Isaiah 5:18-23 – Understanding the deceitfulness of sin

As if holding up six bunches of rotten grapes in Isaiah 5:8-23, God showed six ways how His people had defied His grace. With each of them, He began by pronouncing a “woe.” We saw the first two in verses 8-17 where God denounced their insatiable greed and life of excesses. We all have seen how these two wrongful desires in life had sabotaged the grace of God in people’s life. Hence, we must be careful about how we conduct life.

Now in verses 18-23, Isaiah holds out the remaining four clusters of the rotten grapes with four more “woes.” What does “iniquity being drag by cords of falsehood and sin as if with cart ropes” in verse 18 mean? We have seen picture of a cart being harnessed to a horse and being drawn by it. Now picture sin like a cart being harnessed to a deceived person who is unconsciously drawing it along. This verse tells us that sin is deceitful. It promises more than it can deliver. Sin always seems to make promises of a more fulfilling life but alas, it disappoints and leaves one empty and dry. Sin always holds one longer than one is willing to stay and makes one pay more dearly than one is willing to pay. Here sin is seen deceitfully pulling the people deeper into defying the grace of God. It would not be until God’s judgment kicks in that people would begin to realize their sins. No wonder Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” Let us not be deceived by sin with all its trimmings and glamour and be obliviously pulled into divine judgment. This is how Isaiah presented the third bunch of rotten grapes.   

 

The fourth bunch of rotten grapes that defy God’s grace is found in verse 20. Following the fact that sin is deceitful, this verse tells us that it also makes one incapable of making sound judgment. What is evil is reckoned to be good and vice versa. Darkness is taken for light and light darkness. Bitter is thought to be sweet and sweet bitter. Our fallen tendency seems to have the capacity to make us rationalize sin. Fallen people do have the capacity to give seemingly sound reasons to a sin that is downright wrong. Sin has the capacity to make us illogically logical. Here is a key lesson: Do not justify what is obviously wrong.  

 

In verse 21 we are presented with the fifth thing that can defy the grace of God in life. It is when we become self-conceited and live life with misplaced confidence. Oh, how needful it is for us to deliver ourselves from ourselves! Let us hear the advice from an ancient Persian proverb that says:

He who knows not, and knows not he knows not is a fool, shun him.

He who knows not, and knows he knows not is humble, teach him.

He who knows, and knows not he knows is asleep, wake him.

He who knows, and knows he knows is wise, follow him.

 

Finally, the sixth issue that can defy God’s grace is described in verses 22-23. Here Isaiah highlighted social injustice in Judah that defied the grace of God. The elites of society had no moral courage. They were great at drinking wine but weak at making sound judgment and standing up for the mistreated poor. Only when we embrace God wholeheartedly will we have the moral courage to take the side of those being wronged. There is a need for us to courageously stand up against wrong and bring justice to a situation that had been wrongly adjudicated.   

 

Sin is deceitful and has a way of tripping us up and leading us into the alley of heartaches and needless pains. Worst of all it makes us incapable of sound judgment,  offensive, and obnoxious to God. Like the hymn that advises us to take time to be holy, we need to take time to evaluate ourselves regularly and align our walk according to His Word. We do so to reflect God’s goodness and grace so that other lives could be impacted and be won to Him. Live for God and not for sin!