WEBVTT - Isaiah 5

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

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<v Speaker 1>walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. You're listening

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<v Speaker 1>to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. I'm John Stonge

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<v Speaker 1>and today we're in Isaiah chapter 5 and we'll be

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<v Speaker 1>reading from the Contemporary English Version. The Lord said, I

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<v Speaker 1>will sing a song about my friend's vineyard that was

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<v Speaker 1>on the side of a fertile hill. My friend dug

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<v Speaker 1>the ground, removed the stones, and planted the best vines.

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<v Speaker 1>He built a watchtower and dug a pit in rocky

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<v Speaker 1>ground for pressing the grapes. He hoped they would be sweet,

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<v Speaker 1>but bitter grapes were all it produced. Listen, people of

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<v Speaker 1>Jerusalem and of Judah. You be the judge of me

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<v Speaker 1>and my vineyard. What more could I have done for

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<v Speaker 1>my vineyard? I hoped for sweet grapes, but bitter grapes

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<v Speaker 1>were all that grew. Now I will let you know

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<v Speaker 1>what I am going to do. I will cut down

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<v Speaker 1>the hedge and tear down the wall. My vineyard will

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<v Speaker 1>be trampled and left in ruins. It will turn into

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<v Speaker 1>a desert, neither pruned nor hoed. It will be covered

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<v Speaker 1>with thorns and briars. I will command the clouds not

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<v Speaker 1>to send rain. I am the Lord all-powerful. Israel is

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<v Speaker 1>the vineyard, and Judah is the garden I tended with care.

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<v Speaker 1>I had hoped for honesty and for justice, but dishonesty

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<v Speaker 1>and cries for mercy were all I found. You are

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<v Speaker 1>in for trouble. You take over house after house and

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<v Speaker 1>field after field until there is no room left for

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<v Speaker 1>anyone else in all the land. But the Lord All-Powerful

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<v Speaker 1>has made this promise to me. Those large and beautiful

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<v Speaker 1>homes will be left empty with no one to take

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<v Speaker 1>care of them. Ten acres of grapevines will produce only

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<v Speaker 1>six gallons of juice, and five bushels of seed will

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<v Speaker 1>produce merely a half bushel of grain. You are in

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<v Speaker 1>for trouble. You get up early to start drinking, and

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<v Speaker 1>you keep it up late into the night. At your

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<v Speaker 1>drinking parties, you have the music of stringed instruments, tambourines,

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<v Speaker 1>and flutes. But you never even think about all the

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<v Speaker 1>Lord has done, and so His people know nothing about Him.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why many of you will be dragged off to

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<v Speaker 1>foreign lands. Your leaders will starve to death, and everyone

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<v Speaker 1>else will suffer from thirst. The world of the dead

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<v Speaker 1>has opened its mouth wide and is eagerly waiting for

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<v Speaker 1>the leaders of Jerusalem and for its noisy crowds, especially

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<v Speaker 1>for those who take pride in that city. Its citizens

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<v Speaker 1>have been put down and its proud people have been

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<v Speaker 1>brought to shame. But the Holy Lord God, all-powerful, is

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<v Speaker 1>praised because He has shown who He is by bringing justice.

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<v Speaker 1>His people will be like sheep grazing in their own pasture,

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<v Speaker 1>and they will take off what was left by others.

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<v Speaker 1>You are in for trouble. The lies you tell are

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<v Speaker 1>like ropes by which you drag along sin and evil.

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<v Speaker 1>And you say, let the holy God of Israel hurry

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<v Speaker 1>up and do what he has promised, so we can

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<v Speaker 1>see it for ourselves. You are headed for trouble. You

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<v Speaker 1>say wrong is right, darkness is light, and bitter is sweet.

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<v Speaker 1>You think you are clever and smart, and you are

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<v Speaker 1>great at drinking and mixing drinks, but you are in

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<v Speaker 1>for trouble. You accept bribes to let the guilty go free,

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<v Speaker 1>and you cheat the innocent out of a fair trial.

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<v Speaker 1>You will go up in flames like straw and hay.

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<v Speaker 1>You have rejected the teaching of the Holy Lord God,

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<v Speaker 1>all-powerful of Israel. Now your roots will rot, and your

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<v Speaker 1>blossoms will turn to dust. You are the Lord's people,

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<v Speaker 1>but you made him terribly angry, and he struck you

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<v Speaker 1>with his mighty arm. Mountains shook, and dead bodies covered

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<v Speaker 1>the streets like garbage. The Lord is still angry, and

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<v Speaker 1>he is ready to strike you again. The Lord has

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<v Speaker 1>signaled for the foreign nations to come and attack you.

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<v Speaker 1>He has already whistled, and they are coming as fast

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<v Speaker 1>as they can. None of them are tired. They don't

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<v Speaker 1>sleep or get drowsy. And they run without stumbling. Their

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<v Speaker 1>belts don't come loose. Their sandal straps don't break. Their

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<v Speaker 1>arrows are sharp. And their bows are ready. The hoofs

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<v Speaker 1>of their horses are hard as flint. The wheels of

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<v Speaker 1>their war chariots turn as fast as a whirlwind. They

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<v Speaker 1>roar and growl like fierce young lions as they grab

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<v Speaker 1>their victims and drag them off where no one can

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<v Speaker 1>rescue them. On the day they attack, They will roar

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<v Speaker 1>like the ocean, and across the land you will see

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<v Speaker 1>nothing but darkness and trouble, because the light of day

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<v Speaker 1>will be covered by thick clouds. Let's pray. Lord, we

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<v Speaker 1>thank you for your word, and we thank you for

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<v Speaker 1>the privilege of knowing you through faith in your Son,

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<v Speaker 1>Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord, for the fact that

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<v Speaker 1>when we look at this portion of Scripture, we can

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<v Speaker 1>see all the different ways that you were choosing to

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<v Speaker 1>care for and to take care of Israel, all the

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<v Speaker 1>things that you had done for them, and all the

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<v Speaker 1>ways that you had chosen to bless them. But, Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>they got to a point where they began to idolize

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<v Speaker 1>your blessings and take them for granted. And as a result,

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<v Speaker 1>their lives were not producing fruit. Instead of remembering you,

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<v Speaker 1>they were ignoring you. and unrighteousness was reigning in their lives. Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>it's very easy for us to do the same exact thing,

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<v Speaker 1>to become so used to the blessings that we have

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<v Speaker 1>received in your Son, Jesus Christ, that we forget about you,

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<v Speaker 1>and that we go about our way, and that instead

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<v Speaker 1>of testifying to your goodness, we find ourselves consumed with

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<v Speaker 1>the things of this world and the pleasures of this earth,

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<v Speaker 1>when we know that there are better things that our

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<v Speaker 1>minds and our hearts should be focused on. So Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>please help us with these things. Help us to put

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<v Speaker 1>Jesus first in our lives. Help us, Lord, to trust

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<v Speaker 1>you completely and help us to walk with you faithfully

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<v Speaker 1>in every context you place us in. We love you, Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>and we thank you for your presence with us today.

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<v Speaker 1>We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.