Sermon - AudioIsaiah 5-8 - Audio
Isaiah 5-8 - Reading
Daily Insights - Please Comment
Isaiah 5
5.1-7 “This is a little masterpiece. Its opening, as a love song, catches the ear and the imagination; the vineyard, like the walled garden and orchard in the Song of Solomon (New Bible Commentary).” The imagery is gentle and inviting. The end of verse 2 almost makes us catch our breath, literally: “he waited for it to produce grapes, but instead it produced stinking, worthless things (or “wild grapes”).” The prophet draws in the hearer, and then lets him/her judge for themselves...asking him what he would do in this situation. Then he brings the hammer in verse 7: “The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel.” Ouch!
5.7 The last part of the verse contains a powerful poetic line. The words “righteousness” and “justice” are often paired in Hebrew poetry. In other words, they often appear one right after the other. This might be a bad example, but after a big Sunday meal, my dad would always say “well...now I'm fat and happy.” “Fat” (that full feeling) and “happy” always went together for him. In this line, the poet breaks up the word pair. “he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.” One expects righteousness and justice but instead gets the opposite. Righteousness and justice are BROKEN by bloodshed and wailing. This points back to the poem about the vineyard. God plants a vineyard and looks for good grapes, but it only produces wild grapes.
5.8-10 Now God gets specific. The injustice he's talking about takes on several forms. Verses 8-10 talk about real estate. The woe is against those who amass great tracts of land. It presumes levitical laws for land which do not give every family the same, but give every family enough. This “policy” keeps in view that ultimately the land (the whole earth and all its resources for that matter) belong to God. In Israel, the greedy few amass large estates at the expense of the rich. In other words: the huge gap between rich and poor is unacceptable to justice. He looked for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.”
5.11-17 If this text is taken out of context, you might mean it to be a prohibition on wine and even music altogether. But read in the light of Isaiah 25.6, one sees wine as a blessing from God, “On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.” The woe here is against those who pursue pleasure above all else (specifically those who are not paying attention to what the Lord is doing vs 12). The kind of people who live for the weekends, and when the weekend come—do nothing but party. Today people look for escape from reality through one of any number of venues: video games, shopping, fashion, drugs, (and yes) alcohol.
Interesting Fact: Isiah talks about wine more than any other book of the Bible. It comes up over 20 times.
5.20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” The power of rhetoric is very great! I am reminded greatly of politics here when politicians and media villainize the other side, even when they are trying to bring about good. Both sides are guilty of this. Think about where you go for your news...do they call “evil good” and “good evil.” It's easier to point this out in other people...but do you every find yourself calling “evil good” and “good evil?” Think especially of when you trying to argue your point or justify your actions.
Isaiah 6
Another fascinating chapter in Isaiah. Too much to talk about, really. I can't even get into the parallels with Revelation 4. Notice that in verse 5, Isaiah is terrified for his life. Why? Because he is impure, and as we read in Deuteronomy, God is a consuming fire. Impurity cannot survive the presence of God. But I want to spend a second on the use of fire in verse 5-6. Usually when we think of fire in the bible, we think of judgment. Punishment like with the Sodom and Gomorroa or throwing the dragon and the beast into a burning lake of sulfur. But it seems like when we look at fire in the bible as a whole fire has a very different connotation. Like with the burning coal put on Isaiah’s lips. Sure fire might sting a little, but fire makes clean. It purifies. We’re talking about a refiners fire. When we heat up gold the impurities burn off.
We see a similar occurrence in Zechariah 13.8b-9 yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.”
The same sort of thing happens with fire. Here again, we don’t see fire destroying the other people but refining the people of God.
See also 1 Corinthians 3.10. “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”
We find two different categories: 1) gold, silver, and costly stones 2) wood, hay, and straw —stuff that burns up.
I think we all know when we’re building with gold. You have that sense when you do something that matters. When you are generous. When you show compassion. Maybe it’s when you play a game with your son. Or just let your daughter climb up on your lap. When you forgive and seek reconciliation. This is gold. What is the gold, silver, and costly stones you are building your life with? How about the wood, hay, and straw?
6.9-10 I do need to pause here. This can be a very troubling verse for people. Especially since it is quoted by Jesus in Matthew 13.14-15: You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes...” Notice first how Jesus changes it. In Isaiah, it is “Make the hearts of the people calloused.” Jesus is descriptive, rather than prescriptive. That doesn't get us off the hook for Isaiah 6, however. One way to explain this has do with a technicality in the hebrew that I won't get into. It is possible to translate the end of it “lest they be healed again.” The implication would be that this is the last call before judgment. (This is the explanation given by Professor Karl Bosma of Calvin Seminary)
End Note: You would expect chapter six (the call of Isaiah) to come at the beginning of the book. The reason it does not is because the call to repentance is SO immediate, that it comes “out of chronological order.” Naturally, Isaiah was called before the content of Isaiah 1-5.
