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Woe to the Unfaithful Vineyard!Isaiah’s Prophecy—Light for All Mankind I
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The Price of Greed
17. What wicked conduct is condemned in Isaiah’s first woe?
17 In Isa 5 verse 8, Isaiah is no longer quoting Jehovah’s words. Condemning some of the “wild grapes” produced in Judah, he personally pronounces the first of six woes: “Woe to the ones joining house to house, and those who annex field to field until there is no more room and you men have been made to dwell all by yourselves in the midst of the land! In my ears Jehovah of armies has sworn that many houses, though great and good, will become an outright object of astonishment, without an inhabitant. For even ten acres of vineyard will produce but one bath measure, and even a homer measure of seed will produce but an ephah measure.”—Isaiah 5:8-10.
18, 19. How do Isaiah’s contemporaries ignore Jehovah’s laws regarding property, and what will be the result for them?
18 In ancient Israel all land ultimately belonged to Jehovah. Each family had a God-given inheritance, which they could rent or loan out but never sell “in perpetuity.” (Leviticus 25:23) This law prevented abuses, such as real estate monopolies. It also protected families from sinking too far into poverty. Some in Judah, however, were greedily breaking God’s laws regarding property. Micah wrote: “They have desired fields and have seized them; also houses, and have taken them; and they have defrauded an able-bodied man and his household, a man and his hereditary possession.” (Micah 2:2) But Proverbs 20:21 warns: “An inheritance is being got by greed at first, but its own future will not be blessed.”
19 Jehovah promises to strip these greedy ones of their ill-gotten gain. The houses they extort will be “without an inhabitant.” The lands they covet will produce a mere fraction of their capacity. Exactly how and when this curse will be fulfilled is not stated. Likely it refers, at least in part, to the conditions brought on by the future Babylonian exile.—Isaiah 27:10.
20. How can Christians today avoid imitating the greedy attitude shown by some in Israel?
20 Christians today must abhor insatiable greed like that manifested by some Israelites back then. (Proverbs 27:20) When material things take on exaggerated importance, it is easy to stoop to unscrupulous ways of getting money. One could easily become ensnared in shady business dealings or unrealistic get-rich-quick schemes. “He that is hastening to gain riches will not remain innocent.” (Proverbs 28:20) How important it is, then, to be content with what we have!—1 Timothy 6:8.
The Snare of Questionable Entertainment
21. What sins are condemned in Isaiah’s second woe?
21 Next comes Isaiah’s second woe: “Woe to those who are getting up early in the morning that they may seek just intoxicating liquor, who are lingering till late in the evening darkness so that wine itself inflames them! And there must prove to be harp and stringed instrument, tambourine and flute, and wine at their feasts; but the activity of Jehovah they do not look at, and the work of his hands they have not seen.”—Isaiah 5:11, 12.
22. What lack of restraint is manifest in Israel, and what will be the result for the nation?
22 Jehovah is “the happy God” and does not begrudge his servants reasonable recreation. (1 Timothy 1:11) However, these pleasure-seekers go beyond all limits! “Those who get drunk are usually drunk at night,” says the Bible. (1 Thessalonians 5:7) But the revelers of the prophecy begin their drunken sprees at daybreak and carry on drinking into the evening! They behave as if God did not exist, as if he would not hold them accountable for their actions. Isaiah predicts a dark future for such ones. “My people will have to go into exile for lack of knowledge; and their glory will be famished men, and their crowd will be parched with thirst.” (Isaiah 5:13) Because of refusing to act according to true knowledge, God’s covenant people—the high and the low—will go down into Sheol.—Read Isaiah 5:14-17.
23, 24. What restraint and moderation are Christians called upon to show?
23 “Revelries,” or “wild parties,” were also a problem among some Christians in the first century. (Galatians 5:21; Byington; 2 Peter 2:13) So it is not surprising that some dedicated Christians today have shown poor judgment when it comes to social gatherings. Unrestrained use of alcoholic beverages has caused some to become loud and boisterous. (Proverbs 20:1) There have even been those who behaved immorally under the influence of excessive alcohol, and some gatherings have been allowed to go on virtually all night, interfering with Christian activities the next day.
24 Balanced Christians, however, produce godly fruit and exercise restraint and moderation in their choice of recreation. They heed Paul’s advice found at Romans 13:13: “As in the daytime let us walk decently, not in revelries and drunken bouts.”
Hating Sin and Loving Truth
25, 26. What wicked thinking by the Israelites does Isaiah expose in his third and fourth woes?
