THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Isaiah: Jahweh Is Salvation

IX. God's Indictment Of Specific Evils In Israel As The False Vine

(Isaiah 5:8-30)

I. Introduction

A. Isaiah's name means, "Jahweh Is Salvation," and the need for God to be Judah's salvation from sin is presented in Isaiah's song of the worthless vineyard in Isaiah 5:1-7.

B. However, God named the specific evil "wild grapes" in Isaiah 5:8-30, so we view that passage for its insight:

II. God's Indictment Of Specific Evils In Israel As The False Vine, Isaiah 5:8-30.

A. The first sin was materialism, explained and condemned in Isaiah 5:8-10:

1. Some of the landowners were "acquiring much land at the expense of their fellow countrymen" as clarified by the prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, at Micah 2:1-2, B. K. C., O. T., p. 1042; Isaiah 5:8a.

2. So many were grabbing so much land this way that they were dwelling alone in large tracts of property while others had no place to live (Isaiah 5:8b), a violation of the Law that said they could buy houses in cities for lasting ownership, but that houses purchased in unwalled villages and fields had to revert to the original landowner in the Year of Jubilee to keep the people in the various tribes on their tribal lands, Ibid.

3. Thus, God promised judgment on the land grabbers, saying that many even large and beautiful homes would be left desolate via enemy invasion (Isaiah 5:9), and that crop production, a major motive in land grabbing, would be drastically decreased in judgment by the Lord, Isaiah 5:10.

B. The second sin was drunkenness, explained and condemned in Isaiah 5:11-12, with Isaiah 5:13-17 predicting God's resulting judgments (as follows):

1. Alcoholism was a great problem, with people rising early and staying up late at night to drink, Isaiah 5:11.

2. They enjoyed musical instruments played by skilled hands and wine, but they did not regard God's skillful work of judgment or His creative works, Isa. 5:12; E. J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, 1974, v. I, p. 210-211.

3. There would thus be consequences: Judah's people would go into exile for lack of a knowledge of God (Isa. 5:13a), men would go hungry and thirsty in judgment (Isa. 5:13b), many of all classes would die in an invasion (Isa. 5:14), men would be humbled, the proud being made low (Isa. 5:15) while the Lord would be exalted in judgment (Isa. 5:16) with sheep and nomads eating among the ruins of the wealthy, Isa. 5:17.

C. The third sin was doubting God, explained and condemned in Isaiah 5:18-19: some in Judah, though attached to their sin and wickedness as with cords and ropes, still wondered if the Lord could deliver their nation though they were not willing to give up their sins and wickedness, Isaiah 5:18-19; Ibid., p. 1043. The problem did not reside in God as these people presumed, but in themselves and in their own sinfulness!

D. The fourth sin was the perversion of upright morals, where some called evil good and good evil and put darkness for light and light for darkness, bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter, a sin God condemned, Isa. 5:20.

E. The fifth sin was conceit, Isaiah 5:21: some in Judah were proud, wise in their own eyes, a sin God despised.

F. The sixth sin was taking bribes while drunk, explained and condemned in Isaiah 5:22-23, with Isaiah 5:24-30 predicting further resulting divine judgments for such sins (as follows):

1. One sin involved taking bribes under the influence of wine so that justice was perverted, Isaiah 5:22-23.

2. For this sin and the others, there would be judgment, Isaiah 5:24-30: Isaiah announced God's judgment on those who committed such sins would be intense (Isaiah 5:24a,b) for Judah's people had rejected His Law (Isaiah 5:24c), infuriating the Lord (Isaiah 5:25a) so that He would strike them, leaving their corpses as refuse in the city streets, Isaiah 5:25b. Nevertheless, God's anger would not be turned away after these judgments (Isa. 5:25c), for He would call for the Gentile nations to come from afar with speed and power to destroy Judah like wild animals that capture their prey without mercy or possible escape, Isaiah 5:26-30.

Lesson: Specific sins that God indicted in Judah as the "false vine" were materialism, drunkenness, doubting God, perverting upright morals, conceit and the perverting of justice in taking bribes while drunk. For such sins, God promised to devastate those who were materialistic of their possessions, and to judge Judah severely so as to leave the peoples' corpses lying about as refuse in the city streets by bringing fierce Gentile invaders from afar to destroy Judah's people like wild animals destroy their hapless prey without mercy or possible escape!

Application: May we IMMEDIATELY REPENT of materialism, substance abuse, doubting God, perverting upright morals, conceit and distorting judgment, for God SEVERELY PUNISHES such sins.