Isaiah 5:18-30.  This part of chapter five continues the prophecy of Judah’s destruction.  The first part of the chapter was full of “woe’s”.  Warnings of doom because of the selfish partying lifestyle of the people of Jerusalem and Judah.  The people had been living fairly safe rich lives and God was going to judge them for their disobedience.  He would be honored when the world saw his seriousness and power.  Eventually God’s plan of restoration of his relationship with mankind, at least part of it, would be accomplished (v. 17).

Now the woe’s continue (Remember the chiasmus idea that I explained in the 4/14/12 post) as the structure of chapter five reflects back to the idea of the destruction of Judah for their wrong doing.  Now though, the attitudes that displease God are being described differently. The fist woe (VV. 18-19) was because the people of Israel were burdened with disobedience to God but challenging Him to prove himself.  The second woe (v. 20) was because the people of Judah were reversing God’s standards, calling evil good and good evil (sound familiar).  The third woe (v. 21) was because they had substituted their own wisdom for God’s; they were making up their own standards and rejecting God’s.  The fourth woe  addresses the party attitude and social injustice.  Instead of putting their resources to work helping others they were wasting them on partying, like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).

Because they have rejected what God has told them they will be destroyed (vv. 24-25).  Verses 26-29 tell of a fierce army that will come and conquer them.  Later in the book of Isaiah this army will be identified but here in chapter five their imaginations are left to dream, and the dream is a nightmare of fear. The promised land will be shrouded in darkness, distress and gloom.

For me verse 24 contains the worst part and yet the best part of the prophecy.  It says their root will rot and their blossom will blow away, because they have rejected the word of God.  There is hope because the fact that they once had root and flowered reminds be that God is able.  They were a wandering people, slaves in Egypt and God made them one of the greatest nations in the world under Uzziah.  But they had disobeyed and judgment was on the way.  They could have that greatness back if only they would return to God.  IN fact that is what verses 17 the point at the center of the chiasmus tells me.  The lambs will graze in the pastures and strangers will eat where the rich once dined.  Those who had rejected God would be destroyed just like the people who had once lived in the land but were disobedient and destroyed.  But the faithful, even strangers, would enjoy a place in God’s kingdom.  The point is will we accept of reject what God has to say to us.  God will be honored even by those who reject Him (Philippians 2:9-11) but then comes destruction for those who rejected Him in life.  For those who accepted God in life there is an eternity with him ahead (John 1:12).  Lord help me be careful to honor you with my life, not to avoid punishment but as a token of appreciation for your love for me.  Let me never forget though that you are completely holy, separate, special.  You will not let sin go unpunished.  Thank you for Jesus who took care of my sins and also the sins of the whole world.  Help all of us not substitute our own plan for yours, only yours works.  Thank you for being clear with us all, help us open our eyes to you.

Isaiah 5:1-17.  There has been an ongoing theme in Isaiah so far of God dealing with the pride of mankind.  Pride honors self but it is God who is worth of honor.  Hebrew authors were masters of style as well as master storytellers.  One big part in Hebrew literature is structure and one type of structure that is common is called a chiasmus.  The word comes from the Greek letter chi which is shaped like an x.  Things written as a chiasmus are tile a reflection in a mirror.  Imagine the following symbols:  >|<.  If you see the | as a mirror them one > is the reflection of the other  <.  The sentences or ideas of a chiasmus are arranged in a similar way like ABCB’A’ or ABCC’B’A’ with A, B,and C representing different ideas and A’, B’, and C’ representing matching ideas.  Often in Hebrew literature the chiasmus’ would overlap.  Chapters 1-12 if Isaiah contain many of these structures.  Chapters 2-4 talk a lot about the pride of mankind and honoring God.  Here in chapter 5 we see the destruction of Jerusalem.  Those are the A and B of a chiasmus.  Chapter 6 will be a C.  Chapters 7-8 will be a B’ and Chapters 9-11 will be A’.  This layout focuses attention on chapter 6 at the intersection of the two images.

As I said today’s reading (along with tomorrows) describes the destruction of Jerusalem but we need to keep in mind the bigger picture, pride of man verses honoring God.  The chapter starts out with a song about a vineyard.  Here too we see the master story teller at work.  Instead of a boring lecture he sings them a song, but it will have a message.  The message is not right away though.  The singer creates expectation or surprise.  The vinyared is planted carefully;  The best soil, the best plants.  There is a tower to live in and watch over the vineyard and a wine vat is dug in preparation for the expected harvest.  In spite of all of the care the vineyard give only worthless grapes.   “What will I do?”, the vineyard ownere asks.  And look who he asks, the people of Jerusalem and Judah.  The verdict, destroy the worthless vineyard, no longer will it be cared for.  Then the twist, the vineyard is Israel, the men of Judah the choise but unproductive plants.  Instead of justice there was murder instead of God pleasing lives people were oppressed and were crying for help.  The suspense has been broken but the outcome is disturbing, judgment.

Verses 8-12 give a bigger picture of the oppression that has been going on, and surprise, people have been serving themselves, huge houses have been built and big party have been thrown.  They have focused on their power, their riches, and their pleasure.  What they have not though about was the deeds of the LORD, the work of his hands (verse 12).  The first though that came to mind as I read verses 12 was, “what is the work of God’s hands?”  Genesis came to mind, we are his work. Isaiah later tells us that we are the work of God’s hands (Isaiah 64:8).  Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s workmanship and we have a purpose, we are created to do good works.  The Israelites were not doing good works (See James 4:3).

The result was exile and destruction.  Death and humility.  The war prophesied in 3:24-4:1 will come pass.  When Isaiah gave this warning this was all still future but by the time he wrote the book all of this had come to pass (Remember that he prophesied from the time of late in Uzziah’s reign (about 744 BC) to at least 701 BC.  At the beginning of chapter 6 Uzziah dies (739 BC) and that happens after this song.)  So in writing the book Isaiah gives perspective to the earlier warnings and the consequences.  In verses 15-17 we see that perspective, the proud will be humbled and God will be honored.  In this case the honor will come as people see God’s hand in judgment.  In Galatians 6:7 Paul tells the believers in the Galatian region that you cannot take advantage of God, you will harvest according to what you plant.  If you invest your efforts in getting pleasure you will harvest destruction but if you live to please God you will gain an eternity with God (Galatians 6:8 see also Revelation 21:1-22:5).  Just as the men of Judah needed to choose what should happen to the vineyard we need to choose too.  Will we be vines destined for destruction or will we live for eternity.  No matter what God will be honored.  Lord help me honor you with my life each day.  Let me be a source of justice and righteousness.  Help my life relieve the distress of others both physical and spiritual.  Be glorified in my life.  Let my life serve the purpose that you made me for.