Tag Archives: Isaiah 5-8

Daily Bible Study

July 22, 2024 Bible Study — Be Humble, or Be Humbled

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Isaiah 5-8.

Every year when I read chapter 5 verse 8 I think of how the wealthy live in so many places.
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.
Isaiah goes on from there to say that the houses will become desolate and the fields unproductive.  And of course that will happen because where will those who do the work to maintain the houses and care for the fields live?  But it’s more than just the wealthy pushing the poor out so that they do not have to see them living nearby.  Isaiah also refers to those who are more intent on partying and having a good time than taking care of those in need, than in doing that which pleases the Lord.  Isaiah goes on to warn us against saying that that which is evil is good, or that that which is good is evil.  Finally, I want to call attention to Isaiah’s warning against being wise in our own eyes or thinking we are especially clever.  All will be humbled, better to start out humble than be put there forcefully.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

July 22, 2023 Bible Study — Woe to Those Who Are Wise in Their Own Eyes

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Isaiah 5-8.

Usually when I read today’s passage I write about Isaiah’s calling because it is very powerful.  And, of course, there is the prophecy about the virgin birth here as well.  However, today I am drawn to some other things which Isaiah says in this passage.  At one point Isaiah warns those who call for God to hurry and hasten His work so that they may see it.  From the context he appears to be referencing those who do so sarcastically, those who are denying God.  However, I think Isaiah’s prophecy here should give us pause when we desire God to bring about His judgement soon.  Now to look at the context a little more.  Isaiah goes on from there to warn of those (and to warn them) who say that evil is good and good is evil.  We think we understand what he means there (and I believe we are mostly correct), but we tend to think what he writes after that is just an expansion on it.  However, I think the next two comparisons are worth some thought.  Isaiah warns against swapping light for darkness and swapping bitter for sweet (and vice versa in both cases).  So, it seems to me that he is warning those who hide or obscure that which should be seen and shine a light or draw attention to that which should be left unseen.  Or to put it another way, those who draw attention to something unimportant so that people will not pay attention to important matters.  All of this can be summed up by this warning

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.

All of those who do the things which Isaiah warns against in his list of woes are guilty of thinking that they are wiser and/or more clever than everyone else.  They have forgotten, or never understood, that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Finally, I want to leave you with this from chapter 8 verse 12:

“Do not call conspiracy
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
    and do not dread it.

 

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

July 22, 2022 Bible Study

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Isaiah 5-8.

I want to start off today by repeating that three of the four kings who reigned while Isaiah prophesied were listed elsewhere as kings who did what was right in the eyes of God.  In today’s passage Isaiah condemns those who buy up property so as to live remote from their neighbors.  That seems to be a condemnation aimed at others, but he goes on from there to write that those of high rank will die of hunger and the common people will be parched with thirst.  That suggests that his “woe” applies to more than just the people with three or more mansions, perhaps it even applies to me, who has a house in the suburbs.  Then we come to the one we should all be worried about: woe to those who are anxious for God’s day of judgement to arrive.  Isaiah transitions from that to condemning those who call evil good and good evil, as if he is linking them together.  He goes on to warn against thinking that we are wise, or clever.  Let us seek justice for the innocent.  Let us strive to recognize our sins and repent of them.

 

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

July 22, 2021 Bible Study –Do Not Listen To Those Who Call Evil Good

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Isaiah 5-8.

Usually when I read this passage I am struck by God’s call to Isaiah, and Isaiah’s response.  I feel called and I feel the need to encourage others to feel called.  However, today the message which God gave Isaiah to deliver had more impact on me.  When Isaiah accepted God’s call to deliver God’s message, God gave him this message to deliver:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
    be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

While this was worded as a command being given, it is really more of a prophecy.  The targets of this message are those about whom Isaiah said this in the previous chapter:

Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
    and clever in their own sight.

Once people start calling evil good and good evil they will not understand what God is saying to them, nor perceive what He shows them.  Look around, you will see that our society has become full of people who do this, people who think they are both wise and clever.  They identify a group which people trust to provide information honest information on a subject, then find ways to get that group to start presenting only the information on that subject which supports their goals.  They then don’t understand why people no longer trust the information which comes from that group.

I am not quite sure how to tie this last piece in to what I have written above, but it does tie in.  Isaiah said that God told him, and by inference all those who wish to be faithful to God:

“Do not call conspiracy
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
    and do not dread it.”

Instead, we should fear God, and put our trust in Him.  Rather than listening to those who distort the facts in order to advance their political power, consult God’s instruction.  As the prophet tells us, those who refuse to listen to God’s instruction see only distress, darkness, and fearful gloom.  Do not listen to them, look instead to the light of God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

July 22, 2020 Bible Study Do Not Be Fooled By Those Who Say That Evil Is Good and that Good Is Evil

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 5-8.

Today’s passage contains three separate sections: the beginning is a conclusion to the Isaiah’s introductory vision, then the vision of Isaiah’s calling, finally Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the plot of Israel and Aram against Judah.  There are significant differences in the messages contained in each, yet I perceived an ongoing theme as I read them today.  I hope that I will be able to communicate that theme clearly in what I write next.

