Song Of Solomon 5
Isaiah Chapter 5 begins with the prophet Isaiah singing, and it contains a warning from God’s judgment on the people of Israel. Most of this chapter is made up of parables and six prophetic declarations of “Woe.” It describes how God’s judgment will come upon Israel for their disobedience and injustice, showing God’s justice and love at the same time.
1verseI have come into my garden, my sister, my bride. I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Friends Eat, friends! Drink, yes, drink abundantly, beloved.
2verseI was asleep, but my heart was awake. It is the voice of my beloved who knocks: “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; for my head is filled with dew, and my hair with the dampness of the night.”
3verseI have taken off my robe. Indeed, must I put it on? I have washed my feet. Indeed, must I soil them?
4verseMy beloved thrust his hand in through the latch opening. My heart pounded for him.
5verseI rose up to open for my beloved. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the lock.
6verseI opened to my beloved; but my beloved left, and had gone away. My heart went out when he spoke. I looked for him, but I didn’t find him. I called him, but he didn’t answer.
7verseThe watchmen who go about the city found me. They beat me. They bruised me. The keepers of the walls took my cloak away from me.
8verseI adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, that you tell him that I am faint with love.
9verseHow is your beloved better than another beloved, you fairest among women? How is your beloved better than another beloved, that you do so adjure us?
10verseMy beloved is white and ruddy. The best among ten thousand.
11verseHis head is like the purest gold. His hair is bushy, black as a raven.
12verseHis eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, washed with milk, mounted like jewels.
13verseHis cheeks are like a bed of spices with towers of perfumes. His lips are like lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.
14verseHis hands are like rings of gold set with beryl. His body is like ivory work overlaid with sapphires.
15verseHis legs are like pillars of marble set on sockets of fine gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
16verseHis mouth is sweetness; yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem.
The Song of the Vineyard (5:1-7)
Isaiah begins the chapter by singing a song about his beloved and the vineyard: “
‘Beloved’ refers to God, and ‘vineyard’ refers to the people of Israel. Though God chose Israel and cared for them with great devotion, they produced not the good grapes (righteous fruit) that God had expected, but wild grapes (injustice and sin), and Isaiah laments it. This parable symbolizes Israel’s rejection and the resulting judgment.| Vineyard = Israel | God’s special care |
| Expecting good grapes | Righteousness and justice |
| Wild grapes result | Injustice and hypocrisy |
Six Warnings of Judgment (5:8-23)
From verse 8 onward, a message of judgment is proclaimed six times with “Woe.”
- First, greed (verses 8-10): it warns of endless desire to add house to house and field to field.
- Second, pleasure (verses 11-17): it rebukes those who waste their lives chasing pleasure and dissipation and become indifferent to God’s work.
- Third, those who draw in sin (verses 18-19): it rebukes people who delight in sin and ignore God’s judgment.
- Fourth, those who call evil good (verse 20): it reproaches those who overturn moral standards.
- Fifth, pride (verse 21): it warns those who think of themselves as wise and are proud.
- Sixth, bribery and corruption (verses 22-23): it points out the social leaders who abandon justice and fall into corruption and bribery.
This section helps Israel’s society recognize the harm of materialism, moral confusion, indifference, and arrogance that have become widespread.
The Coming of Judgment (5:24-30)
Following the “Woe” declaration, it explains in detail what the results of Israel’s sins and disobedience will be. God’s holy judgment will overthrow injustice, and it foretells that it will come severely through the instruments of judgment (such as foreign armies). The final part ends with a noisy catastrophe, darkness, and chaotic scenes, emphasizing the heavy burden of extreme judgment.
Points for Reflection
- You can reflect on what fruit God expects from your life, and what kind of fruit you are bearing.
- As you think about six warnings that appear in today’s society or in your own life—greed, pleasure, indifference, moral confusion, pride, and injustice—you get an opportunity to examine yourself.
- You can also reflect on how God’s justice and love are revealed together.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- In what areas of life are you courageously checking yourself to see where you are bearing “wild grapes” rather than “good grapes”?
- Within the grace and circumstances God has given, you can plan one concrete practice for today so that you may bear fitting fruit.
- Apply specifically in your daily life how you will display social responsibility, justice, and truthfulness.
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