After this the Spirit of
God begins to plead with the people, taking two distinct
grounds—namely, that which God had done for His
people, and the coming of Jehovah in the Person of Christ
in glory. Had the people made a suitable return to the
care which Jehovah had lavished upon them? Were they in a
condition to receive Jehovah in their midst? Chapter 5
takes up the first question, which addresses itself to
the responsibility of the people, in view of the care and
the government of God. What could He have done for His
vine that He had not done? It has produced Him but wild
grapes. He makes known the consequences of this according
to His righteous government. His hedge, the protection
with which He had surrounded it, shall be taken away, and
it shall be left a prey to the ravages of the heathen.
God, in pleading with Israel, shews them their sins in
detail. Then His hand is stretched forth against His
people, and terrible judgments fall upon them.
Nevertheless, "His anger is not turned away, but his
hand is stretched out still." He will bring mighty
strangers against them, whose progress nothing can
arrest, who will carry the people into captivity. There
shall be sorrow and mourning in the land, and the light
of their heavens shall be darkened. In the first instance
this will be Nebuchadnezzar, and even Sennacherib but
still more fully will it be the nations that come against
Jerusalem in the last days, and capture it, after having
overrun and invaded all the land. We shall have the
details of this farther on.
Isaiah 5 Bible Commentary
John Darby’s Synopsis
After this the Spirit of God begins to plead with the people, taking two distinct grounds—namely, that which God had done for His people, and the coming of Jehovah in the Person of Christ in glory. Had the people made a suitable return to the care which Jehovah had lavished upon them? Were they in a condition to receive Jehovah in their midst? Chapter 5 takes up the first question, which addresses itself to the responsibility of the people, in view of the care and the government of God. What could He have done for His vine that He had not done? It has produced Him but wild grapes. He makes known the consequences of this according to His righteous government. His hedge, the protection with which He had surrounded it, shall be taken away, and it shall be left a prey to the ravages of the heathen. God, in pleading with Israel, shews them their sins in detail. Then His hand is stretched forth against His people, and terrible judgments fall upon them. Nevertheless, "His anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still." He will bring mighty strangers against them, whose progress nothing can arrest, who will carry the people into captivity. There shall be sorrow and mourning in the land, and the light of their heavens shall be darkened. In the first instance this will be Nebuchadnezzar, and even Sennacherib but still more fully will it be the nations that come against Jerusalem in the last days, and capture it, after having overrun and invaded all the land. We shall have the details of this farther on.