires (cp Ge 39:7, Ps 123:2), which refers back to the covetousness of Isa 5:8 (add house to house). Proud… abased - God is eternally, irrevocably opposed to the proud. It is only the humble who can receive His grace. (cp Jas 4:6- note) Isaiah 5:16 But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.: Lord: Isa 12:4 1Ch 29:11 Ps 9:16 21:13 46:10 Eze 28:22 38:23 Ro 2:5 Rev 19:1-5 God… holy: Isa 6:3 57:15 Rev 3:7 4:8 15:3,4 righteousness: Isa 8:13 29:23 Lev 10:3 Eze 36:23 1Pe 1:16 2:15 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Holy - Separated, belonging to another order, in this case a divine order (cp Isa 6:3). Will show Himself holy in righteousness - In judgment against His own unjust people, the holy God shows His justice because His actions are fair and just. God reveals His holiness through His righteous acts, which on the one hand bring salvation for His righteous people but judgment on a selfish, oppressive people. When God judges evildoers as they deserve, his sovereignty will be acknowledged and His Name will be exalted. Compare the mention of judgment (mishpat) and righteousness (tsedaqah) in Isa 5:7. The NET Bible says that in Isaiah 5:7… God denounces His people for failing to produce a society where “justice” and “fairness” are valued and maintained. God will judge His people for their failure, taking “justice” and “fairness” into His own hands Isaiah 5: 17 Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, and strangers will eat in the waste places of the wealthy: lambs will graze: Isa 7:21,22,25 17:2 32:14 40:11 65:10 Zep 2:6,14 strangers: Isa 1:7 Dt 28:33 Ne 9:37 La 5:2 Ho 8:7 Lk 21:24 waste: Isa 10:16 Dt 32:15 Ps 17:10,14 73:7 119:70 Jer 5:28 Am 4:1-3 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Then - The scene of judgment is succeeded by a scene of seeming peace. In fact the point is that following the disappearance of the carousers, only sheep would be left to graze on the ruins of the wealthy. Motyer writes that… the flocks are roaming free among the ruins of a prosperity devastated by divine judgment. The animals have made the formerly well-tended lawns their own, and (lit.) ‘tramps eat in the ruins of the well-fed’ (Ibid) NET Bible notes that… The image completes the picture begun in Isa 5:14 and adds to the irony. When judgment comes, Sheol will eat up the sinners who frequent the feasts; then the banqueting halls will lie in ruins and only sheep will eat there. Isaiah 5:18 Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood, and sin as if with cart ropes: Jer 5:31 8:5, 6, 7, 8, 9 23:10,14,24 28:15,16 44:15-19 Eze 13:10,11,22 Zep 1:12 Joh 16:2 Ac 26:9 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Woe - Number three is directed to their defiant attitude and deep attachment to their iniquity and sin. Iniquity… sin - Each is pictured as a heavy load which brings bondage. Drag iniquity… and sin - Literally the Hebrew reads "those who pull evil with the ropes of emptiness, and, as [with] ropes of a cart, sin". Sin is deceptive and attractive. In one sense they held fast to their sin (drag iniquity) and it held them fast in sin (cp Pr 5:21) Ropes ('aboth) refers to ropes formed to be strong for binding prisoners (Jdg 15:13, 14; 16:11, 12). Vine comments that… The figure is that of beasts of burden roped to a wagon. Iniquity was the burden they dragged by their vain delusions, and sin the wagon to which they were roped. What a picture this verse presents, the NET Bible commenting that… The sinners are so attached to their sinful ways (compared here to a heavy load) that they strain to drag them along behind them. Raymond Ortlund has a pithy application point… Picture people, not horses, harnessed to a heavy wagon, pulling it along, straining with all their might. Isaiah understands the burden that sin is. But we do it to ourselves! Why? Because sin is deceitful. The prophet says, "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood." That's how it happens. Sin lies to us. It's not as though sin fulfills its promises to make life better. It's a drag. So why don't we throw off the harnesses and run free? Because we are deceived—doubly so, for even as we cling to our favorite sins, so heavy but so dear to us, we also wonder, "I'm so bored. I'm so disappointed. Why isn't God more real to me? And look at the condition of this whole wretched world. Where is God?" That is what Isaiah discerns in the human heart, according to Isa 5:19—a mind that blames God, defies God, taunts God. Preaching the Word - Preaching the Word – Isaiah: God Saves Sinners. (Isaiah - God Saves Sinners Preaching the Word) (Color and bolding added) Isaiah 5: 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!: Let him: Isa 66:5 Jer 5:12,13 17:15 Eze 12:22,27 Am 5:18,19 2Pe 3:3,4)(let the: