Isaiah 5:1

Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved concerning his vineyard. My well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. He fenced it, gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in the midst of it and also made a winepress therein. He looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.

And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard than that I have done or not done to it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, it brought forth wild grapes.

Now go to, I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up. I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. I will lay it waste, and it shall not be pruned nor digged. But there shall come up briars and thorns, and I will also command the clouds that they not rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant. He looked for judgment, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry.

Let's pray. Father, as we look at this passage of Scripture, everything that we've examined thus far in the book of Isaiah has been stirring and challenging, convicting in many ways, and this passage no doubt will be also. So, Lord, I pray that you would give us grace as we study through your word. Help us to see with spiritual insight the things that you would seek to speak to us in our day, just as you spoke to Isaiah and the nation of Israel, specifically Judah and Jerusalem, 2,800 years ago. God, give us the ability to take to heart what you're saying and to be able to boldly share it with those in our families who don't know you, or our friends or coworkers, that they would see the truth of your word.

Lord, as we've already considered many times on Wednesday nights, your prophetic word in so many ways reveals that you are the author of these things. Encourage our hearts, strengthen our hearts, but challenge us to walk and follow hard after you in these last days. We pray in Jesus' name, and all God's people said, Amen. You can be seated.

Isaiah, continuing to speak to the people of Judah and Jerusalem here in this passage, begins with this story, or this song, really, of the vineyard of the Lord. Isaiah the prophet says, "Now I will sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching or concerning his vineyard. My well-beloved God has a vineyard in a very fruitful hill." Of course, as we've already looked at, reading through this quickly is not talking about a real physical vineyard producing grapes, but rather about the people of the city of Jerusalem, of the nation of Judah, and the children of Israel. God was the one who called this people.

We've studied that before here at Calvary Chapel, looking at the calling of the people of Israel through Abraham in Genesis chapter 12. God called this man to follow him by faith, and Abraham did. God would bless that whole family of Abraham. You know the story: Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac, in turn, begot Jacob. Jacob, becoming Israel, begot the twelve tribes of Israel. Ultimately, they would end up in Egypt for over 400 years as slaves. They first went in there in a prosperous way, invited to come to Egypt, but ultimately, they became slaves in that place. They began to cry out to the Lord because of their taskmasters.

So God raised up a deliverer, as He always does. You read through the Old Testament, and you see story after story of the redemptive plan of God and how God longs to hear His people crying out after Him. In some awesome way, it touches the heart of God when people cry out to Him. Every single parent in here tonight understands this. My son right now is going through a stage where he's very, very needy.

He's only 13 months old, but he's at that stage. Those of you who are parents have experienced this, where they come to a point where they're very needy and don't like to see Mom and Dad go away or into another room. Now, if I just step out of the room, he instantly starts crying and running to try and find me. It tugs at your heart.

In much the same way, God's people were under taskmasters in Egypt, and they began to cry out to Him. That cry came up to His ears, and so He raised up a deliverer in Moses. He brought them out of Egypt with a high hand, as the scripture says, with power and an outstretched arm. He defeated the Egyptian army and brought His people over the Red Sea on dry ground.

Then they came into the wilderness, which was a time of testing and proving. God was testing them but also proving Himself to them. How many of you have experienced that in your walk with the Lord? He tests us, but He ultimately proves Himself to us in the midst of those trials and difficult times. He provided food for them from heaven, the bread that came down from heaven. They woke up in the morning, looked on the ground, and saw this stuff. They asked, "What is it?" They called it manna, which means "What is it?" Moses told them to eat this, to gather it and eat it every single day in the morning. On Fridays, they were to gather a double portion so they could rest on the Sabbath day.

God also provided water out of rocks while they were in the wilderness. He led them with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. Ultimately, He brought them into the promised land, subdued their enemies before them, and took care of them in every single way. He gave them cities that they did not build, vineyards, and farms that they didn't plant. He provided for them in a beautiful way, as we read through the Old Testament.

However, when we get into the passage in the book of Judges, right after the death of Joshua, we see the people, blessed of God in their own land, beginning to depart from Him. As they departed from God, He could not help but remove His hand of protection from them because God cannot fellowship with our sin. He cannot associate with us when we're in our sin. In departing from Him, they rejected Him and began to feel oppression as their enemies came in.