25 Hear now Isaiah’s third and fourth woes: “Woe to those drawing error with ropes of untruth, and as with wagon cords sin; those who are saying: ‘Let his work hasten; do let it come quickly, in order that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it!’ Woe to those who are saying that good is bad and bad is good, those who are putting darkness for light and light for darkness, those who are putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”—Isaiah 5:18-20.
26 What a vivid picture this paints of practicers of sin! They are attached to sin the way draft animals are tied to wagons. These sinners do not fear any coming day of judgment. Mockingly they say: “Let [God’s work] come quickly!” Rather than submitting to God’s Law, they twist things, declaring that “good is bad and bad is good.”—Compare Jeremiah 6:15; 2 Peter 3:3-7.
27. How can Christians today avoid an attitude like that of the Israelites?
27 Christians today must avoid such an attitude at all costs. For example, they refuse to embrace the world’s view of fornication and homosexuality as acceptable. (Ephesians 4:18, 19) True, a Christian might ‘take a false step’ that could lead to committing a serious sin. (Galatians 6:1) The elders in the congregation are ready to help those who have fallen and need assistance. (James 5:14, 15) With the aid of prayers and Bible-based counsel, spiritual recovery is possible. Otherwise, there is the danger of becoming “a slave of sin.” (John 8:34) Rather than mocking God and losing awareness of the coming day of judgment, Christians strive to remain “spotless and unblemished” before Jehovah.—2 Peter 3:14; Galatians 6:7, 8.
28. What sins are condemned in Isaiah’s final woes, and how can Christians today avoid such sins?
28 Appropriately, Isaiah adds these final woes: “Woe to those wise in their own eyes and discreet even in front of their own faces! Woe to those who are mighty in drinking wine, and to the men with vital energy for mixing intoxicating liquor, those who are pronouncing the wicked one righteous in consideration of a bribe, and who take away even the righteousness of the righteous one from him!” (Isaiah 5:21-23) These words were evidently addressed to those serving as judges in the land. Congregation elders today avoid seeming “wise in their own eyes.” They humbly accept counsel from fellow elders and adhere closely to organizational instructions. (Proverbs 1:5; 1 Corinthians 14:33) They are moderate in their use of alcoholic beverages, never indulging before carrying out congregation responsibilities. (Hosea 4:11) Elders also avoid giving even the appearance of showing favoritism. (James 2:9) How different from the clergy of Christendom! Many of these whitewash the influential and wealthy sinners in their midst, in direct contrast to the apostle Paul’s warnings at Romans 1:18, 26, 27; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; and Ephesians 5:3-5.
29. What calamitous end awaits Jehovah’s Israelite vineyard?
29 Isaiah concludes this prophetic message by describing a calamitous end for those who “have rejected the law of Jehovah” and have failed to bear righteous fruit. (Isaiah 5:24, 25; Hosea 9:16; Malachi 4:1) He declares: “[Jehovah] has raised up a signal to a great nation far away, and he has whistled to it at the extremity of the earth; and, look! in haste it will swiftly come in.”—Isaiah 5:26; Deuteronomy 28:49; Jeremiah 5:15.
30. Who will rally “a great nation” against Jehovah’s people, and with what outcome?
30 In ancient times a pole on an elevated site could serve as “a signal,” or rallying point, for people or armies. (Compare Isaiah 18:3; Jeremiah 51:27.) Now Jehovah himself will rally this unnamed “great nation” to execute his judgment.b He will ‘whistle to it,’ that is, draw its attention to his wayward people as an object worthy of conquest. The prophet next describes the swift and terrifying onslaught of these lionlike conquerers who will “grab hold of the prey,” that is, God’s nation, “and bring it safely away” into captivity. (Read Isaiah 5:27-30a.) And what a sad result for the land of Jehovah’s people! “One will actually gaze at the land, and, look! there is distressing darkness; and even the light has grown dark because of the drops falling on it.”—Isaiah 5:30b.
31. How can true Christians avoid suffering the punishment inflicted on Jehovah’s Israelite vineyard?
31 Yes, the vineyard that God so lovingly planted proves itself to be barren—worthy only of destruction. What a powerful lesson Isaiah’s words hold for all who would serve Jehovah today! May they strive to bear nothing but righteous fruit, to Jehovah’s praise and to their own salvation!
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Woe to the Unfaithful Vineyard!Isaiah’s Prophecy—Light for All Mankind I
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