Isa 30:11 Jer 23:18,36 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries (Isa 5:19NLT) They even mock the Holy One of Israel and say, "Hurry up and do something! Quick, show us what you can do. We want to see what you have planned." Let Him make speed - They are brazenly challenging, even blasphemously taunting, God to act in judgment if He can (cp Isa 5:12)! Woe! Arrogant. Ignorant. Doomed! They are mocking God, which Paul says always brings a "payday"… Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Gal 6:7, 8) And let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near - It is amazing that they can utter His glorious Name "Holy One" with such abandon. This is foolish pride calling on God to prove Himself! They may have called Him Holy One but their unholy behavior revealed their true heart attitude toward Him. These ancient scoffers were similar our modern brand of God skeptics who speak lightly and lowly of the Living Lord and laughingly go on their way, thinking they will never have to give an account to Him! Isaiah would have one word for such foolish and despicable anti-God types like HBO's Bill Maher - Woe! Holy One - 58x in 56v (29x in Isaiah!) - 2 Kgs 19:22; Job 6:10; Ps 16:10; 71:22; 78:41; 89:18; 106:16; Prov 9:10; 30:3; Isa 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:17, 20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19, 23; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 40:25; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14, 15; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14; Jer 50:29; 51:5; Ezek 39:7; Dan 4:13, 23; 8:13; Hos 11:9, 12; Hab 1:12; 3:3; Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34; John 6:69; Acts 2:27; 13:35; 1 Pet 1:15; 1 John 2:20; Rev 16:5 Smith comments that… This is how they reason: If there is no all-powerful God controlling this world and if there is no holy God who sets absolute standards of just behavior, then there is no need for us to change our ways. (Ibid) They go from bad to worse later, for Isaiah records… For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the LORD; who say to the seers, "You must not see visions"; and to the prophets, "You must not prophesy to us what is right, speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel. ( Isaiah 30:9, 10, 11) (Comment: God's man who proclaims His Word is charged with the job to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable, this latter by leading the hearers to a face to face encounter with the morally pure and awesomely holy God. The glory and light of His holiness exposes our sinfulness! Sadly, too often the reaction is to shut down the preacher and call for a new pastor who is skilled at tickling ears rather than convicting hearts! Woe! cp 2Ti 4:3,4-note) That we may see it… that we may know it - They saw no evidence that God was about to bring judgment. They claim they must see it before they will believe it. The ultimate condemnation is that because they possessed the Word of God, they should have known. Rejection of greater light always brings greater judgment. Those who should have warned failed to do so, Jeremiah recording that… They have lied about the LORD And said, "Not He; Misfortune will not come on us, And we will not see sword or famine. The prophets are as wind, And the word is not in them. Thus it will be done to them!" (Jer 5:12, 13) Look, they keep saying to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come now!" (Jer 17:15) Ezekiel records a similar self-deception (the effect of being entangled with the cords of sin) and this one by people who have already been defeated at least once by Nebuchadnezzar (!)… Son of man (Ezekiel), behold, the house of Israel is saying, 'The vision that he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies of times far off.' (Ezekiel 12:27) And we who live in the last of the last days eagerly awaiting the return of our Bridegroom are hearing the very words foretold by Peter… Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation (Wrong! What about the flood? Sodom and Gomorrah? They try to paint these as "myth"! cp 2Pe 3:5,6-note; 2Pe 2:6-note, Jude 1:7)." (2Pe 3:3,4-note) Isaiah 5:20 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!: Woe to them: Pr 17:15 Mal 2:17 3:15 Mt 6:23 15:3-6 23:16-23 Lk 11:35 16:15 2Ti 3:1-5 2Pe 2:1,18,19 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries VALUE REVERSAL Woe - Number four is directed at the "moral relativists" of the day, who perverted moral standards. Oh, how true believers need to be burdened to plead for the heart and soul of America (cp Jdg 21:25, 2Chr 7:13, 14), where right is now called wrong, and wrong is now called right! Why? Such an inversion of God's principles for a blessed life, allows the ungodly to carry out all manner of unrighteous behavior and to be "justified" in their wicked actions and even to "feel good" about themselves ("I did it my way!)