Isaiah 5: Judah's Wild Grapes
"BE SURE YOUR sins will find you out." Do you think of this as just a quaint saying, used warningly by mothers to their children? For Isaiah this fact is a grave reality which applies to nations as well as to individuals. The setting of this chapter of Isaiah was probably during the grape harvest, a time famous for conversation and conviviality. Isaiah uses a short parable to rouse his friends' consciences, and then with mounting vehemence attacks certain sins directly.
Warming Up to God
Have you ever been in a situation in which you needed to confront a friend with inconsistencies in his or her lifestyle? What happened?
Read Isaiah 5. »
Discovering the Word
- Choosing carefully the occasion and form (a love song), Isaiah introduces the subject of a dear friend's vineyard. Describe the care that was lavished on the vineyard and the owner's dismay when the final product was only evil-smelling, bitter, wild grapes (vv. 1-7).
- Dropping the disguise of the parable, Isaiah rams home the lesson to his people directly in verse 7. Contrast what God has looked for among his people with what he has found.
- Verses 8-23 fall into six sections introduced by the word woe. What are the sins described in each of these sections?
- What do these woes reveal about the society at this time?
- What punishment does the Lord announce in verses 9-10, 13-17 and 24-25?
Applying the Word
- Give examples of ways in which God has lavished his care upon you, only to be rewarded by a bitter harvest.
- Consider again the image of the vineyard in verses 1-3. How is God's work in you similar to that of the vineyard owner?
Responding in Prayer
God calls you to respond to him. Pray for one specific sweet fruit to grow in your life.
For Further Study
Spiritual Gifts by R. Paul Stevens