But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
In the vineyard parable the well-tended vineyard brought forth wild grapes because God nourished His people and they rebelled and broke His covenant, so He declares judgment to break down its wall and lay it waste with loss of land and blessing. Its immediate burden is the woes upon feasting and strong drink, where those who disregard the work of the Lord are brought into captivity, hunger and ruin and all ranks from the mean to the mighty are brought low. When human pride and wickedness are thus humbled and fall, the Lord of hosts is exalted in and through His judgments and God who is holy has His holiness made known through righteous dealing. That discipline vindicates His character, for though it brings abasement, suffering and death and seems harsh, it will be shown to be holy and righteous, with the grave at last making no distinction of persons. The backsliding of Judah typifies last-day apostasy, when money-mad greed, oppression of the poor, drunkenness and widespread crime mark the closing years of man's reign, so the oppressed can trust Him to judge injustice righteously and His exalting in judgment warns that Christ's coming is near.
Setting and Plain Meaning
Isaiah 5 belongs to the vineyard parable in which a well-cared-for vineyard brought forth wild grapes, portraying how God nourished and cared for His children and they rebelled against Him. That rebellion broke the conditional covenant made with them at Horeb, so He declares judgment to break down its wall and let it be trodden down and to command the clouds to rain no rain upon it. Disobedience thus forfeits claim to the land and covenant blessings and brings scattering and destruction, and the woes pronounced on those who depart from God warn of the consequences of disobedience. Its immediate setting is the woes of intemperance, where people given to strong drink and feasting regard not the work of the Lord and are therefore brought into captivity, famine, thirst and enlarged destruction. In that same setting the mean man is brought down and the mighty and lofty are humbled.
The verse stands among woes describing the evils, ills and woes of intemperance in no uncertain manner for every class from the highest to the lowest. Indulgence in wine and kindred drinks, as well as gluttony, inevitably dulls the moral senses and causes forgetting of God. Whatever comes between a person and God in this way is idolatry. These woes against drunkenness and related wrongdoing are not arbitrary denunciations but the logical and unavoidable results of sin.
When human pride, power and wickedness are brought low and humbled by humiliation and fall, the Lord of hosts is exalted in and through His judgments. God who is holy is sanctified, and His holiness is made manifest and known through righteousness and righteous dealings. The sweeping fate that ends a course of selfish indulgence proves the Lord exalted in judgment and the holy God sanctified in righteousness, and that fate is the grave coming without respect of persons. God's judgment on Judah vindicates His character, for though the discipline brought abasement, suffering and death and appeared harsh to human judgment, it will be shown to be holy and righteous.
Prophecy and Present Application
The backsliding of God's people in Judah described in Isaiah 1-5 typifies last-day apostasy, and in that setting the verse declares that in the last great day all the glory of men shall be laid low and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in judgment. The passage of Isaiah 5:8-25 portrays money-mad greed and widespread crime — graft, robbery, fraud, perjury, arson and even assassination among senators, legislators, governors, officials and business leaders — even in the most highly civilized lands most enlightened by Christianity, as characteristic of the last time, the closing years of the reign of man, showing that Christ's coming is near. Within Isaiah 5:11-25 the verse stands as a merciful warning against drunkenness, misery, crime and licentiousness and against the very beginnings of sin. It is one of God's signs in the social world that the end of all things earthly and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is near, showing that the last days will be like those conditions. It calls individual Christians to heed the warning, to live as they preach, and to save all they can by every means that will not compromise truth and righteousness and that will glorify God.
In its warning about wealth, greed, selfishness and pride that disregard the feelings and rights of others and exploit the poor through oppression, the verse teaches that God opposes such wrongdoing and is exalted when He judges injustice with His holiness made clear through righteous judgment. The Lord is exalted through judgment and His holiness is shown in righteousness against the rich whose selfishness and pride lead them to disregard others and against wealth gained through oppression. The oppressed can therefore trust Him to judge righteously those who exploit the poor. The verse also belongs to a prophecy of life in the new earth beginning at the close of the millennium and lasting throughout eternity, meaning that then and only then will the mean man be brought down and the mighty and lofty be humbled while the Lord of hosts is exalted in judgment and God that is holy is sanctified in righteousness. That condition is vastly different from human socialism, for it is the kingdom of God in which people are subjects of God's laws with Jesus Christ as king upon the throne in the city of the New Jerusalem.
The verse is a promise connected with the gospel, precious to the remnant, so that to deny it after having embraced it is dangerous, and God makes an example of those who do. God is exalted in judgment and His holiness made known through righteousness as the earth is judged for transgressing God's law, changing His ordinance, and breaking the everlasting covenant.
