ISAIAH 5 - 2 NEPHI 15

 

This chapter contains a parable (vs. 1-7) a simplified Jacob 5, 6 woes (8-25) and future promises of hope (26-30).

            "The parable of the vineyard has been given 3 times in history. 1) Isaiah 5:1-7-prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC, 2) Matt. 21:33-46-by the Savior prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD & 3) D&C 101:43-62- in 1833 after the failure of the Saints to establish Zion in Missouri.

Vs. 1 - Well beloved=Savior

Vineyard=Israel

Fruitful Hill=The promised land =Israel, Judah, Jerusalem

Vs. 2 - Developed the promised land for Israel

Built a tower=Solomon’s temple or anything else that prophets can use to help them warn their people of coming problems

Wine press would be there in anticipation of a great harvest. It may be referring to the ordinances of the temple wherein Israel can consecrate themselves to the Lord.

Wild grapes=Israel’s apostasy

 The comparison between this parable and D&C 101:43-62 and vs.  2. The winepress, the fertile hill and the grapes are all symbols of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice.

Vs. 3,4 - You be the judge, what more could God have done? Is there more that we expect of Him?

Vs. 5 - the wall, hedge and watch tower-three elements to protect Israel are being taken away. 587 BC

Vs. 6 - Rain represents life and revelation and the word of God.

Vs. 7 - a little poetic thing we miss out on when we read this verse in English rather than Hebrew.

Mis’pach=bloodshed (NIV)  mishpat=judgment

ts’aqah=crying  ts’daqah=righteousness

For the next 18 verses, Isaiah describes 6 separate warnings.

Vs. 8 – Wo means severe anguish and distress resulting from God’s judgment on the guilty

 First wo goes to those who join house to house or those wealthy landowners or governments who covet and buy up or take property, thus depriving the poor of their heritage. The law of ancient Israel prescribed that land could not be sold forever. (Lev. 25:23; 1 Kings 21) It was to remain within families as a heritage for posterity. When economical circumstances necessitated the sale of land, it was to be returned to the original owners in the year of jubilee, which occurred every 50 years.

This practice puts people toward communism like systems and away from consecration.

Vs. 9 - Those who took will lose what they took

Vs. 10 - The lands of those wealthy will become extremely unproductive. 10 acres reps. what a yoke of oxen can plow in a day, or the equiv. of 5 acres today. From this acreage, the yield will only be one bath (4-8 gallons of wine). One homer (6 bushels) will yield only on ephah of produce (4-6 gal. of dry measure). Bottom line: yield = 1/10 of seed planted

Wo Two

Vs. 11,12,13 -The people party who become spiritually in bondage. Amos 8:11-12 refers to people who are seeking but can't find spiritual insight. These verses seem to refer to those who are too busy doing worldly things to look. Those who should be leading are partying

Vs. 14 - a population boom in hell. Hell opens her mouth just like the wicked opened their mouths to partake of the wine and food. The spiritual casualties are significant.

Vs. 15 - mean=common man. In other words all the wicked, the common and the mighty will be humbled.

Vs. 16 - See D&C 3:1-3

Vs. 17 - the former habitations of the wealthy will be given to strangers and animals.

Wo Three

Vs. 18 - The image is of a sinner dragging a cart filled with sins that they won’t let go of and the cord is as hard to cut as a thick rope. People fall in love with their sinful life style and parade it. Willingly tie to sin.

Vs. 19 - These people ask for signs, taunting the Lord and His people. They set time limits like in 3 Nephi 1.. Korihor had the same argument (Alma 30:43) show me a sign

Wo Four

Vs. 20 -This wo is pronounced upon those who would pervert standards of morality and decency. They seek man’s approval of that which God has condemned and disdain that which is good. They have been successful in getting legislation passed to make such perversion legal and acceptable by society. Immoral practices are called alternate lifestyles by those who practice them, and they label those who courageously speak against them as radicals or narrow-minded bigots.  Such was the case in the times of Noah, Sodom and ancient Israel. This seems very current. Secular humanism anybody? = No god, no fixed principles, no divine destiny, man has no soul, man is an animal, no life beyond, no divine judgment.

Wo Five

Vs. 21- See what Jacob said about this in 2 Nephi 9:28-29.

Wo Six

Vs. 22,23 - They take bribes by saying that something is true for money and in so doing they mislead righteous people into committing sin. (People who would advertise bad products for money, or promote wicked things for fame or promote sin as acceptable; movie stars, athletes etc.) Taking away the righteousness of the righteous would most importantly apply to those who say less of Jesus and His atonement. It also applies to calling people unrighteous for defending the Gospel of Jesus.

Consequences

Vs. 24,25 - Describes what happens to those upon whom the woes are cast. Stubble and chaff are what is left after the harvest. It is burned. (JSH:37)  The end of vs. 24 tells why God sends calamites on Israel. See also 66:4; 65:12; 42:24; 24:5; 17:10.

The end of verse 25 appears to be an appeal, still, to repent and the Lord will still accept you. I see it as a transition verse to the rest of the chapter and its invitation to come to Zion. (9:12, 17, 21; 10:4; 50:1-2)

Vs. 26-29 - LeGrand Richards says this is the return to Zion with the use of modern transportation. “Since there were neither trains nor airplanes in that day, Isaiah could hardly have mentioned them by name. However, he seems to have described them in unmistakable words. How better could ‘their horses’ hoofs be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind’ than in the modern train? How better could ‘their roaring … be like a lion’ than in the roar of the airplane? Trains and airplanes do not stop for night. Therefore, was not Isaiah justified in saying: ‘none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken’? With this manner of transportation the Lord can really ‘hiss unto them from the end of the earth,’ that ‘they shall come with speed swiftly.’” (Israel! Do You Know?, p. 182.)

It is not just those who come to Zion, It is also descriptive of those who go forth as missionaries from Zion.

Vs. 30 - “They” seems to symbolize the Children of Zion roaring against the wicked of the earth and there will not be light from God upon the land of those they prophecy against because the light of the Lord will focus on Zion.