Isaiah 5

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Isaiah 5 Commentary

by Brad Boyles

Six woes are given to the nation of Israel starting in verse 8. The woes include greed, debauchery, unbelief, perversion, arrogance, and injustice.

“To these sins are added prophecies of judgment: desolation, captivity or death for the pompous leaders, and humiliation for all. The conquering army is depicted in Isaiah 5:26-30.”

Nelson’s New Illustrated Commentary

God had originally given the land to the Israelites so that they could have a place of their own to worship and glorify Him. By the time of Isaiah, the people had begun to exert their selfish desires by creating huge, wealthy estates. They took from the poor what was rightfully theirs. As a result, in verse 10, the Lord reduces their crop to a fraction of what it should have been. It would be similar to a famine.

For me, verse 19 may be the one that stings the most. The people’s unbelief has turned into mockery of the Lord. They mock God as well as His prophets and sarcastically ask Isaiah when God’s wrath will come down. It is not a good look.

Judgment is coming.

The Lord will send an army to conquer this injustice. Assyria would conquer the northern kingdom and Babylon would eventually ransack Jerusalem. God doesn’t sacrifice on truth. He means what He says. His Word is accomplished in His timing. We can’t let ourselves slip into a passive state of selfish sin because the consequences will follow. We are here to glorify the King!