In the first part I see a judgement on much of Western Civilization.  God blessed the nations of Western Civilization and in return He asked that they deliver a crop of justice, that they live righteously in the world.  Instead the wealthy use that wealth to accumulate more wealth and to leave the poor in even worse straights than when they began.  God gave us blessings in order to help those less fortunate than ourselves.  If we instead spend those blessings purely on our own pleasure, God will judge us.

Isaiah speaks of those who mock God, say that evil is good, and that good is evil.  He warns us about those who will listen to what we say, but not understand what we mean and will watch what we do, but not learn anything from that either.  If they had not hardened their hearts, plugged their ears, and covered their eyes, they might understand with their hearts and turn to God.  Let us continue to speak God’s words to those who refuse to hear and pray to God that His Spirit come upon them so that they may turn to Him and be healed.

Those around us may see conspiracies in everything which happens and be frightened by the idea that powerful people are conspiring to take away their freedom and oppress them.  Let us not follow their example and be frightened by such things.  Instead, we should fear only God and rest assured that He will keep us safe.  I will focus on God’s instructions and strive to follow them, putting my trust in Him and knowing that those who strive to conspire to control the world are doomed to failure.

Daily Bible Study

July 22, 2019 Bible Study — God Is Calling, Will You Answer?

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 5-8.

Isaiah’s prophecy concerning God planting a nation the way one might plant a vineyard applies to many nations throughout history., certainly not all, but many. I am most familiar with the ways in which the United States was blessed and showed signs of being a blessing to others, but other nations also show signs of being established by God to bring blessing to the world.  God looks for a crop of justice and righteousness from these nations, but time and again He gets oppression and violence.  Isaiah describes people who gather wealth unto themselves and then use it to isolate themselves from others.  Isaiah describes how such actions lead to reduced productivity.  When too great of a portion of a nation’s wealth is concentrated in too small a portion of its population, that wealth becomes worth less.  Lack of justice and violence against the innocent will summon invaders much the same way that scattering sugar on a counter top will summon ants.

Isaiah’s account of his calling is quite powerful.  First Isaiah tells us that when he found himself in the presence of God he recognized that he was unworthy and deserving of death, but God cleansed him of his sin.  God does not call us because we are more righteous or more worthy than others.  Then God asks “Whom shall I send? Who deliver my message to the people?”  To which Isaiah responds, “Here I am. Send me.”  I imagine this two ways: 

Isaiah is standing there, kind of in a corner. He looks around and sees no one else. So, in a quiet, somewhat timid voice, he says, “I’m here. I guess I could go.”

Or

Isaiah is standing there off to the side. He steps out waves his arms, and goes, “Me, me, pick me.”

Both of those sometimes represent how I feel.  Sometimes I feel like I am jumping up and down and asking God, “What do you want me to do? Just tell me and I’m on it.”  Other times, I feel like I’m off to the side and I hear God asking for someone to do something that I don’t want to do.  I reluctantly speak up and say, “I guess I could do that.”  And sometimes I feel like I react to God calling by saying, “Um, did you say something? I’m not sure I heard you. Can you repeat yourself?”  In any case, God’s calling was not unique to Isaiah.  He calls to every person and wants to know if we will go where He sends us.

Finally, when God gives Isaiah His message He tells him that his audience will hear but not understand, and see without learning.  They will refuse to see what God is showing them or hear what He is saying and thus will not understand and seek His healing.  So, Isaiah was called to deliver a message to people who would not listen and respond.  He knew that most, if not all, of his audience were not going to turn to God for healing, but he spoke God’s message nonetheless.  Yet Isaiah is one of the most important prophets of the Old Testament.  So, God does not measure our success by how many people respond to the message we deliver, or any of the other measures we may use to measure success.  He measures our success by whether or not we do His will.  Do not think like everyone else.  Preserve the teachings of God and put your hope in Him.  There will be those who choose to follow Him to whom you can entrust His instructions.

 

 

Daily Bible Study

July 22, 2018 Bible Study — Calling Evil “Good” and Good “Evil”

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 5-8.

    Isaiah warns against those who spend their efforts accumulating wealth at the expense of others and their time pursuing pleasure. They do these things without even thinking about God or noticing what He is doing in the world. When discussing the accumulation of wealth, Isaiah focuses on those who acquire more real estate than they can truly use, while leaving the poor with no place they can afford to live. The result is unproductive land, both because there is no one to work the land and because the environment breaks down. In the middle of oppressing the poor, these people mock God by asking why, if God is holy, He is not doing something for the poor?

    Isaiah warns us against those who say that evil is good and that good is evil. Those who insist on doing so will reap great sorrow. Today in our society we have many who claim that things long recognized as evil are actually good, and things long recognized as good are evil. Many of them compare this change to the change which recognized that slavery was evil. However, only a small number ever argued that slavery was good. The argument had been that it was not evil. In time, any society which insists on calling that which is evil good and that which is good evil will face destruction. Its own internal conflicts will tear it apart.

    One of the most inspiring stories in the Bible is Isaiah’s account of his calling by God. First, Isaiah recognized his complete unworthiness to be in the presence of God. He recognized his terrible guilt, a guilt which all of us share. But God cleansed him of his crime, of his sin, just as He offers to do for each and every one of us through Christ Jesus. Upon being cleansed of his sin, Isaiah heard God calling for someone to carry His message. I think we often miss that it was immediately upon being cleansed of his sin that Isaiah heard God’s call. This does not mean that we may not receive a call later, merely that when we experience God’s forgiveness, we immediately feel the desire to serve God. Isaiah was not cleansed of his sin because he faithfully conveyed God’s messages to His people. Isaiah faithfully conveyed God’s message because he was cleansed. We should be the same way.

    Isaiah told King Ahaz not to fear the alliance of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and Syria. While the kings of those two nations were plotting to conquer Judah, the Southern Kingdom, and had gathered their armies to that end, it would never happen. God was going to bring the Assyrian army to crush both of those nations. There are two aspects of Isaiah’s prophecy I have never noticed before and I have never heard anyone comment on. First, Isaiah condemns the people of Judah for rejoicing over the destruction of those kingdoms. We should never rejoice over the sufferings of others. And here is the thing which I find interesting. Isaiah prophesied that as a result of Judah’s rejoicing, Assyria would invade Judah, but not quite conquer it. Isaiah predicted that the Assyrian army would sweep into Judah and there would be nothing the people of Judah could do to resist it, but the flood of Assyrian conquest would recede before Judah fell.

Daily Bible Study

July 22, 2017 Bible Study — God Is Calling For Prophets

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 5-8.

    The first thing which struck me in this passage was a series of “What sorrow for…” statements it contains. The first one addresses those who buy up land and make it inaccessible to anyone else. This reads to me as a condemnation of those who use their wealth to put up barriers to keep others from acquiring wealth. The second one addresses those who fill their time completely with entertainment and parties, people who are too busy having a good time to have time to care for others. The third one addresses those who “drag their sins behind them.” I am not quite sure what the prophet is getting at here. Perhaps he is referring to those who brag about their sins and wickedness. Or perhaps he is talking about those who use their past to justify their present failure to care for others. The fourth one, and the final one I will pull out specifically, addresses those who say that doing evil is doing good and that doing good is doing evil. For me this ties all of them together and gives me an idea about how they apply. I see this all around us, people who say that certain self-indulgent behaviors that since time immemorial have been seen as wrong and harmful are good and that those who warn against those behaviors are evil. If I warn that such behaviors will have negative consequences for those who practice them I am “intolerant” and a “hatemonger”.

    Into that world, God called Isaiah to prophesy. Perhaps he is calling another Isaiah today into a very similar world. Or perhaps God is calling a whole series of prophets. After all, Isaiah was not the only prophet in Israel when he prophesied. It is worth looking at Isaiah’s calling. When Isaiah saw God, he was horrified because he knew that he was too impure, too sinful, to be in the presence of our Holy God. In response God sent to him an angel to purify him of his sins. In the same way, God sent Jesus to purify us of our sins. The symbolism of how Isaiah was purified is significant. A hot coal was pressed against his lips, burning the sinful words which he had spoken from his mouth. Once Isaiah was purified he heard God asking whom He could send as a messenger to His people. Isaiah did not hesitate. Immediately he responded, “Here I am. Send me.” I have often wondered if Isaiah said that in a quiet, slightly reluctant whisper, “Here I am. Send me.” Or did he shout, “Here I am. Send me!“ 

    In either case, God is once more asking for people who are willing to take His message to the people. Make no mistake, this is a thankless task, because the message is not one that will be welcome. The message is that people will listen, but not understand. They will see what God is doing, but not learn what He wants them to do. They will refuse to turn to God for healing. We see a little further down that people will contradict God’s teaching and then blame God and those who do obey Him when the inevitable disaster strikes.

Daily Bible Study

July 22, 2016 Bible Study — Here I Am. Send Me

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

DSCN0585

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 5-8.

    The prophet condemns those who buy up real estate so that those without wealth struggle to find a place to live and those who throw grand parties. He tells us that they never think about God, nor pay attention to His actions. They expend their energy on pleasure while oppressing the poor. Rather than act righteously, they stir up violence. Great sorrow is coming for those who say that evil is good and good is evil. God has given us resources to use for justice and righteousness. If we instead use them for our own pleasure while oppressing others and engaging in violence (or encouraging others to do so) we will suffer God’s judgment.

DSCN0562

    God is calling for messengers to take His message to the sinners of this world. He is calling us to call people to repentance. Before we can answer that call we need to acknowledge to ourselves, to God, and to our fellow man that we are sinners, that we are no better than those to whom God is sending us. It is up to us to step forward and volunteer to do God’s will. When He calls for someone to go, will I, will you, step forward and say, “Here I am. Send me!”? Isaiah warns us that most of the people we are sent to call will refuse to hear our message or see the signs God gives them. They will refuse to understand. But those who do listen, who do see, who do understand will turn to God and He will heal them.