As you read through the book of Judges, you see this cycle: they worship God, then the leader, the good godly judge, dies. They begin to turn to idolatry and away from the word of the Lord, ultimately serving under another nation as slaves, under harsh taskmasters, just like when they were in Egypt. Then they cry out to God, and once again, God's heart is broken for His people.

And so God would raise up a deliverer, a judge. Whether it was Gideon, Samson, Jephthah, or Barak, these different people of the nation of Israel were raised up to deliver and set the people free. They would serve God for a time during the reign of that judge. However, when that judge died, another generation would rise up that didn't know the Lord and were unaware of the works of the Lord. They would depart from God again, and once again, the cycle would start. Ultimately, we see this cycle repeating over and over again.

Until the time of the kings, the people finally came to a point where they said, "We don't want these judges. We don't want God to rule over us any longer. We want a king." Although God's heart was broken by this, He gave them a king after their own choosing, a man by the name of Saul. If you've read through 1 Samuel, you know the story of Saul and how he was a corrupt man who really did not follow after God very well. The people found that even though Saul was the king they wanted, he became a harsh taskmaster over them.

God then raised up a king after His own heart, but even that king was still an imperfect man: King David. We see his failures written throughout 2 Samuel in a significant way. This reveals to us that earthly kings, although we often look for a strong leader to stand up and lead us, will always be imperfect. They will fail and fall away.

We see the story of Solomon, who was given such great wisdom. He brought Israel to a great ascendancy and power, and they became very wealthy. Gold and silver in Israel were in such abundance that it was reminiscent of the dot-com boom in the 1990s in America. However, as with any boom, there is always a bust. Right after Solomon's death came Rehoboam and a civil war, leading to the division of the nation.

Through the rest of their history after that point, we see this cycle where occasionally a good king would come, but predominantly it was bad kings who led them away from the Lord. Consequently, they would end up under taskmasters. We see how God was the one who was constantly tending to and taking care of His people. He was the one who raised this one up from the east. He brought Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees and planted him in a very fertile hill in the land of Israel, in the land of Canaan.

He did so much for them. We read about it in a metaphorical way in verse 2, where it says that He fenced it and gathered out the stones, getting rid of their enemies.

He got rid of anything that would agitate, anything that would stand in their way. God took away the hurdles. So, He planted them. He put a hedge around them. He gathered out the stones. He planted it with the best possible vine. He built a tower in the midst of it for protection. God even dwelt in the midst of His people there in the tabernacle in the wilderness, whether it was while they were traveling in the wilderness or when they came into the Promised Land. The tabernacle was in Shiloh.

After the tabernacle, during the time of Solomon, there was the temple. God, even though He is so much greater than anything we can imagine and does not dwell in a temple made with hands, still chose to abide in the midst of His people. There was a tower in the midst of the nation. He also made a winepress therein and looked for it to bring forth grapes. He did everything possible to assure a good vintage harvest. He looked for it to bring forth grapes, to bring forth good fruit.

God desires, whether it was among the people of Judah 2,800 years ago or among the people of Escondido in the year 2009, to find fruit among His people. We have even been looking at this in the book of Galatians, specifically in Galatians chapter 5 on Sunday mornings. We see that God is looking in my life and in your life for the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control—these are all things that God desires.

God was desiring this from the children of Israel in Jerusalem and Judah 2,800 years ago. He looked for it to bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes, or in another translation, it brought forth bitter grapes. Even though He had planted the choicest vine, which you would expect to yield a great harvest, it brought forth wild grapes.

So, the question arises in verse 3: "Oh now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you," God says, "between me and my vineyard." You be the judge, God says. Here’s the story. Here’s what I have done. See all that I have done in bringing you here into this land. You be the judge. Who is the one who is in error? This is basically what God is asking these people.

When you consider all that God did for the children of Israel to plant them in the land of Israel, and then consider their history and how constantly they turned away from the Lord, you see that many times when they turned away from the Lord, they experienced the harshness of oppression by their enemies.

They would cry out and accuse God of being the one who did it to them. We will see this in the book of Isaiah a number of times as we continue. He says, "You judge between me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard than I have not done for it? Is there anything else I should have done? I pulled the stones out from it, fenced it, planted the best vine, put a tower in the midst of it, and set a winepress there. I made every possible provision for a good vintage. So you judge between me and my vineyard. What should I have done that I have not already done?"

