kjv@Isaiah:5:1@ Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
kjv@Isaiah:5:2@ And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
kjv@Isaiah:5:3@ And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
kjv@Isaiah:5:4@ What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
kjv@Isaiah:5:5@ And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
kjv@Isaiah:5:6@ And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
kjv@Isaiah:5:7@ For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
kjv@Isaiah:5:8@ Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!
kjv@Isaiah:5:9@ In mine ears said the LORD of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.
kjv@Isaiah:5:10@ Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.
kjv@Isaiah:5:11@ Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
kjv@Isaiah:5:12@ And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
kjv@Isaiah:5:13@ Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
kjv@Isaiah:5:14@ Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
kjv@Isaiah:5:15@ And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:
kjv@Isaiah:5:16@ But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
kjv@Isaiah:5:17@ Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.
kjv@Isaiah:5:18@ Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:
kjv@Isaiah:5:19@ That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!
kjv@Isaiah:5:20@ Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
kjv@Isaiah:5:21@ Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
kjv@Isaiah:5:22@ Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
kjv@Isaiah:5:23@ Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
kjv@Isaiah:5:24@ Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
kjv@Isaiah:5:25@ Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
kjv@Isaiah:5:26@ And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
kjv@Isaiah:5:27@ None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:
kjv@Isaiah:5:28@ Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:
kjv@Isaiah:5:29@ Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.
kjv@Isaiah:5:30@ And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.
From Israel the Lord expected judgment. He found the opposite oppression. Right was wrong and wrong right, dark light, evil good. Reward was given for wickedness and house joined to house making large estates for certain well to do individuals. They were drunkards and wise/prudent in their own eyes, harps and pipes playing a much different song, the works of the Lord forgotten. We see that there was a hedge around them once, protection from the pest, the briers, the heat of the sun. The hedge was brought down to flush out the nation's wickedness.
One that truly fears the Lord should walk in a confidence such as this. The Lord did not cause these things to happen but, His arm is not shortened that He can't get us out. He gives us the tongue of the learned, the ear to hear. He will be our help. If there is no light in us, He needs to be that light and that fire. BY this we will not be confounded and those that contend against us will not succeed for it is He that works through us. Fear the Lord, hear and obey His voice, walk in His light
The matter of perspective is all important; who is who and what is what. Heaven and Earth and everything in it, all this has the Lord done and still does. What man/nation is there that can alter one thing, and yet this is who we fear. In this case we read of the children of Abraham, the children of Zion. God has indeed given them over to a measure of correction. It seems like a long time and an impossible burden for them. The Lord will accomplish His will and their is none to stop Him; the cup of trembling shall be removed.
The confidence of the couple chapters can be found in this: that there will be a 'Servant'. He shall deal prudently, exalted, extolled, be very high. His visage will have been marred more than any other man. The nations have been told of Him and soon shall see and consider and know that all that was told them was true. All eyes will be astonished. For the eyes of Zion's daughters will be opened and Zion itself returned. Who is this marred man? What is it that He will return to dothat we have been told about Him that will astonish us when we see it come true?
Again we read of the 'Servant' as being the 'Arm of the Lord'. His visage so marred beyond any other; a tender plant wounded for our transgressions. He has poured out His soul unto death. The details here are exquisite. Can there be any doubt as to who Isaiah is talking about? The Father sees the travail of this particular soul and shall be satisfied. He bares their iniquities and justifies many.
The effect of the 'Servant's' redemptive work is glorious. The life to follow extreme. For now we have this eternal hope. It guides us and feeds us and inspires us. Soon it will be our reality. Instead of a flood of destruction it will be to us a flood of supreme love and good will.
The covenant He makes with us Gentile tribes is the same that He made with David. It is without price and satisfy like no other. He has chosen and glorified a nation that was not a nation so that the others will take notice and turn from the wicked and foolish ways. His ways are like nothing we would intellectualize and His word will accomplish that which He purposed without fail. Joy and peace and great blessing will be the end result.
The call goes out to all peoples not just Israel. Israel has gotten itself into big trouble at this point because it has forgotten the Sabbaths. They have proven and illustrated over and over the nature of all men having had difficulties laying maintaining the Law and fulfilling their end of the covenants. If not them then certainly not the Gentiles. For them this Sabbath will become this 'Servant' (the promise to and mercies of David) described previously t(he salvation to come, the righteousness to be revealed). His watchmen Israel for a time will be blind, but, they too will come from their own drunk fest around to this gracious feast at the table of a greater covenant.
Idolatry, sorcery, adultery go hand in hand, they are part of the same mind set. These are spiritual sins that play out in physical ways. The participants know first hand the emptiness of this way but yet continue due to their despising God. They seem to know God and are aware of His holding His peace for this time, therefore purposely taunt it to His face. The symbolisms pictured here of stones and posts ointments etc.. would have direct meaning to them being specific to elements their religion.
The plan is not for God to have to contend much longer. The time that He will is of His choosing. All paths cannot lead to eternal blessing and not all souls will be unconditionally accepted. This moment is but an opportunity to turn oneself around. He has now accomplished all that His righteousness/mercy has required Him. He will perform that which He has promised. He will dwell eternally only with those of humble and contrite hearts, revive their spirit and once and for all heal them. For the others it will be a raging murky sea of their own consequence apart from Him. How much clearer can the choice be?
What an interesting statement. Fasting to make ones voice heard on high instead of fasting to hear the 'Voice on High'. Fasting for strife and debate? Much caution should be made to fast for the right intents.
The fast and the Sabbath are mentioned together in one passage. We see illustrated how easily the fast can be contorted into something lesser that it is not. The true fulfillment of the fast is much more wide spread than we most often allow. Can the same be said of the Sabbath then being that they are placed within the same prophetic declaration? Is this the fast He has chosen? Is this the Sabbath He chosen?
This is a massive description of sin and how things are seen from the Lord's vantage point. Let us remember that this is not just the Heathen Gentiles that He is talking about, this is also the Religious Hebrew to whom this is addressed.He looked down and saw no man remember. This is why He has had to do what He has done. This is why He seems as distant as He does. This is why there will be a day of His vengeance. Not because He is a big meanie, because this massive and profound iniquity (of which we are barely aware) cannot any longer be allowed.
2012 - pBiblx2 Field Wise Bible System Version 2.0.9d - GPL3
