Chapter 5

5:1-7

5:8-10

5:11-17

5:18-23

5:24-30

Recap

A. Find Out:

1. Who is the vineyard, what did the Lord expect, and find? v.7

2. What had He done and what had he expected? v.2a,b

3. What had he found instead? v.2c, 4b

4. What did He ask of the people of the nation? v.3,4a

5. What did He say He was going to do with it? v.5,6

6. Again what had He expected and then found? v.7

B. Think:

1. Why was the Lord blameless?

2. Why were the people guilty?

3. How might the two things be true of our own nation?

C. Comment:

     Isaiah now gives an allegory to illustrate what has happened. By the interpretation given at the end of it we are left in no doubt that it refers to the Lord and Israel (including Judah and Jerusalem ).

     The owner of the vineyard had gone to much trouble to set up the vineyard. He had chosen fertile ground for it, He had cleared the ground of stones, He planted the best quality vines and in anticipation he even built a wine press for pressing out the grapes. Yet when the grapes grew they were bad and mouldy, poor quality.

      The Lord had gone to great trouble to “plant” Israel, He had done everything for them to help them to prosper but instead they had simply turned away from Him. (The signs had been there almost from the outset as they grumbled in the desert, turned away in the time of the judges, demanded a king to rule them in Samuel's time and then constantly turned away time and again). The sin of man was in Israel and although the Lord had done everything for them they had turned away. Now He was going to remove them. The amazing thing, not mentioned here, was that He would take the remnant and start again.

D. Application:

1. Israel were a chosen people who were, through their relationship with

    the Lord, supposed to be a light to all the other nations.

2. The sin of mankind constantly leads man away from God. It is only the

     grace and mercy of God that gives us any hope at all.

Chapter: Isaiah 5

Passage: Isaiah 5:8-10

A. Find Out:    

1. What were some obviously doing? v.8a

2. With what consequence? v.8b

3. What will happen to them? v.9b

4. Why does Isaiah know this? v.9a

5. What will happen to the vineyard? v.10a

6. What will happen to seed? v.10b

B. Think:

1. Who is being condemned for what?

2. So what will the Lord do about it?

3. What will then happen to the land?

C. Comment:

    Following the general condemnation of the nation come specific complaints against them. The first complaint that we have here is that certain people were abusing their position and were becoming all powerful and grabbing up all the land, enlarging houses and creating large estates where the ordinary people were forbidden. When the Lord gave them the land, it was for all the people to enjoy, but now some have starting taking it over to the detriment of the poorer people.

     The Lord speaks to Isaiah about this matter and tells him what will occur. As a result of his clearing the men in authority out of the land, as we have seen previously, these fine houses will end up being empty, desolate and run down. As a result of the absence of people in the land there will hardly be any activity in the vineyards and in the fields and food production will be minimal.

     This first of the six woes hits out at greed, injustice and abuse of power for selfish gain. The Lord is against each of these things and if we are in any place of material prosperity, or power or authority, we would do well to check our attitudes and our actions lest we find that we too fall to these things.

D. Application:

1. God is against greed and abuse of power and will judge it.

2. The affluent are particularly prone to these failings. Are they in us?

Chapter: Isaiah 5 

Passage: Isaiah 5:11-17      

A. Find Out:

1. What are the next group indicted for doing? v.11,12a

2. Yet what don't they do? v.12b

3. What will happen therefore? v.13,14

4. What will be seen to happen to mankind? v.15

5. What will happen in respect of the Lord? v.16

6. And what will be the state of the land afterwards? v.17

B. Think:

1. How would you summarise the indictment against the people?

2. Why do you think they will be exiled “for lack of understanding”?

3. How does the outcome match what we've seen before in Isaiah?

C. Comment:

     After speaking against the wealthy land grabbers Isaiah now speaks against the revellers who spend so much of their time drinking and having parties. These people are those who are just concerned for PERSONAL PLEASURE; that is all that matters in their lives. Any thought of a relationship with God is far from them, and they trust in life just going on and on, serving their personal desires.

     These foolish people will be taken into exile and will die at the hands of their enemies, says the Lord in His judgement against them. Their pride and arrogance will be brought down by the time He's finished with them, just as He had said before in 2:11 and 17. By the time the Lord is finished with them, the land will be quiet and the sound of all the noisy revelling will have gone and all that will be left will be the sheep quietly grazing.

     The next time you hear of a non-Christian party, or see a film of the rich revellers in Hollywood, remember they are godless and that God will call them to account. In fact anyone whose focus is on personal pleasure and who trusts that the good life will simply carry on, and who doesn't bother about God, will be held accountable and will have to answer to the Lord.

D. Application:

1. God doesn't object to personal enjoyment. He made a good world.

2. God's objection is when we exclude Him from our lives.

Chapter: Isaiah 5

Passage: Isaiah 5:18-23       

A. Find Out:

1. What are the third group charged with? v.18

2. What do they also do? v.19

3. What are the fourth group charged with? v.20

4. What are the fifth group charged with? v.21

5. What are the sixth group charged with? v.22

6. And what also do they do? v.23

B. Think:

1. What relationship is seen here between sin and godlessness?

2. What is the link between selfishness and loss of truth?

3. Do you see these things in modern society?

C. Comment:

      From powerful land grabbers and pleasure seeking revellers, Isaiah now quickly deals with four other complaints that the Lord has against his people.

      First there are those who bring sin and wickedness into every area or activity of life and who are now bound to these things. There is also within these people a cynicism that doubts God's existence or His presence with them. They almost use His apparent absence as an excuse for their behaviour. These are the SINFUL CYNICS of society.

     Next come those (who may be the same people) who have so distorted truth that black has become white, evil become good. Our own society in the West has now been doing this for many years. Absolutes of right and wrong from God have been softened and eventually turned right round. These are the TRUTH DISTORTERS.

      Next come those who think they are the source of all wisdom (not God); they are the worldly wise who are in fact the WORLDLY FOOLISH.

      Finally there are the social elite, the wine experts and cocktail drinkers, who misuse their positions by taking bribes and they have become the JUSTICE PERVERTERS.

     In all of these cases TRUTH HAS BEEN LOST and the people live in unreality, ungodliness and unrighteousness.

D. Application:

1. The enemy constantly tries to distort the truth.

2. The first lie is, “It will be all right. God won't do anything”

Chapter: Isaiah 5

Passage: Isaiah 5:24-30 

A. Find Out:

1. What will happen to these people and why? v.24

2. What is the Lord feeling and doing? v.25

3. Who does he call? v.26

4. How do they come? v.27

5. How also do they come? v.28,29

6. What will they bring to the land? v.30

B. Think:

1. How is the destruction that the Lord is bringing first described?

2. How is the means of the destruction then described?

3. Why is this coming?

C. Comment:

     In verses 8 to 23 where the Lord brings six indictments against the people, He also brought two “Therefore”s (v.13,14) saying how He would deal with them. Now at the end of the “woe”s there are two more “therefore”s which reiterate that the Lord will bring destruction to this people. This is because of His anger against their sinful rejection of Him and their rejection of righteousness. The coming destruction is compared to a bush fire spreading across the land and will go on and on until the Lord has achieved His purposes.

     The latter part of the chapter then indicates HOW He will bring the destruction: by a foreign people. He portrays this people as eager, alert and well equipped (v.27), fully ready for battle (v.28), coming with tremendous violence (v.29), that will result in the land being left in darkness and distress (v.30).

    “Does God bring war?” is sometimes asked. The answer from this and numerous other passages is clearly yes. He lifts His hand of protection and stirs nations from afar to rise up. His purpose is to bring discipline and purging of sinful ways. The Lord's objective is always to protect the earth from the total destruction of sin so that a remnant might continue to live within His provision and blessing.

D. Application:

1. Unrestrained sin destroys, and needs to be destroyed.

2. A cancer has to be cut out. So does sin.

RECAP - "Vineyard & Judgment" - Isaiah 5

SUMMARY :  

In this group of 5 studies we have seen Isaiah:

- describing Israel as a vineyard that

  - was perfectly planted out

  - yet only brought bad fruit

  - and will therefore be cleared away

- bringing six indictments (woes) against some of the people

  - for being land grabbers & pleasure seekers

  - for being wrong doers and truth perverters

  - for being self-wise and social climbers

- warning that God will bring invaders to the land

COMMENT :

     The indictments against this nation continue in awful detail, that despite God's blessing of bringing them into being, they have turned from Him, turned to evil, exalted themselves, denied the truth and perverted justice. The consequence spelled out again and again is that God will come in judgement and deal with them, stripping away all their leaders, all their finery and leave them in poverty. Only in such a way can He purge this “holy nation” (see Exodus 19:6).

LESSONS?

1. Godlessness always leads to unrighteousness

2. Unrestrained sin leads to destruction

3. God does move to purge sin from a nation by judgement

4. His purpose is always to leave a righteous remnant

5. Before He does it He warns again and again.

PRAY :

     Pray for the state of your own nation in the light of all that you have read in this chapter

PART 5 : "Calling"

     In this next Part we move to one of the truly unique episodes in the Bible, a revelation of God by Isaiah that leaves him devastated. Yet, even in the awareness of his own sin, God calls him to service. Here is an amazing lesson about God's grace.