Isaiah 7
7.1-7 Ahaz is concerned/fearful about international threats to Judah. The LORD speaks to Isaiah telling him to comfort Ahaz. The two smoldering sticks represent Syria and Israel, which would soon be snuffed out—Ahaz had no reason to be afraid: God is in control of history. “The call to faith (in verse 9b) is the pith of Isaiah’s preaching, with a slogan-like play on words, as elusive to the translator as that of 5:7. It might be paraphrased: ‘Hold God in doubt, you’ll not hold out!’, or ‘Unsure—insecure!’ (New Bible Commentary)”
7.7-17 “Ahaz had already made up his mind. Faith played no part in his religion (2 Ki. 16:3–4, 10–20) or his politics. Behind the smooth scriptural talk (12; cf. Dt. 6:16) lay a plan to outwit his enemies by making friends with the biggest of them (cf. 2 Ki. 16:7–10). What kind of friend Assyria would prove, Isaiah made clear. (New Bible Commentary)”
7.14 A famous verse here used in the New Testament to be a prophecy concerning the messiah (who we know to be Jesus. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (see also Matthew 1.23) Immanuel means “God with us.” In the context of this passage, Isiah prophesies that there will be a virgin in Ahaz's court (possibly) will conceive. He will be called literally “God with us” to act as a reminder to Ahaz. Whenever Ahaz sees Immanuel, he will be reminded of this fact. Recall that names in that time were phraes-like. So, whenever somebody would see Immanuel, they would think “hey, there's God with us.” The promise: by the time the boy hits puberty, the 2 kingdoms that threaten Judah's ruin will become extinct.
7.18-25 Two metaphors are used to describe the overrunning of Israel (Northern Kingdom). First, the LORD whistles for flies and bees! Like insects, Assyria will swarm and overwhelm Israel. Secondly is the “hired razor.” The irony is that Ahaz thinks he done the hiring, when in reality it was the LORD. “The point of vs 21–25 is the sad spectacle of the promised land reverting to jungle for lack of Israelites, its abundance (22) a rebuke to their sparseness, and its wild state a proof of their decline. It is the kind of reproach that a failing church might receive from inherited glories and commitments which it can no longer sustain (New Bible Commentary).”
Isaiah 8
8.1-4 Isaiah (commanded by the LORD) makes love to a prophetess and names his son “Quick-pickings-Easy-prey” (contemporary translation by JB Phillips). This reminds Israel that the enemy, who is right at the door, will soon turn its attention to Judah.
8.5-15 These verses contrast the gentle, life giving flow of the LORD compared with the deadly flood of the Assyrians. Ahaz has called up the flood waters, and will himself be threatened by their current. In verse 9, Isaiah calls on Israel to take up an alternative battle cry: “GOD IS WITH US!” The people should reshape their thinking, in Romans language: “Be transformed by the renewing of your minds.”
8.12b-13a is quoted in 1 Peter 3.14-15: But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Strikingly, Jesus is identified with the LORD Almighty! It is clear that Peter saw Jesus as his divine Lord and Savior.
8.16-18 Some good stuff here. According to the NBC, God calling his people “disciples” introduces a new gracious designation for his people (a name that Jesus will use to call his followers). Also, in verse 18 Isaiah calls the faithful “sings and symbols.” In other words, as children of God we are a witness to the outside world! They are in the dark—without the light of dawn (as the next few verses describe). But we have seen the light...as Isaiah chapter 9 will predict, and Matthew 4.16 will apply to Jesus: “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
3 comments:
I find it interesting that Isaiah 6:9-10 is quoted by Jesus and then again by Paul in Act 28:26-27.... this must be an important message.
It struck me awhile back when reading the one in Acts that he is talking to all of us.
Isaiah is called to preach to a people who won't respond to the message, so that their guilt would be certain. The messages that Isaiah, and Jeremiah as we will see later on, and the majority of the prophets, preach are not popular. In fact, many of them are future prophecies stating that not only do the people of Israel not listen now, but there will be many in the future with hardened hearts. In these verses we understand that at that time many will come to Jesus, but there will also be many who reject the message of Christ, therefore condemning themselves.
In Mark 4:12 Jesus quotes Isaiah to explain his teaching through parables, Jesus offered His hearers the opportunity to dig deep and find the truth, or to turn a blind eye to an interesting story. This would avoid a greater condemnation for having rejected a clearly understood truth. Which many in fact did. He is telling the people that this is exactly what Isaiah said would happen.
In Acts, Paul is basically saying that to those who respond to the gospel with faith, he is a messenger of life. But to those who reject Jesus, Paul adds to their condemnation through his message.
2 Corinthians 2:16 sums this truth up: "To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?"
I think it is interesting that Isaiah's message to Israel in 6:9-10 is exactly what Jonah would have LOVED to say to the Ninevites. The prophet to the hated Gentiles is met with immediate acceptance and repentance, while the prophet to the Lord's chosen people has hearers who will not understand or turn and be healed.
Post a Comment