18. Exposing the Sins of the Church (2)
Hymns: RHC 557 Sweet the Moments, Rich in Blessing 561 Come with Contrite Hearts 559 Near the Cross
Isaiah 5:18-20
18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: 19 That 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! 20 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!
Exposing the Sins of the Church (2)
OUTLINE
(1) Materialism (v8-10)
(2) Merry Making and Intoxication (v11-17)
(3) Daring or Defying God (v18-19)
(4) Deceiving Blatantly (v20)
INTRODUCTION
It takes courage for Isaiah to point out the sins of the people. He will issue 6 woes in chapter 5 upon Israel.
8 Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! …11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! … 18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: … 20 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! … 21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! … 22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
And the 7th woe, he will woe “himself” (Isaiah 6:5).
Isaiah 6:5 (KJV) Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
The world and the flesh are the two great enemies that we are in danger of being overpowered by; yet we are in no danger if we do not ourselves yield to them.[1] Eagerness of the world, and indulgence of the flesh, are the two sins against which the prophet, in God’s name, here denounces woes. These were sins which then abounded among the men of Judah, some of the wild grapes they brought forth (v4), and for which God threatens to bring ruin upon them. They are sins which we have all need to stand upon our guard against and dread the consequences of. [Matthew Henry]
This series of woes is now resumed and continued without any interruption, v18-23.
Even the description of the punishment, instead of being added directly to that of the sin, as in v9 and v14, is postponed until the end of the catalogue of sins is closed, and then subjoined in a general form in v24.
24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
(3) Daring or Defying God (v18-19)
18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:
This verse contains the third woe, having reference to presumptuous sinners who defy God’s judgments. They are here represented not as drawn away by sin (James 1:14), but as laboriously drawing it to them by soliciting temptation, drawing it out by obstinate persistency in evil and contempt of divine threatenings.
The true interpretation of the verse, which supposes the act described to be that of laboriously drawing sin to oneself, perhaps with the necessary idea of drawing it out of perserverance. [Alexander Addison]
Who are eagerly set upon sin, and violent in their sinful pursuits (v18), who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, who take as much pains to sin as the cattle do that draw a team, who put themselves to the stretch for the gratifying of their inordinate appetites, and, to humour a base lust, offer violence to nature itself. They think themselves as sure of compassing their wicked project as if they were pulling it towards them with strong cart-ropes; but they will find themselves disappointed, for they will prove cords of vanity, which will break when they come to any stress. For the righteous Lord will cut in sunder the cords of the wicked, (Psalm 129:4; Job 4:8).
Psalm 129:4 (KJV) The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.
Job 4:8 (KJV) Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
They are by long custom and confirmed habits so hardened in sin that they cannot get clear of it. Those who sin through infirmity are drawn away by sin; those that sin presumptuously draw iniquity to them, in spite of the oppositions of Providence and the checks of conscience. Some by sin understand the punishment of sin: they pull God’s judgments upon their own heads as it were, with cart ropes. [Matthew Henry]
A strange sight. A heavy cart is being laboriously drawn, not by work animals but by men; yoked, straining, tugging men. They are yoked like beasts and hitched to heavy wagons, and, just as beasts are wont to do, these men draw after them the heavy wagon. This wagon is their own iniquity and sin, and so by such a figure, we are made to see the close connection between the sin and the one who commits that sin.
The ropes with which one drags his sin are cords of vanity. “His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins” (Prov. 5:22). The cords are those which consist of vanity. By means of vanity, men are dragging iniquity after them. Vanity is nothingness; it is without being and reality; it is a lie. With the lie men draw iniquity after them. It is not a pleasant picture, but it is a clear illustration of the fact that the way of the transgressor is hard. By means of falsehoods which characterize his life, the transgressor is bound to a cart of iniquity and drags this cart after him. Some men strain and struggle to accomplish a good end; the inhabitants of Judah strain and struggle to have iniquity to follow them and to draw it to themselves. Iniquity is a severe taskmaster. No taskmaster of Egypt ever ill-treated the Israelites more severely than did their own iniquity. These cords of vanity could be broken only by the LORD. Man can weave these cords, but he cannot unweave them.
Sin is also drawn as with a rope of a cart. The verse reaches a climax in the word “sin.” The whole thought is that the people draw iniquity with cords of lies and sin with ropes of a cart – the chiasm of the verse must not be overlooked.
a b b a
Iniquity with cords of vanity With the rope of a cart sin
19 That 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 degree of their presumption and depravity is now evinced by a citation of their language with respect to God’s threatened judgments, an ironical expression of impatience to behold them, and an implied refusal to believe without experience.
