That I have not done in ait?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
aI will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
It shall not be pruned or1 dug,
But there shall come up briers and bthorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it.”
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
For righteousness, but behold,1 a cry for help.
Impending Judgment on Excesses
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!
“Truly, many houses shall be desolate,
Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.
That they may1 follow intoxicating drink;
Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!
The tambourine and flute,
And wine are in their feasts;
But bthey do not regard the work of the Lord,
Nor consider the operation of His hands.
Because they have no bknowledge;
Their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude dried up with thirst.
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.
aEach man shall be humbled,
And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.
And in the waste places of athe fat ones strangers shall eat.
| << Isaiah 5:4 | Isaiah 5:6 >> |
What Does Isaiah 5:5 Mean?
Isaiah 5:5
The vineyard is Israel, and “its hedge” is whatever protects it, anything from material resources to God's Word. What happens to a nation when it loses its defenses? It becomes subject to invasion, since the wall that protected it from marauders, wild beasts, and evil influences is now gone. The Bible depicts the Gentile nations as beasts that rush in when God's people look weak (Isaiah 30:6-7; Jeremiah 50:17).
Amos paints a stark and terrifying picture of life during the time of Jacob's Trouble. On the one side, natural disasters wreak havoc on the land, and society becomes unstable. On the other side, foreign armies invade, destroying cities, killing indiscriminately, and taking the survivors into captivity. Though the physical necessities of life are scarce, the real famine is of the Word of God—truth cannot be found, and repentance is thus all but impossible.
It appears to be an utterly hopeless situation. God is passing through, and His anger is just and terrible. But He promises an end—His anger will be spent, and He will spare a remnant. He “will show mercy on whom [He] will show mercy” (Exodus 33:19, KJV).
John W. Ritenbaugh and Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Prepare to Meet Your God! (Part Seven): The Prophesied Blow Falls
Isaiah 5:5-6
Applying this to the church, we have all witnessed the hedge being taken away, and the protection that God had placed around it is not what it once was. In addition, God withholds rain from it, and growth slows or stops altogether.
Many may not have had the opportunity to live on or near a farm, but a hedge, fence, or wall is very important in the protection of the crop. Once when I was out hunting near a cornfield, I noticed that the surrounding forest was covered with corn shucks. Now the field had a fence around it, but it was full of holes and broken down in some places. Varmints could come and go, freely taking the corn off into the cover of the forest to devour it. Since the hedge was broken, the field had no protection from the dangers that were lurking all around!
Ronny H. Graham
The Dew of Heaven
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Isaiah 5:5:
Psalm 80:12-19
Jeremiah 7:5-7
Jeremiah 45:5
Ezekiel 22:25-30
Matthew 21:28-32
Matthew 21:33
Matthew 21:33-44
Mark 1:14-15
Mark 12:1
Luke 13:6
Luke 20:9
Galatians 3:19
Galatians 3:23-24
| << Isaiah 5:4 | Isaiah 5:6 >> |
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