Isaiah 5:1-8, 11, 13, 16-23, 25-26 - Tearing Down and Starting Over

Isaiah 5:1-8, 11, 13, 16-23, 25-26 NIV

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: 

My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.

“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.

Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine.

Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; those of high rank will die of hunger and the common people will be parched with thirst. But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts. Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture; lambs will feed among the ruins of the rich.

Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes, to those who say, “Let God hurry; let him hasten his work so we may see it. The plan of the Holy One of Israel— let it approach, let it come into view, so we may know it.”

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.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.

Therefore the Lord ’s anger burns against his people; his hand is raised and he strikes them down. The mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily!

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Doom and destruction! This is the message Isaiah was given to proclaim to Jerusalem's leadership. Can you imagine being given this task? Imagine God sending you to Washington DC to tell the president, congress and the supreme court that doom is coming upon our nation for its sins. Isaiah was eventually sawn in two, tradition has it, by those he was sent to save with his prophetic warnings.

Isaiah 5 begins with a dirge. The prophet sings a song about his loved one (God) who built and planted a grape vineyard that bore only bad fruit. So the Lord announced that He would tear it all down and leave it for sheep to graze. The nation of Israel is the vineyard. The mansions of the rich, the fields of the wealthy landowners, will be left desolate after Babylon comes with their armies and destroys Judah and Jerusalem.

God looked for justice and righteousness but found bloodshed and distress in His beloved people. The fruit He desired from His chosen is nowhere to be found. So the prophet is sent with a message of doom.

Isaiah 5 includes specific unjust and unrighteous behaviors that have brought about the fall of Jerusalem. There are six "Woe" statements. The term "woe" is threatening. In our language we might use a phrase like, "You better watch it" or "Hey yo, you better back the #/$! up." The term would feel like a slap in the face.

"Woe" can also be read as lament. "How sad for you..." might be its meaning. It's more likely the threatening use inn this passage than the compassionate use.

The six woe statements name the bad fruit of Israel.

1) The rich dominating the land, amassing wealth, and creating poverty for others. They add houses and fields to their holdings but have no regard for the inheritance for their fellow Israelites. The land is a promised gift of God to all Israelites, but the rich have taken more than their share.

2) Drunkenness and wild parties

3) Mocking God and His prophet, as if they don't take the holy warnings seriously.

4) The perversion or twisting of truth, calling evil good.

5) Arrogance, wise in their own eyes, too smart to heed God

6) Taking bribes, perverting justice

This bad fruit is why Jerusalem is doomed to destruction, why the city of God will become a parking lot grown over and grazed by sheep.

Is there good news in Isaiah 5? It's all pretty dismal. I see good news is verses 16 and 17.

Isaiah 5:16-17 NIV

But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts. Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture; lambs will feed among the ruins of the rich.

Since Israel fails to produce the fruit of justice and righteousness, even though they've been given the law revealing how to bear such fruit, God will bring justice and righteousness. God will bear the fruit that His people will not. God's work to bring a good harvest of justice and righteousness begins by starting over. God throws out much of the bad batch, keeping a remnant that is still good, and begins again with them to develop holy community which will bless the world with the knowledge of God.

It is good news to know that God does not give up on His plan to bless the world through His faithful ones. So remain faithful, even though the world around you does not. You are the remnant God will preserve to start anew. Ultimately the kingdom of God will come. We must never lose hope in His promise but work diligently to build His kingdom on earth through righteous action and justice work.

When the smoke rises from the destruction of Babylon the whore, the merchants weep, but her victims rejoice. (Revelation 18) When the Judge of our souls appears, the kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice and righteousness, will come in all of its fullness! There may be many more tearing down and starting over moments ahead before that day comes. As for me, I will keep my eyes fixed on Christ and my heart set upon His kingdom. My hands and my feet and my mouth will be engaged in the work of building toward that day.