Wherefore, when I looked forth that it should bring forth grapes, it brought forth wild or bitter grapes. It is almost as if, at the end of verse 4, the people stand speechless. God is asking them, "What should I do? What should I have done? What could I have done?" They are almost dumbfounded. The people just stand there, and God says, "Well, I'll tell you what I'll do."

In verse 5, He continues, "I will take away the hedge." That hedge, that protection He put around them, will be removed. He says, "I'm going to remove the protection, and when I do, the result is that it will be eaten up. I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned nor dug. I will no longer protect it. I will no longer provide for it. I will no longer tend to it. It will not be dug; it will not be pruned. Thorns and briars, weeds, shall come up. I will also command the clouds that they not rain upon it."

Then He gives the explanation so that people wouldn't misunderstand. "I'm not talking about a vine. I'm not talking about a real vineyard here," God says. "For the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel, the Lord of hosts, the house of Israel, the men of Judah, His pleasant plant."

Now, what was the fruit that He was looking for from it? He tells us here: "For He looked for judgment, but He found oppression; and for righteousness, but behold, a cry." God's desire was that He would find judgment.

And righteousness there in that vineyard, in that city in Jerusalem among His people. We already saw this in Isaiah chapter 1, verse 21. There, God said through the prophet Isaiah, "How is the faithful city become a harlot? It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderous." Once upon a time, it was a good vine. Once upon a time, it produced a good vintage. It brought forth judgment and righteousness, and yet now, murder is lodged in it. The silver had become dross.

In verse 22 of Isaiah 1, it states, "The wine mixed with water. The princes are rebellious, companions of thieves. Everyone loves gifts and follows after rewards. They judge not the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow come unto it."

Now, here's the interesting thing. The people of Judah, the people of the city of Jerusalem, when all of this was going down during the time of Isaiah, felt very safe and secure in their religion. They really believed—this will be an accusation they bring against God later in the book of Isaiah—that they were doing just what God wanted them to do. They could not understand, "Why are You angry with us? Why are You so upset with us?"

They offered sacrifices, observed the feast days, had the temple, the priesthood, and the Levites. From a religious standpoint, just looking at the religious system of Jerusalem, everything seemed to be in order. The wicks were trimmed, the lamps were full of oil, and they were offering sacrifices. They were observing the fasts and the feast days at the right times, and they were observing the new moons.

But what was missing? There was no judgment, there was no righteousness. The people were companions of thieves. The leaders did not plead the cause of the fatherless, nor did the cause of the widow come before them. You see, ultimately, what God was looking for from them had nothing to do with their sacrifices. Remember, God told Saul, through Samuel, in 1 Samuel chapter 15, "I do not delight in the blood of bulls and of goats."

This is not what I'm looking for. He said, "I'm looking for a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart." David understood this, and that's why David was looked upon by God as a friend of God. You see, God is looking for the application of the law of God in our lives, in our hearts, in daily life.

It's interesting, when you get to Matthew chapter 25, to consider what it is that God will judge man on the day that man stands before Him. God divides the sheep and the goats; the sheep He places on His left hand and the goats on His right hand. He says to those sheep, "I was naked and you clothed me. I was hungry and you fed me. I was sick and you visited me." It was those applications of the law of love that truly pleased God in Matthew chapter 25. The same thing is evident here in the book of Isaiah.

They had a form of godliness. They had a form of religion, a very good form of religion, if you think about it. They had a beautiful temple, lots of priests that worked there, and a whole bunch of animals that were sacrificed there every single year. Yet to God, it was sin. We saw that in Isaiah chapter 1, verses 11 and onward, where their worship had become wickedness to God. He said, "I don't want it any longer. Who is required of this, of you that you'd come and tread my courts?"

In their minds, everything was perfectly fine, but they were not really understanding what it was that God was calling them to. He says, "Listen, I'm looking for judgment. I'm looking for justice. I'm not looking for sacrifice." Although that's the proper approach to come before God, the proper way to be right in His sight, God is saying, "I want you to be applying the things of the law." The people were not doing that.

