Isaiah identified rebelliousness among the people of Judah. It was because of this that they rejected their own God.

There was corruption and bribery in the court of law. They accepted bribes and prevented the innocent from getting justice (Isaiah 5 :23).

The people of Judah offered empty sacrifices to God. They would simply offer for formality thus making their sacrifices meaningless.

The people cherished evil and hated good. Isaiah described this situation as turning darkness into light and light into darkness (Isaiah 5:20).

The people of Judah trusted their own wisdom and took themselves to be very clever. For this reason, they ignored God in their daily lives.

The women were too proud that they could walk with their noses high in the air and kept on flirting. For this, the Lord would punish them by shaving their heads for them to be bald (Isaiah 3: 16ft).

The people had become unrepentant. Because of this, they had failed to turn back to their God even though he had punished them enough (Isaiah 9: 13).

The people of Judah turned and listened to fore tellers and mediums to know about their future instead of trusting in the Lord (Isaiah 8: 19).

Besides, the people of Judah asked for messages from the spirits and consulted the dead on behalf of the living (Isaiah 8: 19)

The people took Yahweh for granted and continued offering sacrifices to him despite their sinfulness. They thought that Yahweh could forgive them because of their chosen status (Isaiah 1: 11-14).

The rulers and the people of Judah were like those of Sodom and Gomorrah. They deserved to be punished for their immorality (Isaiah 1: 10).

Isaiah noted that the people had become murderers. He said that their hands were covered with blood yet they continued to lift them up in prayer. For this, reason the Lord would not listen to them (Isaiah 1: 15).

Isaiah accused the leaders of being rebels and friends of thieves. It was for this reason that they were accepting gifts and bribes (Isaiah 1: 23).

There was cheating and over charging among the people of Judah. They were using false measures and weighing scales to rob their customers.

The land of Judah was full of idol worship. They worshipped trees and objects they had made with their own hands. For this reason, they would be sorry for having done so. Everyone would be humiliated and disgraced (Isaiah 1 :29 and 2:8-9).

The people had entered in alliance with foreign pagan nations like Assyria. Isaiah showed them that this was lack of trust in Yahweh's protection.

The people of Judah were greedy. The rich continued to buy more houses and fields to add on what they already had (Isaiah 5:8 ff).

The people of Judah were over drinking wine that Isaiah referred to them as "Heroes of the wine bottle" They would get up early in the morning to start drinking and would spend long evenings getting drunk (Isaiah 5: 11-12 &24)

The poor and the weak were being exploited by the rich people. The orphans and widows were oppressed. To this, Isaiah urged the people to give such people back their rights.

The people of Judah were involved in prejudice. However, Isaiah said that their prejudices would be held against them (Isaiah 3:9).

Money lenders oppressed the people of God. To worsen the situation, their creditors cheated them (Isaiah 3: 12).

Revision Questions

1.          Discuss the circumstances which led to Isaiah's prophesies to the people of Judah.

2.          What lesson can Christians today learn from his prophesies?

3.          Comment on the evils Isaiah condemned during his time.

4.          Examine the importance of his condemnation to Christians today.

5.          Justify God's judgement and punishment on Judah during Isaiah's time

6.          Account for Isaiah's accusation against the people of Judah

THE SONG (PARABLE) OF THE VINEYARD

(Isaiah 5: 1 ff)

Isaiah understood and summarized the relationship between God and the people of Judah in a song of the vineyard.

Isaiah called upon the people to listen to his song. The song was about his friend who had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.

The friend dug the soil and cleared it of stones in preparation for planting his finest vines which he later 'did.

The friend also built a tower to guard the vines from thieves and dug a pit for treading the grapes.

The farmer waited for the grapes to ripen but every grape was sour to his disappointment. The farmer asked the people living in Jerusalem and Judah to judge between him and his vineyard.

The farmer wondered whether there was anything he had failed to do for his vineyard for it to produce sour grapes instead of the good ones he had expected.

For having produced sour grapes, the farmer promised to take away the hedge round the vineyard.

The farmer also promised to break down the wall that protected his vineyard. The farmer would let the wild animals to eat his vineyard and trample it down.

He would let his vineyard be overgrown with weeds and neither would he 'prune or hoe the ground.    

The farmer promised to forbid the clouds from letting the rain fall on his vineyard.

THE INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH'S SONG OF VINEYARD

The friend referred to in the song was the Lord Almighty and the God of Israel.

The vineyard meant the people of Israel whom God had chosen and made his special people.

The people of Judah were the vines that the friend of Isaiah planted in his vineyard.

The fertile hill of the farmer meant the land of Canaan which God had promised and given to his people.

Like a farmer digging the soil and clearing it of stones, God had carefully chosen and prepared his people to live in the Canaan land.

The planting of the finest vines meant that God had given and settled Israel in the Canaan as their permanent possession.

By building a tower to guard his finest vines meant God's protection over his chosen people from their enemies.

Besides, the building of the tower meant that God was watching of the people of Israel as they settled in the Promised Land.

As the farmer waited for the grapes to ripen, God also waited to see his own people settle in the land he had given them.

However, as every grape turned out to be sour, the people of Israel became rebellious and sinful.

The judgement the farmer called for meant that judgement would fall onto the people of Israel for having misbehaved.

As the farmer wondered what he had failed to do for his vineyard, God' was expressing his disappointment to the people he had done everything for their wellbeing,

The good grapes the farmer expected meant that God expected good conduct from the people of Israel. They had to be faithful to him, loyal and morally upright.

The removal of the hedge round the vineyard and the breaking of the wall protecting it meant God withdrawing his protection over his own people.

When the farmer promised to let the wild animals eat and trample his vineyard, God had exposed his own people to their enemies.

At the same time, God was determined to leave his own people in their fallen state in the hands of their enemies as he promised to let the vineyard be overgrown with weeds.

Besides, it meant that God had abandoned his people symbolized by the farmer promising never to prune his vines or hoe the ground.

In addition, God would withdraw his blessings from his people as the farmer promised to forbid the clouds to let rain fall on his vineyard.

Revision Questions

1.    Comment on Isaiah I s song of the vineyard.

2.    Analyze the meaning of Isaiah I s song of the vine yard in Chapter 5.

3.    Examine the significance of parables as used in the New Testament.