Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon 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 judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!
In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.
Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.
Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:
But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.
Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:
That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:
Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:
Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.
Isaiah 5, a pivotal chapter in the book of Isaiah, serves as both a scathing indictment of Judah's unfaithfulness and a sobering prophecy of impending judgment. Following the introductory chapters (Isaiah 1-4), this chapter marks a shift, employing vivid imagery and stark pronouncements to convey God's disappointment and the consequences of the nation's sin. It begins with a parable, a song of the vineyard, that unveils the Lord's broken heart over His people's rebellion.
The Song of the Vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7)
Isaiah introduces his message with a song about a vineyard, a story he tells to his "beloved," ultimately revealed to be the Lord Himself. This is no ordinary vineyard; it is planted on a fertile hillside, meticulously prepared with stones removed, choice vines planted, a watchtower built for protection, and a wine vat hewn out of rock. The owner, representing God, invests everything in this vineyard, expecting a harvest of good grapes. After two years of cultivation, the vineyard produces only sour, worthless fruit.
The owner, in his disappointment, turns to the people of Jerusalem and Judah, asking what more he could have done. The implication is clear: nothing was lacking on his part. He then declares his intention to abandon the vineyard, tearing down its protective hedge, breaking down its wall, and allowing it to be ravaged by wild animals. He will withhold rain, leaving the land to become overgrown with thorns and thistles.
The parable's meaning is then unveiled: the vineyard represents the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant planting. God looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. God intended for His people to produce good fruit, reflecting His own character and bringing blessings to the world. Instead, they yielded injustice, oppression, and moral decay. Jesus would later allude to this metaphor in Matthew 21:33-46, highlighting the rejection of God's servants and ultimately His own Son.
Pronouncements of Woe (Isaiah 5:8-23)
Having established the grounds for judgment, Isaiah launches into a series of "woes" against specific sins prevalent in Judah. The Hebrew word translated "woe" carries a sense of deep sorrow, pain, and impending doom. These pronouncements serve as warnings and condemnations, highlighting the specific ways in which the people have strayed from God's path.
Woe to the Greedy Land Grabbers (Isaiah 5:8-10)
The first woe is directed towards those who accumulate land and houses, isolating themselves and displacing their neighbors. This reveals a spirit of greed and self-centeredness that undermines community and disregards the needs of others. Their beautiful mansions and vast tracts of land will become desolate and empty, a consequence of God's judgment. Drought or blight will destroy their wealth, leaving their possessions worthless.
Woe to the Drunkards (Isaiah 5:11-17)
The second woe is proclaimed against those who indulge in excessive drinking, prioritizing pleasure over God. They rise early to pursue strong drink and continue until late at night, feasting and reveling while ignoring the Lord's works and His presence. Their preoccupation with worldly pleasures blinds them to spiritual realities. As a result, God's people will go into exile because they lack knowledge of Him. Those who have grown wealthy through greed will go hungry, and those who have made drinking the focus of their lives will go thirsty. Sheol (the realm of the dead) will open its mouth to consume the nobility and partygoers of Jerusalem.
Woe to Those Who Mock God (Isaiah 5:18-19)
A powerful "woe" is pronounced upon those who intentionally embrace sin, daring God to act. They mock Him, challenging Him to bring His judgment quickly, as if they are immune to its consequences. This represents a profound lack of faith and a blatant disregard for God's authority.
Woe to Those Who Call Evil Good and Good Evil (Isaiah 5:20-23)
The final woes are directed towards those who distort moral values, calling evil good and good evil, and those who are wise in their own eyes. Isaiah also rebukes those who are experts at drinking and taking bribes, depriving the innocent of justice. This highlights the corruption and moral decay that permeated all levels of society, from the legal system to personal ethics. They advocate for a complete reversal of God’s moral order, considering themselves wise and clever, but their opinion was far too exalted.
The Coming Judgment (Isaiah 5:24-30)
The chapter concludes with a vivid depiction of God's impending judgment. The Lord's anger will burn, and their corpses will be like garbage in the streets. He will summon distant nations to execute His judgment, depicted as a fierce and unstoppable army. The land will be left in darkness and distress. This passage employs symbolic language to convey the overwhelming power and severity of God's response to His people's sin. The judgment will be efficient and tireless, striking His people with fury as unstoppable as an earthquake.
Relevance for Today
Isaiah 5 offers a timeless message of warning and hope. It reminds us of the importance of bearing good fruit, living justly, and seeking God's wisdom. It challenges us to examine our own lives and societies, asking whether we are producing the fruits of righteousness or the sour grapes of sin. The church should be the primary university for the culture, leading the way in educating the masses since it is the one entity that can interject a God-centered perspective, His kingdom agenda, into any discussion. Our culture looks at the world through the eyes of man rather than through the eyes of God. The church, therefore, must educate and encourage people to consider life from a divine kingdom perspective. It must provide a divine orientation on every subject. Everything the Bible speaks about, it speaks about authoritatively, and it speaks to every issue of life. So through all of the church’s ministries, people ought to be encountering a God-centered worldview. The church is charged with imparting the knowledge and wisdom of God, executing His kingdom agenda in history. By heeding the warnings of Isaiah 5, we can avoid the consequences of sin and experience the blessings of obedience.
Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon 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 judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!
In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.
Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.
Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:
But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.
Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:
That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:
Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:
Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.
Isaiah 5, a pivotal chapter in the book of Isaiah, serves as both a scathing indictment of Judah's unfaithfulness and a sobering prophecy of impending judgment. Following the introductory chapters (Isaiah 1-4), this chapter marks a shift, employing vivid imagery and stark pronouncements to convey God's disappointment and the consequences of the nation's sin. It begins with a parable, a song of the vineyard, that unveils the Lord's broken heart over His people's rebellion.
The Song of the Vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7)
Isaiah introduces his message with a song about a vineyard, a story he tells to his "beloved," ultimately revealed to be the Lord Himself. This is no ordinary vineyard; it is planted on a fertile hillside, meticulously prepared with stones removed, choice vines planted, a watchtower built for protection, and a wine vat hewn out of rock. The owner, representing God, invests everything in this vineyard, expecting a harvest of good grapes. After two years of cultivation, the vineyard produces only sour, worthless fruit.
The owner, in his disappointment, turns to the people of Jerusalem and Judah, asking what more he could have done. The implication is clear: nothing was lacking on his part. He then declares his intention to abandon the vineyard, tearing down its protective hedge, breaking down its wall, and allowing it to be ravaged by wild animals. He will withhold rain, leaving the land to become overgrown with thorns and thistles.
The parable's meaning is then unveiled: the vineyard represents the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant planting. God looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. God intended for His people to produce good fruit, reflecting His own character and bringing blessings to the world. Instead, they yielded injustice, oppression, and moral decay. Jesus would later allude to this metaphor in Matthew 21:33-46, highlighting the rejection of God's servants and ultimately His own Son.
Pronouncements of Woe (Isaiah 5:8-23)
Having established the grounds for judgment, Isaiah launches into a series of "woes" against specific sins prevalent in Judah. The Hebrew word translated "woe" carries a sense of deep sorrow, pain, and impending doom. These pronouncements serve as warnings and condemnations, highlighting the specific ways in which the people have strayed from God's path.
Woe to the Greedy Land Grabbers (Isaiah 5:8-10)
The first woe is directed towards those who accumulate land and houses, isolating themselves and displacing their neighbors. This reveals a spirit of greed and self-centeredness that undermines community and disregards the needs of others. Their beautiful mansions and vast tracts of land will become desolate and empty, a consequence of God's judgment. Drought or blight will destroy their wealth, leaving their possessions worthless.
Woe to the Drunkards (Isaiah 5:11-17)
The second woe is proclaimed against those who indulge in excessive drinking, prioritizing pleasure over God. They rise early to pursue strong drink and continue until late at night, feasting and reveling while ignoring the Lord's works and His presence. Their preoccupation with worldly pleasures blinds them to spiritual realities. As a result, God's people will go into exile because they lack knowledge of Him. Those who have grown wealthy through greed will go hungry, and those who have made drinking the focus of their lives will go thirsty. Sheol (the realm of the dead) will open its mouth to consume the nobility and partygoers of Jerusalem.
Woe to Those Who Mock God (Isaiah 5:18-19)
A powerful "woe" is pronounced upon those who intentionally embrace sin, daring God to act. They mock Him, challenging Him to bring His judgment quickly, as if they are immune to its consequences. This represents a profound lack of faith and a blatant disregard for God's authority.
Woe to Those Who Call Evil Good and Good Evil (Isaiah 5:20-23)
The final woes are directed towards those who distort moral values, calling evil good and good evil, and those who are wise in their own eyes. Isaiah also rebukes those who are experts at drinking and taking bribes, depriving the innocent of justice. This highlights the corruption and moral decay that permeated all levels of society, from the legal system to personal ethics. They advocate for a complete reversal of God’s moral order, considering themselves wise and clever, but their opinion was far too exalted.
The Coming Judgment (Isaiah 5:24-30)
The chapter concludes with a vivid depiction of God's impending judgment. The Lord's anger will burn, and their corpses will be like garbage in the streets. He will summon distant nations to execute His judgment, depicted as a fierce and unstoppable army. The land will be left in darkness and distress. This passage employs symbolic language to convey the overwhelming power and severity of God's response to His people's sin. The judgment will be efficient and tireless, striking His people with fury as unstoppable as an earthquake.
Relevance for Today
Isaiah 5 offers a timeless message of warning and hope. It reminds us of the importance of bearing good fruit, living justly, and seeking God's wisdom. It challenges us to examine our own lives and societies, asking whether we are producing the fruits of righteousness or the sour grapes of sin. The church should be the primary university for the culture, leading the way in educating the masses since it is the one entity that can interject a God-centered perspective, His kingdom agenda, into any discussion. Our culture looks at the world through the eyes of man rather than through the eyes of God. The church, therefore, must educate and encourage people to consider life from a divine kingdom perspective. It must provide a divine orientation on every subject. Everything the Bible speaks about, it speaks about authoritatively, and it speaks to every issue of life. So through all of the church’s ministries, people ought to be encountering a God-centered worldview. The church is charged with imparting the knowledge and wisdom of God, executing His kingdom agenda in history. By heeding the warnings of Isaiah 5, we can avoid the consequences of sin and experience the blessings of obedience.