The sentence is continued from the verse preceding, and further describes the sinners there denounced, as he ones saying (those who say), let Him speed, let Him hasten His work (His providential work v12), that we may see, and let the counsel (providential plan or purpose) of the Holy One of Israel (which, in the mouth of these blasphemers, seems to be a taunting irony) draw nigh and come, and we will know (that is, according to the Hebrew idiom and the parallel expression) that we may know what it is, or that it is a real purpose, and that he is able to accomplish it. [Alexander Addison]
If in Judah there were those who drew iniquity with cords of lies, a woe is pronounced over them. For them, judgment will surely come; they were in a grave predicament. Were there actually such? These were indeed, and in the verse, before us, the prophet identifies them. He was not speaking in vague generalities. The sinners whom he had in mind were plentiful in Judah. They were practical atheists, who would not believe unless they could see and have a discerning of God’s working. They were those who sought and require a sign. They spoke of God in mocking terms, even using some of the prophet’s own phrases, so parodying this and similar taunts, the prophet would name his own son Maher-shalal-hash-baz, “Speed the spoil, hasten the prey.” The taunt of these sceptics may be rendered, “Let his work speed and hasten – let the counsel draw nigh.” Possibly a touch of sarcasm is also indicated, so that we may render:
let his work speed and indeed hasten –
let the counsel draw near and indeed come –
What is this work of the LORD? It is the already mentioned judgment. “If the LORD is going to work judgment upon us,” we may paraphrase the thought, “let the judgment hurry and come. If there is such a judgment as you, Isaiah, constantly aver, let it speed and come more quickly, so that we may see it. If we see it, of course, we shall believe it. You cannot expect us to believe if we do not see for ourselves. If it is coming, why does it not hasten?
The depth of depravity is reached when the taunting unbelievers mention the Holy One of Israel. “They have despised the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 1:4). Their use of this designation us clear evidence they had often heard it from the lips of Isaiah. Of course, they use it derisively. Thus, to employ the name which had made such a deep impression upon the prophet was a mark of heinous wickedness. What about that counsel of the Holy One of Israel? That purpose which He has purposed to carry out with respect to our punishment? Why does it not come to pass? If it should eventuate, then we might then have seen and experienced the judgment, and through such practical experience, we would know of the judgment’s reality. [EJ Young]
Who set the justice of God at defiance, and challenge the Almighty to do His worst (v19): They say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work; this is the same language with that of the scoffers of the last days, who say, Where is the promise of his coming? and therefore it is that, like them, they draw iniquity with cords of vanity, are violent and daring in sin, and walk after their own lusts.
2 Peter 3:3-4 (KJV) Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
They ridicule the prophets and banter with them. It is in scorn that they call God the Holy One of Israel because the prophets used with great veneration to call him so. They will not believe the revelation of God’s wrath from heaven against their ungodliness and unrighteousness; unless they see it executed, they will not know it, as if the curse were a mere flash, and all the threatenings of the word bugbears to frighten fools and children. If God should appear against them, as he has threatened, yet they think themselves able to make their part good with him, and provoke him to jealousy as if they were stronger than he.
1 Corinthians 10:22 (KJV) Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
“We have heard his word, but it is all talk; let him hasten his work, we shall shift for ourselves well enough.” Those that wilfully persist in sin do consider not the power of God’s anger. [Matthew Henry]
(4) Deceiving Blatantly (v20)
20 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 fourth woe is against those who subvert moral distinctions and confound good and evil, an idea expressed first in literal terms and then by two obvious and intelligible figures. Woe unto the (persons) saying (those who say) to evil good and to good evil, (who addresses them by these titles or call them so), putting darkness for light and light for darkness, putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. These are here combined, not as natural opposites, but also as common figures for truth and falsehood, right and wrong.
Isaiah 2:5 (KJV) O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Proverbs 2:13 (KJV) Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
Ecclesiastes 2:13 (KJV) Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.
James 3:11 (KJV) Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
In sin’s next stage, the moral code is reversed; sin becomes an accepted way of life. This happens in public morality (bitter and sweet are matters of private taste. [J. Alec Motyer]
This is the scene with regard to the matter of section 377A. A frightening scene to see how suddenly the tone and language for evil are changed to that which is good and Christians embrace the change.
These people make darkness to be light. In the place of light, they put darkness, it is regarded by them as light itself. As great as is the contrast between darkness and light, so great is that also between good and evil. Between bitter and sweet also is a great disparity, but these men of Judah will pervert the two. Perversion is the essence of sin; for sin is the transgression of the law. He who transgresses the law thereby tacitly proclaims that the law is wrong and that the opposite of the law is right. In so transgressing the law a man is declaring good to be evil and evil to be good, darkness to be light and bitter to be sweet.