In the vineyard parable the well-tended vineyard brought forth wild grapes because God nourished His people and they rebelled and broke His covenant, so He declares judgment to break down its wall and lay it waste with loss of land and blessing. Its immediate burden is the woes upon feasting and strong drink, where those who disregard the work of the Lord are brought into captivity, hunger and ruin and all ranks from the mean to the mighty are brought low. When human pride and wickedness are thus humbled and fall, the Lord of hosts is exalted in and through His judgments and God who is holy has His holiness made known through righteous dealing. That discipline vindicates His character, for though it brings abasement, suffering and death and seems harsh, it will be shown to be holy and righteous, with the grave at last making no distinction of persons. The backsliding of Judah typifies last-day apostasy, when money-mad greed, oppression of the poor, drunkenness and widespread crime mark the closing years of man's reign, so the oppressed can trust Him to judge injustice righteously and His exalting in judgment warns that Christ's coming is near.
Setting and Plain Meaning
Isaiah 5 belongs to the vineyard parable in which a well-cared-for vineyard brought forth wild grapes, portraying how God nourished and cared for His children and they rebelled against Him. That rebellion broke the conditional covenant made with them at Horeb, so He declares judgment to break down its wall and let it be trodden down and to command the clouds to rain no rain upon it. Disobedience thus forfeits claim to the land and covenant blessings and brings scattering and destruction, and the woes pronounced on those who depart from God warn of the consequences of disobedience. Its immediate setting is the woes of intemperance, where people given to strong drink and feasting regard not the work of the Lord and are therefore brought into captivity, famine, thirst and enlarged destruction. In that same setting the mean man is brought down and the mighty and lofty are humbled.
The verse stands among woes describing the evils, ills and woes of intemperance in no uncertain manner for every class from the highest to the lowest. Indulgence in wine and kindred drinks, as well as gluttony, inevitably dulls the moral senses and causes forgetting of God. Whatever comes between a person and God in this way is idolatry. These woes against drunkenness and related wrongdoing are not arbitrary denunciations but the logical and unavoidable results of sin.
When human pride, power and wickedness are brought low and humbled by humiliation and fall, the Lord of hosts is exalted in and through His judgments. God who is holy is sanctified, and His holiness is made manifest and known through righteousness and righteous dealings. The sweeping fate that ends a course of selfish indulgence proves the Lord exalted in judgment and the holy God sanctified in righteousness, and that fate is the grave coming without respect of persons. God's judgment on Judah vindicates His character, for though the discipline brought abasement, suffering and death and appeared harsh to human judgment, it will be shown to be holy and righteous.
Prophecy and Present Application
The backsliding of God's people in Judah described in Isaiah 1-5 typifies last-day apostasy, and in that setting the verse declares that in the last great day all the glory of men shall be laid low and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in judgment. The passage of Isaiah 5:8-25 portrays money-mad greed and widespread crime — graft, robbery, fraud, perjury, arson and even assassination among senators, legislators, governors, officials and business leaders — even in the most highly civilized lands most enlightened by Christianity, as characteristic of the last time, the closing years of the reign of man, showing that Christ's coming is near. Within Isaiah 5:11-25 the verse stands as a merciful warning against drunkenness, misery, crime and licentiousness and against the very beginnings of sin. It is one of God's signs in the social world that the end of all things earthly and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is near, showing that the last days will be like those conditions. It calls individual Christians to heed the warning, to live as they preach, and to save all they can by every means that will not compromise truth and righteousness and that will glorify God.
In its warning about wealth, greed, selfishness and pride that disregard the feelings and rights of others and exploit the poor through oppression, the verse teaches that God opposes such wrongdoing and is exalted when He judges injustice with His holiness made clear through righteous judgment. The Lord is exalted through judgment and His holiness is shown in righteousness against the rich whose selfishness and pride lead them to disregard others and against wealth gained through oppression. The oppressed can therefore trust Him to judge righteously those who exploit the poor. The verse also belongs to a prophecy of life in the new earth beginning at the close of the millennium and lasting throughout eternity, meaning that then and only then will the mean man be brought down and the mighty and lofty be humbled while the Lord of hosts is exalted in judgment and God that is holy is sanctified in righteousness. That condition is vastly different from human socialism, for it is the kingdom of God in which people are subjects of God's laws with Jesus Christ as king upon the throne in the city of the New Jerusalem.
The verse is a promise connected with the gospel, precious to the remnant, so that to deny it after having embraced it is dangerous, and God makes an example of those who do. God is exalted in judgment and His holiness made known through righteousness as the earth is judged for transgressing God's law, changing His ordinance, and breaking the everlasting covenant.