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

I was debating about what to write out of today’s passage.  I really like writing about Isaiah’s commission where God says, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”  It really calls me to respond as Isaiah did, and to call others to do likewise, to say, “Here I am. Send me!” Then later there is Isaiah’s prophecy to Ahaz which also became a prophecy about Jesus.  However, today I kept feeling myself drawn to earlier in the passage where Isaiah writes:
“Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit,
    and wickedness as with cart ropes,
 to those who say, ‘Let God hurry;
    let him hasten his work
    so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One of Israel—
    let it approach, let it come into view,
    so we may know it.’
 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.”
I always wonder about the correct interpretation of the inclusion of “to those who say, ‘Let God hurry…”  Is Isaiah talking about those who say this to mock those who trust in God?  Or, is he comparing those who long for the return of Christ to those who call evil good and call good evil?  I have read and heard people make the case for the former, but I can’t shake the feeling that perhaps Isaiah meant the latter.  So, what could be wrong about hoping for the Day of the Lord to come sooner rather than later?  I think that perhaps that last piece of my above quote gives us a hint, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”  Along with that is those who are righteous in their own eyes.  Those who think that they are righteous and so have nothing to fear when the Day of Judgement comes.  But what about those of us who know that we are not righteous, who know that it is only through God’s grace that our sins are forgiven, why shouldn’t we seek for the Lord to return sooner rather than later?  The answer is because of the suffering which will accompany His return.  We should pray that those who have not yet turned to God and accepted Christ’s forgiveness for their sin turn to Him before His return.  Instead of praying that we might sooner experience living with Christ in eternity, we should pray for more time to serve Him here on earth.

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

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.

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.

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.

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:

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

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.