So, God gives them His plan for how He's going to deal with this. We briefly went over it in verse 5. He says, "I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to take away the hedge, and it shall be eaten up. I'm going to break down the wall, and it shall be trodden down." I believe that this is one of God's first steps in judgment upon a people group: He removes their protection. With the loss of the protection of God comes the loss of the blessing of God as well.

We will see this move of God repeated many times throughout the Scriptures. When God removes His protection, then the enemy is able to come in.

The enemy is able to come in and destroy because that's all he knows how to do. The thief has come into the world to steal, to kill, and to destroy. We see a very good picture of this in the Book of Job.

In Job chapter 1 and Job chapter 2, Job has a very bountiful and blessed life. He has many servants, a large family, and considerable wealth; he is one of the wealthiest people of his day. However, what is happening on earth is totally different from what is occurring in heaven. There, Satan appears before God, and God asks him, "Have you considered my servant Job?" Satan responds, "Well, yeah, that's great that Job serves you, but he only serves you because he's a mercenary. He only serves you because you give him good things. If you take all that stuff away, then he'll curse you."

God essentially tells Satan, "All right, I will remove my protection from him, and you can come in and take all that away, except you're not allowed to touch his life. You're not allowed to touch him." So, God was protecting Job, but He had removed His hand of protection from everything else that Job had. Remember what Satan had said: "You have put a hedge around him." God removed the hedge.

What took place in Job's life is totally different from what is happening here in the Book of Isaiah. Job was a righteous man. Because Satan accused Job and ultimately accused God of something false, God used Job's life as proof of his righteousness. Personally, I don't know that I ever want to stand in the place of Job, where God wants to use me as a test subject or allow Satan to use me as an experiment.

When God removed His hand of protection, the very first thing we see is that Job's goods and his family were taken away. They were taken out in what we would call a natural disaster. His children were having a gathering, a party together, when a whirlwind, a tornado, came and destroyed the house where they were, and they all died. Robbers came and stole all his goods and killed all his servants.

When we look at it through the lens of Scripture, we recognize that what was happening was a very spiritual thing, but it was occurring in the physical realm, in the earthly realm. Again, here in the Book of Isaiah, we will see this repeated many times. God is moving.

In the spiritual realm, it is manifested in the earthly realm in very earthly ways. Whether it's through famine, flood, fire, earthquake, or a locust invasion, you read through the Old Testament and see these events at a temporal level. You might think that they are just another headline in the newspaper. However, when you look at it from a biblical perspective, you find that behind the scenes, there is a spiritual reality taking place.

If you take anything away from the book of Isaiah and your study of the Old Testament, I want you to recognize that these physical, temporal calamities happening in our world today are spiritually connected. There is something going on behind the scenes. Now, if you say that, some people in this world will accuse you of being a lunatic. I may be accused of being a lunatic, and this will be on TV in a few weeks, so perhaps we'll receive some phone calls. But this is what the Scriptures reveal. The Scriptures give us a peek into the spiritual realm. We will really see it when we get into Isaiah chapter 6 next week, where we see the throne room of God.

God says, "I'm going to take away the hedge. It's going to be eaten up, and I'm going to break down the wall, and it will be trodden down. I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned, it shall not be dug." This means He will not bless it any longer, and it will come up with briars and thorns. These are the results of His judgment. "I will command the clouds that they not rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant. He looked for judgment, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry."

Now we get into the woes of Isaiah 5. Because of the lack of justice, the lack of judgment, and the lack of righteousness among the people of the nation of Israel, God says in verse 8, "Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there is no place that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth." In my ears, said the Lord of hosts, "Of truth, many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitants. Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an omer."

Shall yield an ephah. Woe to them that join house to house. An interesting woe. That word "woe," I think, is well translated. Destruction is certain, or sorrow is coming. Sorrow to those, in another translation, who buy up house after house and field after field until everyone is evicted and you live alone in the land.

What is this woe upon the nation for? What is this judgment upon the people of Judah for? It literally is for greed. It's because of their greed as displayed in their real estate dealings. Interesting. I don't know if you see the irony. Their greed, as displayed in their real estate dealings, reflects their desire for independence versus interdependence.

Notice he says there, "You buy up house after house." You're buying all these portions of land so that you can have this huge estate, lock yourself in the middle of it, and avoid being connected with any other person. Interesting. Isaiah says, "I have heard from the Lord of hosts." He has sworn a solemn oath: many houses will stand deserted. Even bountiful mansions will be empty.

