Slices
Prepare
How easy do you find it to receive criticism, be challenged over your behaviour or be told you need to do something differently?
Bible passage
Woes and judgments
8 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.
9 The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing:
‘Surely the great houses will become desolate,
the fine mansions left without occupants.
10 A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath of wine;
a homer of seed will yield only an ephah of grain.’
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning
to run after their drinks,
who stay up late at night
till they are inflamed with wine.
12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
pipes and tambourines and wine,
but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord,
no respect for the work of his hands.
13 Therefore my people will go into exile
for lack of understanding;
those of high rank will die of hunger
and the common people will be parched with thirst.
14 Therefore Death expands its jaws,
opening wide its mouth;
into it will descend their nobles and masses
with all their brawlers and revellers.
15 So people will be brought low
and everyone humbled,
the eyes of the arrogant humbled.
16 But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice,
and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.
17 Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;
lambs will feed among the ruins of the rich.
18 Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit,
and wickedness as with cart ropes,
19 to those who say, ‘Let God hurry;
let him hasten his work
so that we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One of Israel –
let it approach, let it come into view,
so that we may know it.’
20 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.
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine
and champions at mixing drinks,
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
but deny justice to the innocent.
Explore
When God gave his people the land, he was clear: it belonged to him (Leviticus 25:23). God’s people were not landlords but tenants of his ‘vineyard’, hence the Jubilee when land that had been bought and sold had to be returned to the original family.
Here we have the people being greedy (v 8), living contrary to God’s Law. Implicit in this is taking advantage of the poor: then, as now, it’s easier for the rich to get even richer. The ungodly behaviour continues in verses 11, 12, 22 and 23, which paint an unflattering picture of God’s people. But it gets worse: they are mocking God (vs 18,19). And it gets even worse still: they call evil ‘good’, darkness ‘light’ and bitter ‘sweet’ (v 20).
Isaiah is faced with a people who act wickedly and compound their sin by redefining God’s way, so they are justified as right – and think they are so clever in doing it (v 21)!
Given all this, do you think God is justified in pronouncing ‘woe’ on such people? Do you agree with verse 16?
Respond
Invite the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to see where your behaviour is contrary to God’s way, where you are justifying yourself instead of listening to God. Say sorry and ask him to help you change.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Micah 4,5; Revelation 12
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for Mission Partner Graceworks in Romford as their worker Bradley moves on after six years with the trust. Pray for new staff member Dupsy as she joins the team.