Irreverence and deep wickedness are close partners. Those who mockingly ask why God does not carry out His purposes are also those who overthrow and obliterate all moral distinctions. Doctrine and ethics are close partners. When one no longer believes the doctrine of a judgment one turns aside from moral distinctions. The condemnation may apply to a large segment of the population and may have included people from all walks of life. Those who could subvert all moral distinctions in effect introduce chaos and in place of true ethics substitute expediency and utilitarianism.
Such people recognize the evil and address it. They speak to that evil as though it were a person. “Thou art good,” they say to it. They also address the good, “Thou art evil.” This they do, not through actual words but through their actions. They are ignorant. Of course, even the most depraved of men will pay lip service to the truth and to right, but in their actions will eradicate all moral distinctions. The man who is engaged in an evil course very often proclaims the importance of the true and the good. At the same time, not only did men approve of the evil, they manifested a positive apathy toward the good, for they call it evil. In their hearts, they hate the good, to them the only good is evil. What fallen men need is the regenerating power of the Spirit of God who causes old things to pass away, and all things to become new. [EJ Young]
Who confound and overthrow the distinctions between moral good and evil, who call evil good and moral evil (v20), who not only live in the omission of that which is good, but condemn it, argue against it, and, because they will not practise it themselves, run it down in others, and fasten invidious epithets upon it – not only do that which is evil, but justify it, and applaud it, and recommend it to others as safe and good.
Virtue and piety are good, for they are light and sweet, they are pleasant and right, but sin and wickedness are evil; they are darkness, all the fruit of ignorance and mistake, and will be bitterness in the latter end.
Those do a great deal of wrong to God, and religion, and conscience, to their own souls, and to the souls of others, who misrepresent these, and put false colours upon them – who call drunkenness good fellowship, and covetousness good husbandry, and, when they persecute the people of God, think they do him good service – and, on the other hand, who call seriousness ill-nature, and sober singularity ill-breeding, who say all manner of evil falsely concerning the ways of godliness, and do what they can to form in men’s minds prejudices against them, and this in defiance of evidence as plain and convincing as that of sense, by which we distinguish, beyond contradiction, between light and darkness, and between that which to the taste is sweet and that which is bitter. [Matthew Henry]
To be continued…
[1] The parable sets forth the peculiar privileges, obligations, guilt, and doom of Israel, under the figure of a highly favoured vineyard, which, instead of good fruit, brings forth only wild grapes, and is therefore given up to desolation (v1-6). The application is expressly made by the Prophet himself (v7).
In the remaining of the chapter, he enumerates the sins which were included in the general expressions of v7, and describes their punishment. In do this, he first gives a catalog of sins with their appropriate punishments annexed (v8-24). He then describes the means used to inflict them, and the final issue (v25-30).
The catalogue of sins and judgments comprehends two series of woes or denunications. In the first, each sin is followed by its punishment (v8-17). In the second the sins follow one another in uninterrupted succession, and the punishment is reserved until the close (v18-24).
In the former series, the first woe is uttered against avaricious and ambitious grasping after lands and houses, to be punished by sterility and desolation (v8-10). The second woe is uttered against drunkenness, untimely mirth, and disregard of providential warnings, appropriately punished by captivity, hunger, thirst, and general mortality (v11-14). To these two woes are added a general declaration of their purpose and effect, to humble man and exalt God, and a repeated threatening of general desolation as a punishment of both the sins just mentioned (v15-17).
The sin denounced in the second series of woes are presumptuous and incredulous defiance of God’s judgments, the deliberate confounding of moral distinctions, undue reliance upon human wisdom, and drunkenness (v18-23). To these he adds a general threatening of destruction as a necessary consequence of their forsaking God (v24).
In declaring the means used to effect the condign retribution, the Prophet sets before us two distinct stages or degrees of punishment. The first, which is briefly and figuratively represented as a violent and destructive stroke of God’s hand, is described in the shape of an invading enemy, before whom, after a brief fluctuation, Israel disappears in total darkness (v26-30).
Every thing was carried by clamour and noise, and not by equity and according to the merits of the cause. It is sad with a people when wickedness has usurped the place of judgment (Ecc. 3:16). It is very sad with a soul when instead of the grapes of humility, meekness, patience, love, and contempt of the world, which God looks for, there are the wild grapes of pride, passion, discontent, malice, and contempt of God – instead of the grapes of praying and praising, the wild grapes of cursing and swearing, which are a great offence to God. Some of the ancients apply this to the Jews in Christ’s time, among whom God looked for righteousness (that is, that they should receive and embrace Christ), but behold a cry, that cry, Crucify him, crucify him. [Matthew Henry]