What are we reading of God's judgment 2,800 years ago in the nation of Judah among the people of Jerusalem? They were so greedy, as displayed in their desire for wealth among their real estate dealings, that God would bring about some sort of economic collapse to the point where these houses would be empty. Might we call it foreclosure?

Desire for greed. But not only that, we see a further collapse of their economy mentioned there in verse 10. He says that ten acres of a vineyard will only produce six gallons of wine, five or six gallons of wine. Ten baskets of seed will yield only one basket of grain.

It collapsed in their economy. Woe to those that join house to house and lay field to field, that there be no place to be inhabited in the midst of the earth.

In verse 11, he continues, "Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning." And I say, "Yay and amen." But there's a comma there, and it continues: "Woe unto those that rise up early in the morning that they may follow after strong drink, and that they continue until night till wine inflames them."

The harp, the vial, the tabret, and the pipe, along with the wine, are in their feasts, but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither do they consider the operation of His hands. The second woe comes upon the people. Certain destruction, he says, comes upon you because of their wantonness and their drunkenness. Their wantonness and their drunkenness.

We will see this spoken again in the sixth woe in verse 22: "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine." Drunkenness apparently was a serious problem among the people of Judah and Jerusalem. It was even more so a problem as you read through the other prophets in the northern ten tribes, because in the northern part of the nation of Israel was really where a lot of the grape vineyards were. The land was perfect for growing vineyards. Even still today, there is a great vineyard area in the northern part of the nation of Israel near Eshkol.

So, the north was even worse than the south, but the south still had the same problem. He says, "Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow after strong drink and continue until night till wine inflames them." It is all day long this drunkenness and this partying, this wantonness going around seeking after pleasure.

Oftentimes, when a nation becomes abundant in wealth, they have more time to enjoy the pleasures of this world. This is an indication that the nation of Israel was experiencing a boom economically, and so there was more time for pleasure-seeking. As a result, they did seek after pleasure until wine inflamed them.

Therefore, my people are gone into captivity. He says this is the reason that you will end up in captivity: because they have no knowledge, and their honorable.

Men are famished, and their multitude has dried up with thirst. Therefore, hell has enlarged herself and opened her mouth without measure. Their glory, their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoices shall descend into it. My people are going into captivity, He says, because they have no knowledge. This is very similar to what He had said back in Isaiah chapter 1, verse 3, where we read, "The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's crib, but Israel does not know; my people do not consider."

The people had no knowledge of the work of the Lord; they were no longer seeking after Him. As a result, He says, "You're going to go into captivity, and hell has enlarged herself." It is as if hell's mouth is opened up, saying, "Come on in, I await you." The mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled; the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled. He speaks about the pride of the nation being brought low. We saw that two weeks ago when we were in Isaiah chapters 3 and 4. Repeatedly, God spoke against their pride and of them being humbled.

The mean man bows down, as stated in Isaiah chapter 2, verse 9, and the great man humbles himself; therefore, he is not forgiven. God was going to humble their arrogance and pride because of their drunkenness. But the Lord of Hosts, in verse 6, shall be exalted in judgment, and God, who is holy, shall be sanctified in righteousness. God shall be exalted in judgment.

This is a hard thing for us to understand because we don't like the idea of judgment. I had an interesting conversation with a student of mine at the Bible College a few weeks ago. He was trying to grasp the whole concept we see in the Scriptures, in both the Old Testament and New Testament prophetic passages, about the Day of the Lord and the judgment that is going to come upon the unrighteous. We will be there to see it. The Bible reveals that we are going to watch this judgment meted out upon them.

When we do, the Scripture makes it very clear that none of us will say, "Lord, I just don't know if this is right; I just don't know if this is fair," because God will be exalted in His judgment. We will see that He is completely righteous in His judgment on that day.

We continue. Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

Verse 18: Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sin, as it were, with a cart and a rope. They say, "Let him make speed and hasten his work, that we may see it," and "Let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it." The third woe comes upon the nation of Israel because of their pride, their sinful arrogance, and their mockery of God.

