COme Bible Study with me (Isaiah 5)

Welcome back. We are now in chapter 5 of the book of Isaiah.  This chapter goes deeper into God’s disappointment of the people of Israel and why He must bring about His righteous judgment. We will summarize this chapter using the classic (Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?) strategy. Then we will dig deeper using our 4 questions (I changed them up a bit). 

Summary of Chapter: 

Let's begin with the summary. 

Who? Isaiah is writing about his beloved's (The LORD's) vineyard on a very fertile hill. 

The vineyard is the house of Israel, the men of Judah, the plant the LORD delighted in. 

Who is Isaiah addressing? Israel’s elite and the farmers who exploited the people.

What?   Isaiah's beloved had broken up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. 

He built a tower in the middle of it and dug out a winepress there. 

The LORD speaks through Isaiah, “What more could I have done for my vineyard than I did? Why did it yield worthless grapes?"

“Now, I will remove your hedge, and you will be consumed.” 

“I will tear down your walls, and you will (the vineyard) will be trampled.” 

“I will make you a wasteland.” 

There were physical vineyards in the hills of Judea. 

When? Bible commentary states that Isaiah prophesied during the years of 740-700 BC.

There was an economic boom during the reign of Uzziah but before Assyria. 


Where? Judah and Jerusalem 


Why? Why did God plant them there (the Vineyard)? 
God had a future purpose for them, and He expected them to yield good grapes, but they yielded worthless grapes. 


Why is God now removing their hedge of protection? 
He expected justice but saw injustice instead. He expected righteousness but heard cries of despair. Because of their rebellion. Because they celebrate their sin and mock God (see verse 19). They call good evil and evil good and substitute darkness for light and light for darkness. They consider themselves wise, get drunk, acquit the guilty, and deprive the innocent. They have no fear of the LORD. 


Why did God have to judge them? 

• The LORD’s anger burned.
• To humble them.

• The LORD is exalted by his justice.  
• He demonstrates His holiness through His righteousness.

How?  
How will God carry out His judgment? 
He will send in a ruthless army, roaring like a lion (Assyria in 701 BC)

• The people will go into exile. 
• Her dignitaries will starve, and her masses will be parched with thirst. 
• Dignitaries and masses will die.

• Their large homes will be left empty. 

What Stood Out? 

What first stood out to me was the revealing of the free will. God placed them in the land and provided what they needed to prosper, grow, and be successful. However, the leaders and the people, in their own wisdom practiced injustice, rebelled against God's laws, and celebrated their sin. It is evident that God spoke to them through the prophets numerous times, but they refused to listen. 

God's righteous judgment also stood out to me. Many may wonder, "Why would God do such a thing as destroy a people or cause an evil enemy to come upon them." If we look closely at verse 16, "our holy God demonstrates his holiness through his righteousness," we notice that God shows that He's holy through His actions toward the evil that was taking place in the land.

We also see in verse 24, "for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Armies, and they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel." This means that as many times as God had spoken to get them to turn back, they chose their own way. They even went as far as mocking God (verse 19). 

Now, let's dive deeper: 

1. What were the possible lies Israel believed? 
Much like the world today, they may have believed that the land belonged to them and they could do what they wanted to do in it. Also, they may have believed that they weren't accountable to anyone but themselves. 

2. What was the real truth about God? 
The truth revealed in this chapter is pretty much repeated throughout 1-5. It is, "The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the LORD" (Psalm 24:1 CSB). Therefore, the people and the land of Israel belonged to God, and they chose to not walk in His wisdom, but in their own, which brought about moral confusion and injustice.

People were suffering as Israel had suffered in Egypt. God raised up the deliverer (Moses), and He used him to lead them out of captivity. So, the only true God, who is holy, responded as such. He would make the land "whole" again by removing the evil and injustice.

The LORD of heaven's armies changes not. The same way he brought about justice to those who practiced evil and walked in their own way then, he will do it again. We should never fear the evils of man, how they exalt themselves and attempt to create their own truths, and their own "Christ." Why? Because God sees and He hears. He will render justice to all who practice false religion and operate in evil, the leader and the citizen in the land alike.


3. How did the lies they believed impact their identity? 
They would go into exile as slaves of others. They would no longer be free with the LORD as their guide and protection, but they would be bound and homeless as a result of their sin. 

4. What did they believe their purpose was in their current condition? 
Same as in Chapter 4.

But there was still HOPE for them...

Now use my HOPE acronym and journal how there was still hope for them by answering the questions below. Feel free to change or add your own questions as well. 

H (Spiritual Healing) - What spiritual fruit were they expected to produce? 
O - (Overcoming) - How could they turn back? 
P - (Purpose) - What are some examples of the things they did that distorted their godly purpose? 
E - (Eternal Perspective) - In verse 16, how did God need their perspective to change? 


Finally, take a few moments to journal at least one of the application questions below:

1. What has God done to provide a fruitful love relationship with Him? (Taken from the "Experiencing God Bible")

2.  How does the following verses (choose one, two, or all of them) better help you understand Israel as a vine planted by God: Psalms 80:8-16; Jer. 2:21; Hosea 10:1-3; and John 15:1?

3. According to 1 Peter 1:14-17, how are we instructed to walk in holiness as God is holy? 
 
When you're finished, return here. 

My answer: 

I chose to answer #3. Verse 14 uses a simile (a comparison to an obedient child) as a visual representation of what holiness looks like. It states to not be conformed to the passions of one's former ignorance (ESV). The term conformed means to behave according to social conventions; to comply with rules or standards. In addition, the word passions means "desires or cravings."  

When we put this all together, we are instructed to walk as an obedient child would do when they are obeying their parents instructions at all times. The adjective "obedient" tells us how our lives should look. We are to not comply with what the world thinks or even our former desires, which kept us in bondage, but with what God instructs, knowing that He judges all, just as our parents would give consequences to us as kids. 



Leave a comment below with your answers to the questions. Also, leave any questions or other commentary. 
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Be Blessed & Keep Studying with "HOPE in CHRIST" 
Denise M. Walker 
Founder of Hope-in-Christ Ministries