Isaiah 5 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes

Isaiah 5 Short Summary:

God compared Judah to a vineyard that produced bad fruit. God was going to tear the vineyard down. God would summon foreign nations to punish His people because Judah had disrespected His holy name.

Isaiah 5 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• Isaiah prophesied in the 8th and 7th Century BC, roughly 740-680 BC.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Isaiah – The son of Amoz (1:1). God commissioned Isaiah as His prophet to Judah.

• The Citizens of Judah – Isaiah’s words in this chapter are directed towards the people of Judah, especially towards the citizens of Jerusalem.

DEFINITIONS:

• Wine Van (5:2) – A large container used for storing and aging grape juice.

• Bath (5:10) – A unit of measure. A bath was equivalent to approximately 6 gallons or 22 liters.

• Homer (5:10) – A unit of measure. A homer was equivalent to approximately 58 gallons or 220 liters.

• Sheol (5:14) - “The idea which was conveyed by the word Sheol, or Hades, was not properly a grave or sepulcher, but that dark, unknown state, including the grave, which constituted the dominions of the dead” (Barnes).

OUTLINE:

• THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD (5:1-7):

  • The chapter begins with a parable about a vineyard.

  • A loving farmer planted a vineyard on a fertile piece of land.

  • He did everything he could to ensure it flourished, but when the harvest came, the vineyard produced wild grapes instead of the intended good grapes that were good for juice and eating.

  • The wild grapes were bitter and essentially useless.

  • The vineyard in the parable represented Judah.

  • God loved them and made every provision for their success, yet they produced nothing but evil and bad fruit.

  • In response, God was going to do to Judah what a farmer would do to a worthless vineyard. He was going to tear down the wall and let wild animals devour it and trample it.

  • God was going to leave Judah exposed to external threats and deprive it of His care.

  • God looked to Judah to produce the fruit of justice and righteousness, but they had nothing to offer Him but the bitter fruit of crying and bloodshed (5:7).

• GOD’S WOES ON JUDAH (5:8-30):

  • God condemned greedy property buyers who bought up all the land and left others with nothing. He promised He would make their land unfruitful and cause their harvests to fail.

  • God condemned the drunkards and partiers who loved their reveling but didn’t love God.

  • He condemned those who called evil good and good evil.

  • He condemned those who perverted justice for bribes.

  • Many in Judah mocked the idea that God would judge them, but they were wrong!

  • What a sorry vineyard Judah had turned out to be, as a result God was going to withdraw His protection.

  • God would summon foreign nations to punish Jerusalem. He would empower foreign armies to be His force of discipline (5:26-30).

  • Judah would be taken into exile, their proud men would be shamed, but God would be exalted.  

  • Judah’s fate would inform others that God’s holiness was not to be disrespected.

APPLICATION:

• Speaking about the parable of the vineyard, Charles Spurgeon shared a thought-provoking comment.

• “I have been thinking of the advantages of my own position towards the Lord, and lamenting with great shamefacedness that I am not bringing forth such fruit to Him as my position demands. Considering our privileges, advantages, and opportunities, I fear that many of us have need to feel great searchings of the heart.”

• The vineyard of Judah had every privilege yet produced nothing of value.

• Consider the privileges God has given you. How are you using them? What fruit are you producing?

• If God blesses us abundantly, doesn’t He have the right to expect something of us?

• Judah took all of God’s blessings and squandered them, concerned only about their own enjoyment. Don’t let that be the story of your life!