Day 191 – Isaiah 5-8

Talking Points

• A sad reality — the wicked do not consider God. They don’t consider His love and grace. They don’t consider His faithfulness and great character. Nor do they consider His justice and promised judgment. They go through their lives not considering God. As we go through our days, making decisions, having conversations, carrying out business, may we be ever considerate of Him.
• “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). God warns us against moral relativism. Good and evil are not determined by the circumstance of the day or the whims of men. Rather, they are set as in concrete by our eternal God.
• A foolish person is “wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight” (5:21). The beginning of wisdom is admitting we need God’s wisdom. A hard thing for prideful people to swallow!
• As we read the account of the call to Isaiah, a couple of things stand out. Before Isaiah could take his place as God’s anointed prophet, he had to know the unrivaled awesomeness of the God who was calling Him. He had to know the mission he was being sent on (go and tell this people). He had to deal with his own sin. It’s a formula for God’s spokesmen in all ages.
• A Savior sent from God — “Immanuel” has always been God’s plan! The virgin-born Son is promised here, 700 years before Christ.

Thoughts

This section starts with the parable of the beloved vineyard. This patch of fertile ground was cared for, tended to, and cherished. The rocks that were removed in sweat were replaced by hope in a bountiful future. The choicest grapes were planted, and a vat constructed in happy expectation. A tower was built so protection would be given to this treasured place. The vineyard’s master waited in joy. No expense had been spared. And, then, the sad outcome — the vineyard, despite all its loving care, produced only “worthless” fruit (5:2). The analogy shows that Israel is the vineyard, and its cherished grapevine the house of Judah.

This parable is a picture of what could have been, were it not for the marring of sinful disobedience. The owner could picture wagons of fat grapes being carted to the vat in the center of the vineyard. He could imagine happy harvesters as they gleefully reaped the delightful bounty. Instead, what could have been was replaced by disappointment and woeful regret, the crop always produced by sinful rebellion. Carts of blessing are replaced by loads of shame.

While it speaks, here, of God’s cherished nation, it is also a picture of our lives — holding such promise, yet ruined in sin. The good news is, we have a gracious Master. One who doesn’t wreck the vineyard, abandoning it to be a field of weeds. Rather, we have one who, at His own cost, restores, renews, and rebuilds!

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17