Isaiah 5

Isaiah 5 provides a parable of a vineyard to illustrate God's relationship with Israel. God, represented as the vineyard owner, lavishes care on His vineyard, yet it produces wild grapes instead of good fruit. This chapter also pronounces six "woes" upon the people for their sins, including greed, indulgence, injustice, and rejecting God's law. The chapter ends with a warning of impending judgment through foreign invasion as a consequence of their disobedience.

Isaiah 5:1-2 (NKJV)
1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved
A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard:
My Well-beloved has a vineyard
On a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.

The song is a metaphor for God's care over Israel. The vineyard represents Israel, and the "Well-beloved" is God. He has done everything to ensure it would produce good fruit, but instead, Israel has produced "wild grapes," symbolizing their sin and rebellion despite all the blessings and care God provided.

Isaiah 5:3-4 (NKJV)
3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
4 What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?

God calls on Israel to judge for themselves whether He has been unjust. He has done everything possible for their well-being, but they have failed to live up to their calling. The rhetorical questions emphasize that the people's failures cannot be blamed on God's lack of care.

Isaiah 5:5-6 (NKJV)
5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will lay it waste;
It shall not be pruned or dug,
But there shall come up briers and thorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it.”

God warns that He will remove His protection from Israel, allowing it to be destroyed. Without the "hedge" of divine protection, it will be left vulnerable to enemies, symbolized by thorns and lack of rain. This predicts the coming judgment, where Israel will suffer consequences for their disobedience.

Isaiah 5:7 (NKJV)
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.

Here, the metaphor is explained. The vineyard is Israel and Judah, whom God expected to produce justice and righteousness. Instead, they produced the opposite: oppression and injustice. Their moral failure is the root cause of their impending judgment.

Isaiah 5:8-10 (NKJV)
8 Woe to those who join house to house,
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!
9 In my hearing the Lord of hosts said,
“Truly, many houses shall be desolate,
Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.
10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath,
And a homer of seed shall yield one ephah.”

This passage condemns greed and the accumulation of land at the expense of others. The wealthy expand their estates without regard for the poor, but God warns that their greed will lead to desolation. Even large fields will yield little, symbolizing how their wealth will ultimately be unproductive and lead to ruin.

Isaiah 5:11-12 (NKJV)
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning,
That they may follow intoxicating drink;
Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!
12 The harp and the strings,
The tambourine and flute,
And wine are in their feasts;
But they do not regard the work of the Lord,
Nor consider the operation of His hands.

This "woe" condemns indulgence in alcohol and revelry, which distract people from God's work. The people engage in endless feasting and drunkenness, completely disregarding God's law and His plans. Their pursuit of pleasure has blinded them to their spiritual responsibilities.

Isaiah 5:13-15 (NKJV)
13 Therefore my people have gone into captivity,
Because they have no knowledge;
Their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude dried up with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.
15 People shall be brought down,
Each man shall be humbled,
And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.

The consequences of Israel’s rebellion will be captivity. Their lack of knowledge of God and rejection of His ways will lead them to be taken away as captives. The imagery of Sheol enlarging its mouth symbolizes death and destruction swallowing up those who lived in pride and luxury, and all will be humbled.

Isaiah 5:16-17 (NKJV)
16 But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment,
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.
17 Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture,
And in the waste places of the fat ones strangers shall eat.

God’s righteousness will be revealed in His judgment, demonstrating His holiness. While the corrupt leaders are brought low, the humble and innocent will be cared for, represented by the lambs feeding. The "fat ones" refer to the rich and powerful, whose lands will be left for others to enjoy.

Isaiah 5:18-19 (NKJV)
18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity,
And sin as if with a cart rope;
19 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 near and come,
That we may know it.”

These verses criticize those who deliberately drag their sin with them, living in vanity and false security. They mockingly challenge God to act swiftly, thinking they can escape judgment. Their attitude shows a lack of reverence for God’s timing and authority, inviting judgment upon themselves.

Isaiah 5:20-21 (NKJV)
20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!

This "woe" is directed at moral relativism—people who distort God’s moral order by calling evil things good and vice versa. It reflects a society that has lost its moral compass. Verse 21 warns against pride and self-righteousness, where people rely on their own understanding rather than God's wisdom.

Isaiah 5:22-23 (NKJV)
22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!

Another "woe" is directed at those who pride themselves in excess, especially in alcohol consumption, and those who pervert justice by accepting bribes. Their disregard for fairness and equity makes them culpable in the moral decay of society, leading to God's judgment.

Isaiah 5:24-25 (NKJV)
24 Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble,
And the flame consumes the chaff,
So their root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will ascend like dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people;
He has stretched out His hand against them
And stricken them,
And the hills trembled.
Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

God's judgment will be swift and destructive, like fire devouring stubble. Israel's roots—its source of life—will rot due to their rejection of God’s law. Their punishment will not be mitigated until they face the full consequences of their rebellion. The vivid imagery of dead bodies in the streets underscores the severity of God’s wrath.

Isaiah 5:26-30 (NKJV)
26 He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar,
And will whistle to them from the end of the earth;
Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly.
27 No one will be weary or stumble among them,
No one will slumber or sleep;
Nor will the belt on their loins be loosed,
Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;
28 Whose arrows are sharp,
And all their bows bent;
Their horses’ hooves will seem like flint,
And their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roaring will be like a lion,
They will roar like young lions;
Yes, they will roar
And lay hold of the prey;
They will carry it away safely,
And no one will deliver.
30 In that day they will roar against them
Like the roaring of the sea.
And if one looks to the land,
Behold, darkness and sorrow;
And the light is darkened by the clouds.

God will summon a foreign nation to execute His judgment upon Israel. These invaders will be relentless, swift, and powerful, likened to lions and a whirlwind. The description of their weapons and their determination shows the unstoppable nature of their attack. The chapter ends on a note of gloom, with darkness and sorrow overwhelming the land as God's punishment unfolds.