! Beloved, God is not mocked and the seeds of evil being sown in America today will reap evil tomorrow unless God sends a revival of righteousness (Gal 6:7, 8, Hos 8:7) And one does not have to be a prophet to draw this conclusion! Call evil good - Reversing God's standards of right and wrong characterizes times of apostasy and precedes times of divine judgment. This phenomenon is increasingly characteristic of Christendom today. These verses paint a perfect picture of the "modern morality" with its glossing over of evil, and its re-dressing of wickedness to give it the appearance of righteousness. This insensitivity to moral decay is the sign of deepest corruption. "Light" and "darkness" are symbols for "good" and "evil" (1Sa 2:9; 2 Sa22:29; Job 29:3; Ps112:4; Pr2:13; Ac26:18; Ro13:12). Smith comments that… Without the divine standards of God, a good thing can be reinterpreted as something evil, while an immoral act (killing someone with cancer) can be twisted into something that actually appears to be good (a merciful termination of their pain). Without an absolute standard of divine justice, false human reasoning and uncontrolled passion can rationalize and justify almost any act, particularly if the primary criteria is “Will it benefit me?” When sweet and bitter, light and darkness, and good and evil are relative values based on wishes, whims, and selfish ends, righteousness and justice do not exist. Much of the crime and immorality that afflicts modern society goes right back to similar personal and societal redefinitions of right and wrong. (Ibid) Darkness… bitter - Mixed metaphors (sight and taste) that picture evil. Light… sweet - Direct antonyms of the preceding metaphors, here symbolizing righteousness (what is right before God and then before man). Warren
Isaías 5
Spurgeon comments… You removed a vine from Egypt - There it was in unfriendly soil: the waters of the Nile watered it not, but were as death to its shoots, while the inhabitants of the land despised it and trampled it down. Glorious was the right hand of the Lord when with power and great wonders he removed His pleasant plant in the teeth of those who sought its destruction. You drove out the nations and planted it - Seven nations were dug out to make space for the vine of the Lord (cp Dt 4:37, 38, 7:1); the old trees, which long had engrossed the soil, were torn up root and branch; oaks of Bashan, and palm trees of Jericho were displaced for the chosen vine (cp Dt 7:6, 14:2). It was securely placed in its appointed position with divine prudence and wisdom. Small in appearance, very dependent, exceeding weak, and apt to trail on the ground, yet the vine of Israel was chosen of the Lord, because he knew that by incessant care, and abounding skill, he could make of it a goodly fruit bearing plant. You cleared the ground before it - The weeds, brambles, and huge stones were cleared; the Amorites, and their brethren in iniquity, were made to quit the scene, their forces were routed, their kings slain, their cities captures, and Canaan became like a plot of land, made ready for a vineyard (cp Dt 1:30). It took deep root and filled the land - Israel became settled and established as a vine well rooted, and then it began to flourish and to spread to every side. This analogy might be applied to the experience of every believer in Jesus. The Lord has planted us, we are growing downward, "rooting roots," and by his grace we are also advancing in manifest enlargement. The same is true of the church in a yet closer degree, for at this moment through the goodwill of the dresser of the vineyard her branches spread far and wide. Jesus spoke from Isaiah 5 when He addressed "the chief priests and the elders of the people" in the Temple, declaring… Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT AND DUG A WINE PRESS IN IT, AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey. (Mt 21:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 - note in this last verse they pass judgment on themselves! Cp Mk 12:1ff) Matthew
Isaías 5
