Isaiah has the God given ability to foresee the future, and what he shares isn’t good. And how the people react to what he shares just makes God more angry.
Let’s go through this reading by “movements” which is another way to say “each different thought”.
First, the Lord begins by providing Judah (Israel south) with a metaphor for what their sin looks like to him. The vineyard was a familiar scene, and most people knew how much work went into making a vineyard out of the rocky soil around Jerusalem. When God described building a watchtower and wall, and clearing the land of stones most people would be able to associate with the back breaking amount of toil that went into such an endeavor. And some would wince as they heard that all the work was for nothing, since the grapes were sour. What a disappointment! All that labor and care only to end up with nothing. The people clearly heard what God was saying, I’m sure. The fact of the matter is, I don’t think they cared anymore. They were at the point where they would listen to spiritists and mediums and other false prophets in the same way they listened to God….so they never received a clear signal. The false prophets whom they respected would prophecy fame and fortune, and Isaiah would stand around and prophecy doom. One of them must be right, but which one is it? They couldn’t tell anymore, because they valued the evil words of the false prophets, and followed the false religions.
God tells them that the vineyard (Judah) will be torn down.
The second thought is in 5:8-30. Actually the theme is the same (as it is through the whole reading today). The difference is that in this discussion God has pointed out directly what the people are guilty of. They are guilty of buying up all the land and evicting the people who lived there. I suppose this is a charge against the wealthy, who want large sweeping vistas, or who want to purchase all the farmland for themselves, and get rid of the homes that interfere with the layout of their fields. The idea that God is angry about the small farmer not having a place to ply his trade and raise his family is a new thought for me. I should never put my desire for tranquility or a “nice view” ahead of the basic needs of others. I’m not sure how that would exhibit itself in my life, but I’m “tucking it away”. God is also angry with the drunkards, but not the bums who line the gutters looking for another drink… He’s directing his anger toward the wealthy alcoholic, the one who has enough money that he throws wild parties at his estate. I suppose drunken Americans would parallel this image. I wonder how much money is spent on alcohol in the United States…or in Russia. That money could be better used to build infrastructure, irrigate, employ workers or build homes. This prophecy that Isaiah levels against Israel wasn’t meant for the United States in a literal sense, but we certainly can learn volumes from heeding it. God is clearly angry about people hoarding land, drinking and partying too much and finally; ignoring his laws. In their case, this meant perverting justice, taking bribes, acting dishonestly and that sort of thing. I think the people probably still went to the temple to offer sacrifices. They might even have given a portion of their earning to the priests. What has God angry is how they act the rest of the time. It would be like going to church on Sunday, and then on Wednesday attending a Buddhist or Muslim service and bowing and praying to those gods. It’s similar to giving an offering on Sunday and praising the Lord, and then on Tuesday cheating someone out of money you owe them. Then on Friday you deliberately tell some lies to advance your own cause….and on Sunday you repeat the cycle. Throw in a party for friends, and buy the house next door so you can tear it down and put in a horseshoe pit….and bing bang boom….you’ve become Judah.
In this same discussion, God tells the people that He is sending Assyria to crush them. Surprisingly, the people are celebrating that! The only thing they hear is that Assyria is going crush the two nations north of them (Israel north and Syria) who have allied themselves against Israel south. If they had been grieved at God’s punishment of their brothers, and repented of their sins, they may have been spared. However, they rejoice to hear of another nations demise, and so God is going to punish them as well. Here’s the lesson: If dad is giving your brother a spanking, don’t smile and laugh and clap your hands….or you will be getting one too.
As I was reading 5:13 where God is telling the people years in advance that they will go into exile, I found myself wondering how many righteous people were caught up in the downfall of the nation. I wonder if there were righteous people who were swept away with the unrighteous because of the sins of the whole nation? Genesis 18 and Proverbs 10 both seem to imply that God will not sweep away the righteous with the unrighteous.
Could it be that there was less than 10% of the country that was righteous? (God said that even if a tenth remained the land would be ravaged again). Maybe the righteous were the one who were left in the land…but that can’t be true….because Daniel and his friends were righteous, and they went into captivity. So, “sweeping away” the righteous must not include moving them from their homeland. Daniel was taken to another country where he lived in captivity, but he wasn’t “swept away”….he flourished there, and was a powerful testimony for God.
I guess that means that wherever God allows us to be “transplanted” we should be willing to serve and grow. That might be something slightly uncomfortable like taking a new position at church, or moving to a new neighborhood…or more extreme, like moving to a different country. “Blossom where you’re planted” I guess.
Moving to Chapter 6, which is by far the most popular chapter in the beginning of Isaiah: We see a glimpse of God in all His glory here, and how wonderful it must be! God is so perfect and so complete that creation cannot contain it…even what is created in heaven cannot remain silent, constantly it cries out “glory!” to the Lord. I also see here a picture of forgiveness. Isaiah has served as well as he knew to, but when confronted with God’s holiness he falls far short. God, in His benevolence touches Isaiah and makes him holy, and fit for service. When Isaiah is cleansed, he is no longer worried about his fallen state, instead he stops fretting about what is going to happen to him, and begins volunteering to be a messenger for the Lord. Isaiah is transformed in this passage from sinner to saint, from worrier to warrior.
A quick word about 6:9-10. The hardness that God brings begins in the human heart. What I mean is, God would never intentionally harden the heart of someone who was humble and seeking to be obedient to Him. To do so would violate His character…it wouldn’t happen. If you are honestly seeking God, then He will reveal Himself to you. There are several references in the Bible that proof that statement.
Revelation 3:20 is one of them. 1 John 1:9 is another.
Good grief, this post is getting long.
One quick note about the signs of Immanuel: It seems to me that God had a virgin deliver a child in Ahabs day as well as when Christ was born. We don’t hear anything about this other virgin birth, maybe because it wasn’t a “perfect” child. On the other hand, maybe God wasn’t talking about the current event at all, He might have been referring to Christ’s time all along. That seems unlikely, since this “sign” was meant to bolster the faith of Ahab, and prove that God was going to overthrow Israel north and Syria before they could confront Judah. I certainly cannot explain it, or explain it away. Matthew quotes from this chapter when he refers to Jesus, so to discount it is to dismiss the validity of the New Testament. It’s a stumper, for sure.
Maybe “dual prophecy” is a fact. Maybe this account is a foreshadowing of Christ. After all, God used what happened to Jonah as a sign for how long Christ would be in the grave.
The reaction of Ahab and the tribe of Judah to the prophecy that God would bring destruction on the nations to the north is referred to in the later parts of the reading.
There’s so much here….maybe in your time of meditation God will reveal more to you. I hope so!
Faithfully,
PR