Isaiah 5:8, commentary and pictures

Isaiah pronounces woe upon stewards who greedily join house to house and lay field to field to be placed alone in the midst of the earth, oppressing God's heritage instead of rendering judgment and righteousness and denying protection to the poor and needy. Such continual adding of property to property for self is covetousness and idolatry, showing love of riches and disregard for God and fellow beings by using entrusted wealth for self-indulgence and glory rather than for God's glory and humanity's good. It leaves those nearby in want, misery, poverty, hunger and neglect while homes are filled with luxury and fortunes are piled up through oppression and extortion. In the Lord's hearing He declares that many great and fair houses gained in this way shall be desolate without inhabitant. The same principle forbids heaping building upon building and means in one place while other fields are left destitute, for enduring riches are found in giving and possessions are to support God's work and carry the message to other regions.

Setting and Original Meaning

In Judah at the close of Uzziah's reign, in the last year of his reign, the social condition was particularly discouraging. Men driven by desire for gain kept adding houses and fields to their own possessions. With that greed justice was perverted and no pity was shown to the poor. Isaiah was called at that time to bear God's messages of warning and reproof to Judah. The obstinate resistance, stubbornness and unbelief he faced made him shrink from the responsibility and made his task seem hopeless.

The woe is pronounced on those who join house to house and lay field to field to be placed alone in the midst of the earth. It means stewards greedily accumulating for their own gain and oppressing God's heritage instead of rendering judgment and righteousness. It includes denying protection to the poor and needy. The Lord looks upon every such scene of injustice.

Israel's land-allotment laws were designed to prevent such monopoly and foster equal opportunity. The land was divided by lot, and no one could claim as much as wished or take the most fertile portions for themselves, which would foster selfishness and oppression. An estate could be sold only when poverty compelled its owner to sell. The owner or a relative could redeem it, and in the jubilee year it returned to the original family. These protections gave poor and fortunate families an equal chance to retain or regain land.

Sin of Selfish Accumulation

The woe falls on continually adding house to house, field to field, land to land and building to building to enlarge private possessions and monopolize the place for oneself until others are left with no place, no room or means. Such adding of property to property for oneself is covetousness and idolatry. It shows love of riches and disregard for God and fellow human beings, using wealth entrusted by God and His gifts for self-indulgence, self-glory, pleasure and luxury instead of for God's glory and humanity's good. Such self-serving accumulation develops Satan's attributes and selfish, evil, ungodly character.

It leaves people nearby to suffer in want, misery, poverty, hunger, hardship, disease and neglect, depriving the needy of life's necessities while homes are filled with luxury and fortunes are piled up through oppression and extortion. It reveals laying up treasure on earth and treating this world as home, making earthly possessions, comfort and plans as citizens intending to remain in this world the center of life rather than preparing for Christ's return and becoming rich toward God. Even accumulating farms, land, and houses under the claim that the proceeds will support God's cause proves in practice to be laying up treasure on earth.

It misuses precious time and strength, which belong to the Lord and are not one's own, consuming strength and, with debt and time spent acquiring property, leaving no time and little ability to serve God, seek heaven, repent, separate from sin or help others. Those diligent and faithful in using time and strength for His cause will be trusted with true riches and receive their reward hereafter.

Prophecy Warning and Application

In the Lord's hearing He declares that the many great and fair houses gained by joining house to house and field to field to be placed alone shall become desolate without inhabitant. That desolation is seen where costly buildings stand empty for years and once-productive orchards are left to ruin. This has occurred in Southern California, where pleasure seekers spend greatly while disregarding the work of the Lord and the operation of His hands, so He withholds the rain of heaven.

The warning reaches prosperous and wealthy people who treat wealth as a means of self-indulgence and self-glory, for their selfish accumulation develops Satan's attributes. They need the gospel to give them a changed view of lasting riches and to teach them the joy of giving and working with God. Enduring riches are found in giving and working with God rather than in hoarding for self, which is covetousness and idolatry. Possessions are therefore to be used for God's glory and humanity's good to support God's work and cause instead of being added house to house and land to land while people nearby suffer want, misery, poverty and neglect.

The same woe forbids concentrating means by joining building to building and multiplying institutions, agencies, buildings and facilities in one place. This applies to heaping resources together in certain localities in America where the work is already established while other places are left in destitution. God's great heart of infinite love is not shut up to one place, for He has abundant facilities in men and means to be spread abroad. Men and means are needed to carry the message and establish places of worship in other regions, in Europe and in regions beyond, and to meet their needs instead of being kept where they are not so urgently required.