How do you get a message of impending judgment across to people who are convinced they’re not all that bad? How do you get the attention of those who are living comfortably and can see no reason to repent of anything? In Isaiah 5, the prophet picks up his guitar and begins to sing a simple ballad about his true love. The audience is hooked. Who could this be, whom the singer affectionately calls “my beloved”? Israel had often been pictured as the LORD’s vineyard, so it wasn’t long before his listeners got the point: this love song was about them! They were God’s beloved people. As a man provides for his vineyard, God had planted them, defended them, cultivated them. He gave them the very best. Surely a bountiful harvest will appear, right? No, the people have only produced “wild grapes,” useless and bitter. It was bad fruit, distasteful to the LORD, and He is determined to do something about it. This vineyard is about to be uprooted and turned into a wasteland (v 1-6). What kind of fruit was God looking for? Since Israel had known so much of His grace, He had expected them to become a society of righteousness and justice. Instead, He saw bloodshed among them and heard the cries of those who had been mistreated (v 7). The rotten fruit is further detailed in a series of six woes. Greed comes first in this catalog of sins. In their desire to increase their own property, the rich were squeezing out the poor. They had forgotten that all land belongs first to God and that we are all pilgrims on this earth (v 8-10). Drunkenness was another problem, then as now. It accounts for so much evil in this world. Many people live for the weekend, passionate about their parties but disinterested in the LORD and His works (v 11-12). Therefore, Judah will go into exile, where their excess eating and drinking will turn into hunger and thirst, while the land-grabbers will themselves be eaten up (v 13-17). Cynicism in religious matters is a third issue. Scoffers drag sin behind them while mocking the warnings and promises of God (v 18-19). Distortion is highlighted next. In order to justify their ways, some will redefine good and evil—even if they must stand reality on its head in order to do so! (v 20). This leads to a fifth woe. Foolishness describes the one who confidently believes he is always in the right (v 21). And corruption is the final feature, as the drunkards of Judah are again exposed, this time as cheaters who accept a bribe and call it justice (v 22-23). Therefore, the fires of judgment will soon consume this corrupt culture. God’s instrument will be the mighty army of Assyria, whom He will send to turn out the lights in the land of Judah (v 24-30). For further meditation: