Isaiah 5:8-17
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."
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.
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.
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.
There is impending judgment spoken over God’s people held captive to sin here. In their sensual lifestyle they had ignored the Lord and His word and gotten greedy for gain and pleasure. They bought houses to build an empire to get rich and held large drinking parties, just as the ungodly did then and continue to do so today all around us. There is nothing new under the sun where debauchery and greed are concerned. People still live in rebellion to God and purposefully make these sinful pursuits their goal. But when it is God’s people called out of that life (Colossians 3:5-7) and into the light continuing in greed and sensual living, it is quite inexcusable. That was the message from God through the prophet Isaiah to God’s people then and now as well. The Lord promised to take away their ill-gotten gain and reminded them they would be unfruitful. Because they did not regard God’s work in their provision and goodness in all He had done, they would suffer the consequences. Their self imposed ignorance of the knowledge of the Lord led them into physical enslavement and spiritual captivity to sin. They were starving and thirsty because they lived contrary to God’s will according to His word. Many headed to death and the punishment of hell in their pomp and pride of life with false happiness in their pleasure and possessions. These were things they could not take with them. God humbles the proud but gives grace to the humble. Above all, His name is to be honored and given due glory, and His righteous judgment is proof of His holiness and goodness. Those living in disbelief and disobedience will only find poverty and a spiritual hunger left unsatisfied. It is a warning to the world to repent, to turn away from sin to Him, but also for we who are His people in Christ, Jew and Gentile, to put away sinful living as unbelievers and to put on righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24) as well pleasing (Romans 8:6-8) children who live for their good Father in heaven. Let us learn from the example of those not doing what is right to instead pursue what pleases our Lord, not living a sensual party life or being greedy for gain.
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