Spurgeon commenting on Ps 111:10 (note) says "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. It is its first principle, but it is also its head and chief attainment. The word "beginning" in Scripture sometimes means the chief; and true religion is at once the first element of wisdom, and its chief fruit. To know God so as to walk aright before Him is the greatest of all the applied sciences. Holy reverence of God leads us to praise Him, and this is the point which the psalm drives at, for it is a wise act on the part of a creature towards his Creator." The NET Bible has an interesting note observing that… Isa 5:18, 19, 20, 21 contain three “woe-sayings” that are purely accusatory and have no formal announcement of judgment attached (as in the “woe-sayings” recorded in Is 5:8-17). While this lack of symmetry is odd, it has a clear rhetorical purpose. Having established a pattern in Is 5:8-17, the prophet deviates from it in Isa 5:18-21 to grab his audience's attention. By placing the “woes” in rapid succession and heaping up the accusatory elements, he highlights the people's guilt and introduces an element of tension and anticipation. One is reasonably certain that judgment will come, and when it does, it will be devastating. This anticipated devastation is described in frightening detail after the sixth and final woe (see Isa 5:22-30). The venerable expositor Martyn Lloyd-Jones has this note that relates to wise in (one's) own eyes… Sin is very clever; it always brings forward its reasons, its arguments. Sin knows us so well; it knows that we like to think of ourselves as highly intelligent people. So it does not just tell us, "Do this"; it gives us reasons for doing it, and they appear to be so wonderful. But the whole point is that in reality they are specious; they are empty and foolish. The reasoning is always false reasoning. The arguments are always wrong. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, A Nation Under Wrath: Studies in Isaiah 5) Isaiah 5:22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant men in mixing strong drink: Isa 5:11 28:1-3,7 Pr 23:19,20 Hab 2:15 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Woe - Number six is leveled against drunkards (Isa 5:22, 23 ,24, 25). Heroes… valiant - Divine sarcasm! They may be heroes (valiant warriors, champions) and valiant (speaks of strength, might) when it comes to sin (drinking), but will fall woefully short when the Judge brings about the enemy invasion. Party hard. Die easy. Isaiah 5:23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right: justify: Ex 23:6-9 Pr 17:15 24:24 31:4,5 bride: Isa 1:23 Dt 16:19 2Ch 19:7 Pr 17:23 Mic 3:11 7:3 take: Isa 10:2 1Ki 21:13 Ps 94:21 Mt 23:35 27:24,25 Jas 5:6 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Who justify the wicked for a bride - This verse continues the "woe" from Is 5:22. This speaks of a corrupt legal system, wherein the guilty are set free and the innocent are punished. Rich Cathers offers a pithy summation of these 6 woes as 6 "stinkberries"… Stinkberry #1 = greed (Is 5:8) Stinkberry #2 = drunkenness (Is 5:11) Stinkberry #3 = bondage to sin. (Is 5:18) Stinkberry #4 = Redefining evil (Is 5:20) Stinkberry #5 = Intellectual pride. (Is 5:21) Stinkberry #6 = drunken judges. (Is 5:23) Isaiah 5:24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble and dry grass collapses into the flame, so their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; For they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel: consumes: Isa 47:14 Ex 15:7 Joe 2:5 Na 1:10 Mal 4:1 1Co 3:12,13)(Mt 3:12 Lk 3:17 their root: Isa 9:14-17 Job 18:16 Ho 9:16 Am 2:9 rejected: 1Sa 15:23,26 2Ki 17:14,15 Ne 9:26 Ps 50:17 Jer 6:19 8:9 Lk 7:30 Jn 12:48 Heb 10:28,29 despised: Isa 30:12 2Sa 12:9,10 Lk 10:16 Ac 13:41 1Th 4:8 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE ROOT PROBLEM Tongue of fire - A flame shaped like a tongue. Stubble and dry grass - Both are very flammable and just as they are easily consumed by fire, so too God would bring sudden, complete, and severe judgment. Root… rot… blossom… blown - Divine poetic justice indeed! Jamieson writes that root… blossom speak of… entire decay, both the hidden source and outward manifestations of prosperity, perishing (Job 18:16 Mal 4:1). Rejected… despised - This verse depicts the root of Judah's moral depravity -- rejection and contempt for the Holy One of Israel and His Holy Word. While God had delighted in His people (Is 5:7), they did not delight in His Word, which is tantamount to not delighting in Him. THOUGHT - Beloved, how can one say "I love God" and not at the same time love His Word, which reveals His awesome and pure holy character? Are you "delighting" in His Word? Does not our paucity of time allocated to God's Word show that we are to some degree despising and rejecting it? Rejection of God's word cost Saul dearly… For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, He has also rejected you from being king… But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of Jehovah, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” (1Sa 15:23, 26) Rejection can take the form of refusing to listen to the Word… However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God. They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. (Ed: Our soul abhors a spiritual vacuum and if not filled with His Word, it will wander into the ways of the world) And they followed vanity (eg, vain idols) and became vain, and went after the nations (Gentiles) which surrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded them not to do like them. (2Ki 17:14, 15) Jeremiah brought a similar charge against God's people… Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their plans, because they have not listened to My words, and as for My law, they have rejected it also. (Jeremiah 6:19) The wise men (Who are in effect very foolish) are put to shame, they are dismayed and caught. