January 11 - Isaiah 5

To answer Debbie's question - Isaiah was a prophet that ministered around 740 BC to 690 BC. He was a prophet to the Southern Kingdom of Judah but didn't live to see Judah fall. He actually lived to see the Northern Kingdom of Israel fall to ths Assyrians in 722 BC. It's like he could've said - hey look at the north. If you don't straighten up then the same thing will happen to you. So, Isaiah and Jeremiah didn't live during the same time. Isaiah warned Judah with prophecies. Jeremiah warned Judah and actually saw Judah(Jerusalem) fall.

Isaiah 5 Imagine if you had a garden. You put the best soil with all the fancy add-ins from Lowe's and the best seeds. You watered, loved and cared for it - but in a few weeks you find that there is no good fruit - it's only good to throw away. This is kind of the metaphor God is using.

He gave Judah (actually Israel) milk flowing with milk and honey. If you can look back at the history books, people like Gideon winning battles with only 300 men... like that movie "300" - God literally gave Judah the choicest of lands. He pours his love and care into them only to find that they have no good fruit.

What is just and right to do with such a vineyard with bad fruit is to throw it away... and pretty much start over. Makes sense, right?

So.. what are these bad fruits?
v.7 Not justice but BLOODSHED -- murder...
Not righteousness but "cries of distress" -- people suffering

v.8 "Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land." This is a problem that was rampant among Israel. People became very wealthy and kept buying land from the people around them until it was just a few people living on acres of land. Archaelogical evidence shows that land was very unevenly divided. Remember the year of Jubilee where everyone was supposed to clear debts and go back to the same amount of land per person... That was never followed.

v. 11 -- "run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine." Drunkenness is a problem in the US and even more severely in Korea and Japan. Korea and Japan even have hotels that provide for a bed for the night for wealthy executives who are too drunk to make it home for sleep.

v. 12 -- lots of partying, celebrations but not for God..

v. 20 -- like the previous chapters -- they parade their sins and call evil things good. Today we have a lot of twisting of truth. People are now taking sin and fighting for it (passing laws, etc.)

v. 22 "heroes at drinking wine, champions at mixing drinks" -- TV shows on VH1 or MTV show how partying and getting drunk is such a "fun" thing. Really. Is it fun to get drunk and make a fool of yourself only to find that your drunken antics are recorded and uploaded to YouTube? Well, today - society has made it cool. Let's just say God will have the last word.

So.. here's what's going to happen...
v. 24f ("f" means the verses that follow too) destruction will come...

The word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our souls. It's kind of like until you go to the bathroom turn on the light and look in the mirror you don't realize what a mess you are. God is like that bathroom check. The Word of God is like that bathroom check.

Look into the mirror of God's Word. Are you bearing some of these "bad fruits"? Is God opening your eyes to see this sinful and twisted world? Your friends might think the above things are totally okay and everyone should do as they please. If so, read v. 21. It is time for us to open our eyes and recognize that God is God and in charge.

Comment below a response, a prayer, anything.

God's Discernment to you.