ISAIAH’S SAD SONG

Isaiah 5

INTRODUCTION.

1. Isaiah 5 presents the sad and ugly picture of a people who have sown the seeds of corruption and lust and are now reaping the evil fruits and consequences of their deeds.

2. Israel and Judah were a people who boasted of their special favor in the eyes of the Lord and who looked upon their material prosperity as proof of that favor. How wrong they were!

3. While these lessons had immediate and special application to them, they continue to be most relevant in our present situation today.

4. The prophecy is arranged in three parts:

a. The song of the Beloved and His vineyard (vss. 1-7)

b. The harvest of bad grapes (vss. 8-23)

c. The Lord’s judgment (vss. 24-30)

5. It is truly a sad song!

I. THE SONG OF THE BELOVED AND HIS VINEYARD (vss. 1-7)

A. The Lord had great desire and high expectations for His people.

B. They failed and proved a major disappointment to Him.

C. He must destroy the vineyard.

II. THE HARVEST OF BAD GRAPES (vss. 8-23)

A. The six woes that follow spell out in more detail the nature of the harvest. The grapes were wild and rotten.

1. First Woe: the grapes of Greed (vss. 8-10). They were obsessed with their desire for material wealth. Perhaps these were the greedy land-barons. But all covetousness is sin (even idolatry, Col. 3:5) and ultimately brings the same result.

2. Second Woe: the grapes of pursuit of Sensual Pleasure (vss. 11-17). The picture is one of heavy drinkers of strong drink. They love to “party.” Like the rock concerts and alcohol and drug culture of today. Such always seems become the curse of the affluent and prosperous. In every “civilized” nation today there are the alcohol-related problems of crime, accidents, broken homes, maimed children, and souls so seared by its use that the spiritual appeals of the Lord are ignored and ridiculed. Today there is the added problem of drugs and narcotics. But the real problem is always the same. It is the “hedonistic” philosophy, the complete devotion to the ideal of pleasure and a “good time.” It is a sign of a depraved nation.

3. Third Woe: the grapes of Slavery to Sin (vss. 18-19). Like beasts of burden, they are harnessed in the falsehood of their idolatry and pull along their cartloads of sin after them. They are so enslaved and given over to their lifestyle that they have progressed to flippant mockery of God’s warnings (cf. Isa. 59:1-8; 2 Pet. 3:4).

4. Fourth Woe: the grapes of Perversion of Moral Distinctions (vs. 20). The absolute standard of all moral thoughts and actions is the character of God Himself. God has made that standard known by revelation. Man perverts and confuses those eternal moral distinctions. To do so he must disregard or pervert the revealed standard. Today the mass killing of unborn babies is justified as a woman’s rights, while the killing of a whale seems to receive greater condemnation. Homosexuality is justified as an alternate lifestyle, while those who don’t are approved are vilified as bigots. Drinking and drunkenness is equated as a “good time.” Adultery and fornication are considered normal. But sin is defiance against God, rebellion against His will, and an effort to overthrow His moral standards (Rom. 12:9; 1 Thess. 5:21-22).

5. Fifth Woe: the grapes of Arrogant Self-Deception (vs. 21). When man ridicules the principles of good vs. evil, he becomes dependent on his own wisdom. Those who trust in their own wisdom always fall (Rom. 12:16; 1 Cor. 3:18-20).

6. Sixth Woe: the grapes of Perverted Justice (vss. 22-23). In such a world, not even judges are able to dispense right judgments. When there is no sense of right and wrong, there can be no sense of justice, no sense of fair treatment of others.

B. The common denominator of all these characteristics is the lack of knowledge of God and His laws. They have declined to their present state because they have left God out of their thinking (vss. 12b-13; Hos. 4:6; cf. Rom. 1:18ff).

III. THE LORD’S JUDGMENT (vss. 24-30)

A. So they face divine judgment. The present trials they are facing are but a foretaste of the captivity to come.

B. The cause? “For they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel” (vs. 24).

C. And so it will be with all men (2 Cor. 5:10).

CONCLUSION.

1. Isaiah’s song was truly a sad song. Will this song be the same for you and me?

2. Or will we not rather listen to the “new song” of the Lamb of God, our Redeemer (Rev. 5:9-10)?

3. Invitation.