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord, and what kind of wisdom do they have? (Jeremiah 8:9) Isaiah 5:25 On this account the anger of the LORD has burned against His people, and He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down. And the mountains quaked, and their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets. For all this His anger is not spent, but His hand is still stretched out : anger: Dt 31:17 32:19, 20, 21, 22 2Ki 13:3 22:13, 14, 15, 16, 17 2Ch 36:16 Ps 106:40 La 2:1, 2, 3 5:22 1Th 2:16 stretched: Isa 14:26,27 mountains: Ps 18:7 68:8 77:18 114:7 Jer 4:24 Mic 1:4 Na 1:5 Hab 3:10 Rev 20:11 refuse: 1Ki 14:11 16:4 21:24 2Ki 9:37 Ps 83:10 Jer 8:2 9:22 15:3 16:4 Zeph 1:17 For all: Isa 9:12,13,17,21 10:4 Lev 26:14-46 Ps 78:38 Da 9:16 Ho 14:4 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries On this account - What account? Because they rejected the law and despised the word! The anger of the LORD has burned - God's anger burning is a frightening metaphor, one that is frequently repeated in Isaiah (Is 5:25, 13:9, 13, 30:27). Anger… has burned… has stretched - The tenses could refer to past actions or future certainties. The mountains quaked and their corpses lay like refuse - The plain sense interpretation of this passage is a literal earthquake with literal corpses in the streets. Corpses… refuse - Suggests rotting from decay as they lay out in the open. His anger is not spent - As devastating as this picture is, it is only "Act 1" so to speak of their desolation. This reminds one of the passage in Hebrews which declares… It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Heb 10:31) His hand is still stretched out - This anthropomorphism describing God's hand is frequently used by Isaiah to picture of God's power and authority. (see Isa 5:25, 9:12, 17, 21, 10:21, 14:26, 27, 31:3) Smith rightly observes that… God’s almighty hand accomplishes on earth the satisfaction of God’s burning anger by justly delivering recompense for sinful rebellion against God (cf. Amos 8:3 for similar dead bodies). Certainly God’s character has not changed since the days of Amos and Isaiah, and his hatred of sins has not diminished. Every person who despises what God reveals in Scripture should stop and pay attention to God’s just ways of dealing with sin. It is a fearful thing to be caught by the outstretched hands of an angry Almighty God. (Ibid) Isaiah 5:26 He will also lift up a standard to the distant nation, and will whistle for it from the ends of the earth; and behold, it will come with speed swiftly: he will (KJV): Isa 11:12 18:3 Jer 51:27 whistle: Isa 7:18 Zec 10:8 end: Isa 39:3 Dt 28:49 Ps 72:8 Jer 5:15 Mal 1:11 they: Isa 30:16 Jer 4:13 La 4:19 Joe 2:7 Hab 1:8 Lift up a standard… and… whistle - All God has to do is "whistle" and the nations are at his beck and call! What a picture of God's sovereign control over the nations of the world. A standard - This describes a conspicuous object (as a banner) carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle. People would rally together around a standard for various purposes, one of the most important being the gathering of troops for war. God lifts up the standard so the troops can gather for their assault on Judah and Jerusalem. The protector of Judah oversees the destruction of His vineyard! Lift up a standard… will whistle (cp Is 7:18) - Behind the nations is the sovereign Lord of history who moves the nations at His will. The Most High God is over all men and all nations and is able to use the nations to do His bidding, in this case using the pagan nation of Babylon to judge Judah. In around 1450-1410BC, some 800 years before the prophecy was fulfilled, Moses described (without mentioning their name) the Babylonian invasion of Israel… The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand, a nation of fierce countenance who shall have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young. (Dt 28:49, 50) (Comment: Notice Who is in control -see the "will's" in this verse and the one below!)