Scripture Reading – Isaiah 5-8
Isaiah foretold the judgment of God upon Judah in a succession of four distinct woes pronounced against the nation should the people not repent of their sins and turn to the LORD (Isaiah 5:20-23, 26-30).
Notice that three of the woes address Judah and the fourth was exclaimed by Isaiah when he witnessed God sitting on His heavenly throne. Knowing the woes express the character of a people who had rejected God, His Laws, and Commandments, I invite you to contemplate how the spiritual condition of Judah parallels our own nation.
The first woe (Isaiah 5:20) condemned Judah for rejecting God’s Laws, leaving the people with the dilemma of no moral absolutes.
Isaiah 5:20 – “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
Such is the condition of our nation and world. Allow me to illustrate this point with one of many examples I could name: “Gay Marriage”.
The biblical and historical definition of marriage between one man and one woman (Genesis 1:27, 2:18, 21-24; Matthew 19:5-6; Ephesians 5:31) has been under assault for two decades. Politicians, judicial courts, secular schools, and liberal churches have assailed the sanctity of marriage and embraced wickedness and depravity. Condemning moral virtue, our society champions the lunacy of men marrying men and women marrying women (Romans 1:26-27) and demands the judgment of God.
A second woe described the people as unteachable (Isaiah 5:20).
Isaiah 5:21 – “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent [wise, shrewd] in their own sight!”
Paul’s letter to believers living in Rome describes that same spiritual malady in these words: “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22).
Who is a fool? Those who reject TRUTH and are unteachable (“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” – Psalm 14:1; 53:1). When a man rejects His Creator (Romans 1:23), God abandons him to sinful passions that are expressed in the depth of his depravity: “vile affections…unseemly…reprobate” (Romans 1:24-32).
A third woe illuminated the narcissistic nature of the people of Judah and their loathing of the righteous.
Isaiah 5:22-23 – “Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine [drunkards], and men of strength to mingle strong drink [boasting of their drunkenness]: 23 Which justify [acquit] the wicked for reward [bribe], and take away the righteousness [innocence; justice, rights and liberties] of the righteous from him!”
The fourth woe is one Isaiah stated of himself. Shaken by a vision of the LORD sitting on His heavenly throne (Isaiah 6:1-4), Isaiah saw the manner of man he was and was overwhelmed by his sinfulness. The prophet confessed:
Isaiah 6:5 – “…Woe is me! for I am undone [dumb; silent; perish]; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean [defiled; polluted] lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
The LORD was looking for a man who would declare His final warning to Judah before effecting His judgment. Isaiah, his lips purged from sin by a “live coal…off the altar” (Isaiah 6:6-7), and with a fire burning in his soul, heard God ask:
“Who shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah answered saying, “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8).
A closing thought: I believe I have made the case that the sinful conditions of Judah in Isaiah’s day are the same as those we see in our nation and world. The world has rejected the LORD and His Commandments, and become morally bankrupt (no right or wrong). We have ejected God from public places and become unteachable. We are slaves to temporal pleasures (boasting of our vices and despising righteousness). The ominous clouds of God’s imminent judgment are clearly seen. Who among us will be humbled by the knowledge of our sinfulness and pray with Isaiah,
“Woe is me… mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts…Here am I; send me.” (Isaiah 6:8).
Copyright 2020 – Travis D. Smith