Is. 5: Judgments

Isaiah 5:4 "What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?"

The first 7 verses of chapter 5 are a parable of a vineyard, echoing the previous book, Song of Solomon. Isaiah describes the building and purposeful care that goes into putting together a vineyard. A vineyard full of the choicest of vines that will serve it's planter. He cleared out the stones, put up a hedge of protection, and cut in a winepress. It was a thing of beauty. He then checked for good fruit, but instead got bad.

I think a passage like this can serve to explain that question "If God is so good, why is there sin?" or "If God is so good, why do bad things happen?" See the vineyard. God did everything to give what he cultivated a chance to succeed. The yield was bad fruit. He did everything but live the lives of the people (the choicest vines, mind you).

Because of this bad fruit, why put effort into protecting it, especially when you were bound to keeping a covenant? The people knew what would happen if they forsook the covenant. He will make it a wasteland...sound familiar?

Then we get to woes and judgments. Wealth was no shelter from the coming discipline. Even if you had large homes and vineyards, it would come to nothing.

If you waste a lot of time partying, and being inflamed with wine, you won't take time for real fulfilling things, learning the ways of the LORD, which will ultimately lead to your preservation and sustenance.

Woe to those whose work is sin, and work at sin.

Verse 19 is interesting. If you demand God hurry up and show you his plan, a God who isn't inside the passing of time, that is woeful. I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to know what God is doing, but making demands on him from your side of perfection is probably not useful.

Israel's demise will be a beacon to other nations. They won't just ignore Israel, they will come and dance on her ruins. Awesome.