… Years after Isaiah's prophecy, Jehovah specifically identified the invaders… I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them, and make them a horror, and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. (Jer 25:9) Isaiah 5:27 No one in it is weary or stumbles, none slumbers or sleeps; nor is the belt at its waist undone, Nor its sandal strap broken: No one: Joel 2:7,8 None: Isa 11:5 45:1,5 1Ki 2:5 Job 12:18,21Ps 18:32 93:1 Da 5:6 Eph 6:13,14 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries No one in it is weary or stumbles - He is describing the nation that invades Israel. The enemy nation will not fail physically. Equipment failure will not occur. This is not a rag-tag army! The point is that they will succeed. Isaiah 5:28 Its arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent; the hoofs of its horses seem like flint and its chariot wheels like a whirlwind: arrows: Ps 45:5 120:4 Jer 5:16 Eze 21:9-11 horses: Jdg 5:22 Jer 47:3 Mic 4:13 Na 2:3,4 3:2 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Arrow are sharp… bows are bent - Continues the picture of an enemy well equipped for battle with no weak spots. Like flint (Flint - 3x in OT - Ex 4:25, Is 5:28, Ezek 3:9) - Literally, flint refers to a hard rock that produces sparks when struck against metal and was used to make cutting tools with sharp edges. Like a whirlwind - Literally a tempest, a storm with strong winds, a hurricane. The picture is of the wheels whirring and revolving as the enemy beats down on its helpless prey. Figuratively whirlwind pictures God’s pursuit of the wicked (Ps. 83:15; Is 66:15; Am 1:14; Nah 1:3) or of any calamity (Pr. 1:27). Arrows… horses… chariot wheels - Descriptions of the overwhelming force that God is bringing against Israel. The outcome of the battle is not in question. Isaiah 5:29 Its roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions; It growls as it seizes the prey and carries it off with no one to deliver it: Roaring: Isa 31:4 Ge 49:9 Nu 24:9 Jer 4:7 49:19 50:17 Ho 11:10 Am 3:8 Zec 11:3 seizes: Isa 42:22 49:24,25 Ps 50:22 Mic 5:8 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Isa 5:29, 30 present a description of the what the battle will look like. Roaring… growls… seizes… carries off - The beastly aspect of the barbarian brutish nation is dramatically described. There is no one to deliver from such an overwhelming force. Israel is like a helpless prey before the powerful predator. Isaiah 5:30 And it will growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; Even the light is darkened by its clouds: Ps 93:3,4 Jer 6:23 50:42 Lk 21:25 behold: Isa 8:22 13:10 Ex 10:21-23 Jer 4:23-28 La 3:2 Eze 32:7,8 Joe 2:10 Am 8:9 Mt 24:29 Lk 21:25,26 Rev 6:12 16:10,11 Isaiah 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries We see a similar description in Isaiah 8… Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness. (Is 8:22) Invincible armies, roaring uncaged lions, and ominous storm clouds are quite fear-provoking. It will growl - The nation who is pictured like a powerful lion. It is interesting that the lion's roar was designed to paralyze the panicked prey ("scared stiff"). The lion is the "king of the beasts" so there would be no rescue available. If one looks to the land - What they see is descriptive of what the land looks like after this devastating destruction. Darkness and distress… even the light is darkened - Israel's situation after the invasion is pictured as utterly hopeless. This is what their Word rejecting attitude and sinful behavior has wrought! It is notable that God offers no positive options which might allow them to escape their dire fate. Rich Cathers applies this chapter writing… This can sound pretty scary, depending on where you’re sitting. It all depends on what kind of fruit your "vineyard" is producing. Is it God’s kind of fruit, or just imitation wax fruit? God is serious about finding the right fruit. If your life is nothing but a bunch of stinkberries, they you’ve got something to worry about. But if you’ve come to the point where you’ve received Jesus’ forgiveness for your sins, then you’ve nothing to worry about. (Isaiah 5) Gary Smith gives a fitting conclusion to this prophetic parable noting that… The prophet’s role, and each reader’s responsibility, is to warn others of God’s impending holy judgment and to persuade the ungodly to change their ways. Like Isaiah, preachers, teachers, and parents need to weep over the evil that pervades this world. It is especially sad when friends, neighbors, fellow workers, children, and fellow church members do not classify their evil deeds as sins against God. People need to communicate their deep sadness, explain the just demands of God, encourage people to humble themselves, and warn of irresistible judgment for those who do not glorify God. There is no hope for those who ignore, scorn, or reject God (5:12,17,24). One day an Almighty Lion will roar over them (5:29). (Ibid)