When we read, "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity and their sin as it were with a cart and a rope," there are two possible ways of interpreting this. One interpretation is that it is a woe upon those who are so laden with sin that they have to pull it around in a cart. They have such an abundance of sin that it is like they have a U-Haul to carry it from one place to the next.

However, another way to interpret it, and I actually think this is the better interpretation, is that it is a woe to those who parade their sin around. They openly display it. For the most part, sin is a hidden thing. Most people do not want their sin exposed. That is why men love darkness rather than light, as John chapter 3 says, because their deeds are evil, and they do not want to come to the light lest their sin should be exposed.

So, most sin is done secretly and in silence, trying to remain in darkness so that no one else sees. We will even see in the book of Isaiah that people were so foolish they thought their secret sin was hidden from God. But there comes a point in a nation that has turned from God, and they are so far removed from Him that they begin to parade their sin. We see it in our own nation; we actually have pride parades where people glorify their sin, bringing it out of darkness. We call it bringing it out of the closet.

I am sure this will inflame somebody who sees it on TV, but that is what the Scriptures speak of: a nation becomes so depraved that they begin to parade their sin. The parading of this sin is really a defense mechanism for their guilt. They know that they are guilty, but they want everybody else to accept it to appease their guilt. We need to recognize this in our community and in our area.

People are parading their sin in pride parades, motivated by guilt. They want someone to accept them and to say it's okay to live this way. We may look at it and think it's sick and vile, or we may feel broken for them because they are so ridden with guilt that they don't know what else to do. May God save them; may they find the salvation that only He can bring, the transformation that only He gives.

But woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sin, as it were with a cart and a rope. They say, "Let Him make speed and hasten His work that we may see it," and "Let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come that we may know it." They are mocking God as they parade their sin. In verse 9, they even challenge God, saying, "Hurry up and do something; we want to see what You can do. Let the Holy One of Israel carry out His plan, for we want to know what it is." The mindset of such a person is, "If there really is a God, then why hasn't He judged me?" They think, "Where is God? My sin is openly before Him; let Him do something."

The scary thing is that there is coming a day when He will stand up and judge. In verse 29, the next woe is pronounced: "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." The next woe comes upon a nation that is prepared for the judgment and destruction of God when there is moral confusion, a depraved confusion among the people.

They change morality, calling evil good and that which is good evil. They ask, "Who has the authority to call something good or right or wrong? What's wrong for you may be right for somebody else, and what's right for them may be wrong for somebody else. Who are you? Who made you judge over us?" This moral confusion calls evil good and good evil, claiming that abortion is good and labeling those who oppose it as anti and bad. It is this same moral confusion that calls homosexuality good and acceptable while branding those who call people to repentance as haters.

It is moral confusion that says evolution is fact and God's word is fiction. It is a moral confusion that claims fornication is right, while those who say it is wrong are considered oppressive, archaic, and wrong. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put light for darkness and darkness for light, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. The Scriptures say that the counsel of man is bitter, but the word of the Lord in Psalm 19 is sweet as a honeycomb.

We live in a time and in a nation where the counsel of man is esteemed above the wisdom of God. We are surrounded by a people who have put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. In verse 21, the fifth woe states, "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight." This is what we might call fool's wisdom.

Romans chapter 1 speaks to this as well. In Romans 1, verse 18, the Apostle Paul says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of those who suppress or hold the truth in unrighteousness." God's wrath is coming upon unrighteousness and ungodliness. Why?

In verse 19, it is explained: "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it unto them." The invisible things from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

Because when they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were they thankful. Instead, they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became as fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, into birds, into four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore, God has also given them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts to dishonor.

Their own bodies between themselves changed the truth of God into a lie, and they worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this cause, God gave them up to vile affections. For even their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature. Likewise, also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lusts toward one another—men with men, working that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves the recompense of the error that was due.

Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do things which are not convenient. I want you to notice that in verse 28, even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, there is a wholesale rejection of the things of God in our society today—a growing rejection. This rejection is among people who are steadfastly against God and have been given to sin. They don't want to retain God in their knowledge.

The problem is that God is almost like firmware hardwired into us; there is a God. Many of you understand now, in this day and age, the idea of firmware in a computer. There are certain things that you know; there is a chip you can't change unless you change the chip. Well, God has hardwired it into our minds that there is a God, and the only way to get rid of that is to be given over to a depraved, reprobate mind. They don't want to retain God in their knowledge; they want to get rid of God in their knowledge. So, God gives them over to a reprobate mind to do that which is unseemly or inconvenient.

