Woe To Those Who Call Evil Good

YHWH had planted a vineyard on the hills of Israel and expected it to produce a good crop. Sadly, Israel walked away from the LORD their God and only produced worthless grapes. Their sin had risen to the heavens and the calamity promised in the covenant with Israel was about to come in full effect. God had been extremely patient with the people He had chosen for Himself and rescued from Egypt. In return, they spurned His laws and walked after other gods. So He would bring calamity and desolation until they were consumed, though He would keep a remnant alive for Himself. To end this second vision of Isaiah, God outlines six woes, explaining the reasons why He was bringing calamity and what that would look like for Israel and Judah.

God had looked for justice, but Judah gave bloodshed instead. They had been taking advantage of others and consuming widows and orphans, ignoring the Laws of God and ignoring God completely. The first woe was to those who add house to house and join field to field. This might not sound like much, but the land was given by inheritance to the families allotted it during the days of Joshua. By buying up all the land and pushing people out of their inheritance, they rejected the land Sabbaths and ignored the restoration of land back to their original owners during the years of Jubilee. Though they would gather large estates, their homes would be desolated and the land would not produce well for them.

The second woe was to those who rise early in the morning only to get drunk and stayed up late to continue in drunkeness. God decried their drunken parties and banquets, their loud music and revelry. His people had not paid attention to His Word, not considered the deeds of the LORD on their behalf, or took time to consider the works of His hands. And for this reason they would go into exile - their lack of knowledge. They had rejected the knowledge of God's Laws, so God would reject His people into exile. The honorable men would be famished - no food - and the common man would be parched with thirst - no water. Jerusalem's splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry, and the jubilant partygoers within would descend into Sheol. The grave would enlarge its mouth to receive all who would perish among them. The high and lofty would be abased, they would all be humbled. God, however, would be exalted in His judgment of His people. He would show Himself to be Holy in righteousness. And when He was done with judging Judah and Jerusalem, then lambs would graze in their pastures and strangers would eat in the wasted places left behind by the wealthy who died. 

The third woe was to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood, and sin as with cart ropes. This imagery shows people dragging sin and lies around as if it is a good thing. His people were saying things like, "If God is real, why don't we see His works today?" That did not sit well with God, who had done so many things to bless His people. The fourth woe was to those who called evil good and good evil. God's own people had substituted darkness for light and light for darkness, bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. They had turned everything upside down and began to view God as a horrible hateful monster because of the calamity He was sending on His people. The calamity had been warned and agreed to by Israel when they entered the promised land, and when it came the people blamed God for the consequences of their sins. 

The fifth woe was against those who were wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. The sixth woe was against those who were heroes in drinking wine. These men and women justified the wicked for a bribe and took away the rights of those who were in the right. They completely rejected the Laws of God and did the opposite of what God had stated. So all of those had led to God's judgment against Judah and Jerusalem. The fire of Hs judgment would come against them. Fire would consume them, their crops would rot away, and the dust would blow away. They had despised the Holy One of Israel, the God who saved them. So His anger burned rightfully against them and He was stretching out His hand to strike them down. The mountains would quake and the corpses of His people would lay in their streets. Ever with all of what would happen, His anger is not spent and His hand would still be stretched out - a reminder to Israel and Judah to listen to His Word or face the consequences of their sins. 

How would all of this happen? God would bring in a distant nation from the ends of the earth. That nation would come swiftly. The army would be full of vigor and strength, would not grow weary, be ready for battle with equipment that would not wear out. Their arrows would be sharp, bows bent for war. The hoofs of their horses would be like flint and the wheels of their chariots would move like whirlwinds. Like a lioness roaring over its prey, they would come and growl over their prey - Israel. They would carry them off and no one would be able to opposed them. The sound of the battle would be like the roaring of the sea, with dark clouds and distress. And when Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon came, they fulfilled these words of Isaiah. When Rome came, they fulfilled these words of Isaiah. When future armies gather against Judah and Jerusalem, these words will again be fulfilled. All of that would happen because the people of God rejected their God and His ways. Let them be a warning for us.