5:1ffIn the last days the Temple will attract the nations, not because of its architecture and prominence, but because of God's presence and influence.
Life Application Study BibleIsaiahChapter 5
Isaiah 5
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1097, 1098, 1099, 1100
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
5Isaiah 5
1on arich and fertile hill.
2He plowed the land, cleared its stones,and planted it with the best vines.
In the middle he built a watchtowerand carved a winepress in the nearby rocks.Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes,but the grapes that grew were bitter.
3Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah,you judge between me and my vineyard.
4What more could I have done for my vineyardthat I have not already done?When I expected sweet grapes,why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?
5Now let me tell youwhat I will do to my vineyard:I will tear down its hedgesand let it be destroyed.I will break down its wallsand let the animals trample it.
6I will make it a wild placewhere the vines are not pruned and the ground is not hoed,a place overgrown with briers and thorns.I will command the cloudsto drop no rain on it.
7The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.The people of Judah are his pleasant garden.He expected a crop of justice,but instead he found oppression.He expected to find righteousness,but instead he heard cries of violence.
Judah's Guilt and Judgment
88 What sorrow for you who buy up house after house and field after field,until everyone is evicted and you live alone in the land.
9But I have heard the LORD of Heaven's Armiesswear a solemn oath:“Many houses will stand deserted;even beautiful mansions will be empty.
10Ten acres* of vineyard will not produce even six gallons* of wine.Ten baskets of seed will yield only one basket* of grain.”
11What sorrow for those who get up early in the morninglooking for a drink of alcoholand spend long evenings drinking wineto make themselves flaming drunk.
12They furnish wine and lovely music at their grand parties—lyre and harp, tambourine and flute—but they never think about the LORDor notice what he is doing.3 So my people will go into exile far awaybecause they do not know me.5:10a Hebrew A ten yoke, that is, the area of land plowed by ten teams of oxen in one day. 5:10b Hebrew a bath[21 liters]. 5:10 Hebrew A homer [5 bushels or 182 liters} of seed will yield only an ephah [20 quarts or 22 liters}.
Those who are great and honored will starve,and the common people will die of thirst.
14The grave* is licking its lips in anticipation,opening its mouth wide.The great and the lowlyand all the drunken mob will be swallowed up.
15Humanity will be destroyed, and people brought down;even the arrogant will lower their eyes in humiliation.
16But the LORD of Heaven's Armies will be exalted by his justice.The holiness of God will be displayed by his righteousness.
17In that day lambs will find good pastures,and fattened sheep and young goats* will feed among the ruins.
18What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind themwith ropes made of lies,who drag wickedness behind them like a cart!
19They even mock God and say,“Hurry up and do something!We want to see what you can do.Let the Holy One of Israel carry out his plan,for we want to know what it is.”
20What sorrow for those who saythat evil is good and good is evil,that dark is light and light is dark,that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
21What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyesand think themselves so clever.
22What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking wineand boast about all the alcohol they can hold.
23They take bribes to let the wicked go free,and they punish the innocent.
24Therefore, just as fire licks up stubbleand dry grass shrivels in the flame,so their roots will rotand their flowers wither.For they have rejected the law of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies;they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25That is why the LORD’s anger burns against his people,and why he has raised his fist to crush them.The mountains tremble,and the corpses of his people litter the streets like garbage.But even then the LORD’s anger is not satisfied.His fist is still poised to strike!
26He will send a signal to distant nations far awayand whistle to those at the ends of the earth.They will come racing toward Jerusalem.
27They will not get tired or stumble.They will not stop for rest or sleep.Not a belt will be loose,not a sandal strap broken.
28Their arrows will be sharpand their bows ready for battle.Sparks will fly from their horses’ hooves,and the wheels of their chariots will spin like a whirlwind.
29They will roar like lions,like the strongest of lions.Growling, they will pounce on their victims and carry them off,and no one will be there to rescue them.
30They will roar over their victims on that day of destructionlike the roaring of the sea.If someone looks across the land,only darkness and distress will be seen;even the light will be darkened by clouds.
Textual footnotes
- 5:17 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads and strangers.
Life Application Notes 6 notes
5:1-7The jesson of the song of the vineyard shows that God's chosen nation was to bear fruit—to carry out his work, to uphold justice. It did bear fruit, but the fruit was bad. Jesus said, “Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions” (Matthew 7:20). Have you examined your own “fruit” lately? Is it good or bad—useful or wild? but Isaiah predicted that eventually many would die of hunger and thirst. Ironically, our pleasures—if they do not have God’s blessing—may destroy us. Leaving God out of our lives allows sin to come in. Pursuing our own pleasure while ignoring or exploiting the needs of others leaves us empty and under God's anger. God wants us to enjoy life (1 Timothy 6:17) but to avoid those activities that could lead us away from him.
5:13The nation’s heroes—the “great and honored’”—would suffer the same humiliation as the common people. Why? Because they lived by their own values rather than God’s. Many of today’s media, business, and sports heroes are idolized because of their ability to live as they please. Are your heroes those who defy God or those who defy the world in order to serve God?
5:18,19Some people drag their sins around with them. Some do so arrogantly, but for others, their sins have become a burden that wears them out. Are you dragging around a cartload of sins that you refuse to give up? Before you find yourself worn out and useless, turn to the one who promises to take away your burden of sin and replace it with a purpose for living that is a joy to fulfill (see Matthew 11:28-30).
5:20When people see no distinction between good and evil, destruction soon follows. It is easy for people to say, “No one can decide for anyone else what is really right or wrong.” They may think getting drunk can’t hurt them, extramarital sex isn’t really wrong, or money doesn’t control them. But when they make excuses for their actions, they break down the distinction between right and wrong. tf people do not take God's Word, the Bible, as their standard, soon all moral choices become fuzzy. Without God, they are headed for a breakdown and much suffering.
5:24The people suffered because they rejected God’s law. It is sad to see so many people today searching for meaning in life while spurning God’s Word. We can avoid the error of Israel and Judah by making not only reading the Bible, but also understanding and obeying it, a high priority in our lives. submitting to God’s control. Letting God purify us may be painful, but we must be purified so that we can truly represent God, who is pure and holy.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 1098
§:8-25 In this section, God condemns six sins: (1) exploiting others (5:8-10); (2) drunkenness (5:11, 12); (3) taking pride in sin (5:18, 19); (4) confusing moral standards (5:20); (5) being conceited (5:21); (6) perverting justice (5:22-24). Because of these sins, God punished Israel with destruction by Assyria (5:25-30). A similar fate was awaiting Judah if they didn’t turn from these sins. 5:11-13 These people spent many hours drinking and partying,
Study feature · page 1099
5:14 Hebrew Sheol.