But professing themselves to be wise, they became as fools. There we see that idea again: woe to those that are wise in their own eyes and prudent self-proclaimed experts, but having not true knowledge, even rejecting fact and true knowledge for their ideology. We're seeing something just like this even right now in this whole global warming debate in our nation. Just in the last several weeks, a whole bunch of information has come out; emails have been found that show that some of these individuals, so given to this ideology, have been hiding the facts and hiding the information.

Experts agree that the discussion around macroevolution and transpeciation is not just limited to specific areas. If you really study science and examine what it has to say about the facts, the idea that we evolved from "the goo to the zoo to you" does not hold up. When you look at the evidence, it simply does not support that theory. Scientists often have to perform what can be described as scientific gymnastics to validate their claims. As the Bible says, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became as fools." Woe unto those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight.

The amazing thing is that when you reach a point of being wise in your own eyes, God has a remarkable way of humbling you. Science can be steadfastly convinced about something until a new discovery emerges that they had never considered before. At that point, they are forced to rewrite textbooks, and their previous knowledge is rendered obsolete. Destruction is certain.

In Isaiah 5:22, it states, "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine and men of strength to mingle strong drink, which justify the wicked for reward and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him." The people in Jerusalem who were in positions of judgment were the leaders, and this passage speaks directly to them. It highlights how these leaders, who are strong enough to mingle strong drink, justify the wicked for a reward, essentially taking bribes.

A few years back, I found it interesting to read an article in USA Today that discussed alcohol consumption in America. It revealed that Washington, D.C., has the highest per capita alcohol consumption in the country. You might have expected Las Vegas to hold that title, but it turns out that Washington, D.C., leads in this regard. The leaders there boast about their ability to hold their alcohol, which raises the question: what kind of achievement is that?

Is that to be proud of? They justify the wicked for reward; they take bribes. In Proverbs chapter 17, verse 15, we read, "He that justifies the wicked, and he that condemns the just, even they both are an abomination to the Lord." The one who justifies the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Even among His own people, they had become abominations to the Lord. They take away righteousness from the righteous.

Therefore, as a fire devours the stubble and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as the dust. This is because they have cast away the law of the Lord, the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. God says a burning is going to come among them; they are going to be destroyed, even down to the root. The blossom on the top and the root at the depth will all be destroyed because they have turned away from the law of God and despised His word.

We are told in Psalm 119, verse 10, what happens to those who contemn the counsel of the Most High or those who depart from God's word. It says, "To such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and in iron." Why are they there? Verse 11 says, "Because they rebelled against the words of the Lord and they contemned the counsel of the Most High." If you depart from the word of God, you will find yourself in bondage spiritually. Yes, but even more than that, eventually, you will find yourself in physical bondage as well.

So God says a burning is going to come upon them because they have despised His word. Therefore, in Isaiah chapter 5, verse 25, we read, "Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against His people, and He has stretched forth His hand against them and has smitten them." The picture is this: God is angry with His people with righteous indignation. They have transgressed His law, and so His hand is ready to spank them. The anger of the Lord is kindled; He has stretched forth His hand and has smitten them.

He has already spanked them once, and the hills did tremble, and their carcasses were torn in the midst of the streets. Yet for all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is outstretched still. The picture is this: God says, "I've spanked you once; you haven't learned. I'm going to spank you again." Has anyone ever said that to their children? I heard that a lot as a child.

I told you a few weeks ago that God's punishment is always for the purpose of purification. He disciplines us so that we would be disciplined. He says, "I've already spanked you; I'm going to spank you again for all this." His anger is not turned away; His hand is outstretched still. He will say that to His people four more times in this book: Isaiah chapter 9, verses 12, 17, and 22, and Isaiah chapter 10, verse 4. For all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is outstretched still.

This is just the first punishment He mentions. If you are not chastened, if your way is not changed by the chastening of the Lord, then He will strike again. He will lift up an ensign to the nations. Here comes the second judgment: "I'm going to lift up a banner to the nations from afar, and I will hiss unto them, or I will whistle to them from afar, from one end of the earth. Behold, they shall come with speed, swiftly."

He says, "Listen, I'm going to judge you from within first, but if you will not be chastened by it, then I'm going to whistle to the nations, your enemies, and call them to come to you. They will come, and in the earthly realm, it will just look like a war. It will look like an invasion; it will look like a terrorist attack. But from a spiritual perspective, it is the judgment of God."

So, He will lift up a banner and call to the nations to come, and they will come swiftly. None shall be weary; they are going to run so quickly, but none of them shall be weary, nor shall they stumble. Among them, none shall slumber nor sleep. They are going to come with speed; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loose. They are not even going to take off their belts or loosen their weapons from themselves, nor shall the latchet of their shoes be broken.

Whose arrows are sharp and their bows are bent, their horses' hooves shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like the whirlwind. They are on chariots with horses; their horses are moving quickly, their bows are bent back, and they are ready to strike. God says their roaring shall be like a lion, and they shall roar like young lions. Yea, they shall roar and lay hold of the prey; they shall carry it away safe. None shall deliver it.

A severe judgment, God said, "None shall deliver." In that day, they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea, and if one looks...

Unto the land, behold, darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens. He says it's going to be a dark day when the judgment of God comes, and it looks bleak; it looks dark. This judgment that he speaks to his people is significant.

You know what the people of Israel, of Judah, and of Jerusalem said of Isaiah in his day when he would say these things to them? They would say, "Isaiah just says the same thing over and over again. He's so repetitive, like a broken record. He might as well just go teach the children's ministry, those just weaned from the milk, from the breast." They said, "Just go teach the children's ministry," because you know how if you have to tell kids the same thing repeatedly, it can feel tiresome.

The people of Isaiah's day, in Isaiah chapter 28, believed that all he was good for was teaching the children's ministry because he was so repetitive. He taught line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little. Literally, in the Hebrew, it says, "line, line, precept, precept, here a little, there a little." They thought he was just a broken record, and they didn't listen.

As a result, the judgment of God came first in the form of those spoken of here, with their wheels like a whirlwind. Their chariots came, and the Assyrian armies, under the command of four different kings over a long period of time, would destroy the northern ten tribes and almost completely destroy the southern tribes under King Sennacherib in the 700s BC. If it were not for the grace of God under the leadership of Hezekiah, the king of Israel, the people of Judah and Jerusalem would have been completely destroyed.

You would think that they would learn, but they wouldn't. So, 150 years later, the Lord would come by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and destroy the nation entirely. I believe it was Winston Churchill who said, "Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." God tells us through the Apostle Paul.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 10, Paul tells us about the nation of Israel and their failures. He states that all these things happened as examples and were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the age have come. Everything we read from Genesis to Malachi in the Old Testament was written as examples for us, so that we would learn from the history of Israel, from their failures and from their victories.

In the very next verse, Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 12, "Therefore take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall." May we learn from the history of the nation of Israel. I believe it is no accident that the nation of America, the greatest superpower the world has ever known, is not mentioned in the prophetic events of the last days. It is a scary thing to consider, but may we take to heart God's word to us.

This is a good December Christmas message, right? May we learn. Let's stand and pray.

Father, I thank You that we read in this passage in the book of Isaiah that it will be bad for the wicked, but it will be well for the righteous in that day. Lord, we thank You that You are our strength, our shield, our high tower. You are our exceedingly great reward, the lifter of our heads.

Lord, we thank You that You have set a seal upon us, as the Scriptures say in the book of Jeremiah. You will be our provision, our protector, and our God. Though the mountains be moved and cast into the sea, though the nations rage, Lord, You are enthroned in heaven tonight.

God, You have given us a message in these last days, and You said repeatedly, "He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church." God, would we hear? Open our ears that we would hear and give us boldness to share this very politically incorrect message.

Among a people who are dying, Your Word says that Your wrath is going to come upon all unrighteousness and all ungodliness of those who suppress the truth. God, I do not want to see Your wrath come upon anybody in Escondido, San Marcos, or Valley Center.

Lord, would You give us compassion for the lost and a passion for souls? We do believe we are living in the last days. Lord, give us an urgency to share the truth of Your Word, even though some will be offended by it.

As John Wesley used to speak, may we be those who pull the sinner from the fires of hell, a brand plucked from the fire. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank You, God.