But greed does things to some men, turns their souls black as midnight.”
–James Leonard (One-Eyed Jack Reaper)
“For the wicked are proud of their evil desires; the greedy curse and reject the LORD.”
–Psalm 10:3 (HCSB)
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“God’s threats are designed to be trumpet calls that awaken us from our spiritual stupor, to shake us free of our drunken iniquity, and to sober us up, to open our eyes to our sins so that we fall on our knees, confess those sins, and receive the never-ending mercy of God in Jesus Christ.”
–Chad Bird
Before looking at the first “woe” of Isaiah 5, I want us to look at an important statement by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Some will proclaim regarding Isaiah, “that’s Old Testament, it doesn’t pertain to us.” But Lloyd-Jones takes a more truthful and thoughtful approach. “Israel is a pattern or an example which God set before the whole human race in order to convey His great message that men and women, in their rebellion against God, are ignorant of their own true nature, they are irrational and perverse and, finally, they are utterly without excuse. The only hope for them is to realise all this before it is too late and repent and turn back to God lest His wrath should descend upon them.”
Woe to us!
.8 Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.
.9 The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing: “Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.
.10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a home of seed shall yield but an ephah.
–Isaiah 5:8-10 (ESV)
To have a better understanding, the TLB says, “An acre of vineyard will not produce a gallon of juice! Ten bushels of seed will yield a one-bushel crop!” (verse 10)
Greed and materialism depicts the first woe. Before going on further, “woe” is not a feeling bad enough to just go eat some worms. No, it is a dire warning of ruinous trouble, calamity, and affliction. Many declare that real life consists of money, wealth, and the amount of possessions one has. “More, give me more!” The warning comes–“WOE!”
It has been said that “it takes money to make money,” and there may be some truth in that statement, but it is not done at the expense of one’s character or at the expense of someone else. It is not done by fraud, swindle, extortion, or cheating. The words to an old song came to mind, “If I had his money, I could do things my way…”. (Jack Rhodes). In other words, the lack of contentment and satisfaction with your lot in life and the covetous attitude of wanting someone else’s and more, more, more.
What is it then that makes a person? The size of their house, the car they drive, their bank account, their fashion-designer? “What a conception of life!” declares Lloyd-Jones, who continues, “That non-Christian view of life makes us small creatures, it estimates us and judges us in terms of goods and the things that we possess, and knows nothing about our soul, our spirit, and what links us to God and the possibilities of eternity.”
When a person is identified by their possession then they are a slave. Jesus reminds us, “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” (Luke 12:23, ESV) If you are controlled by greed you will never have enough. If you are not content with the life you are living, joy will forever be escaping you. “The selfish spirit that comes in is an expression of this godless materialistic outlook upon the whole of life.” (Lloyd-Jones)
The end result of the materialistic lifestyle is that God will turn it all to desolation. Let us remember and heed the words of our Lord in Matthew 6:19, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” (ESV). He continues with 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (ESV). “You will have enough, and more than enough, to satisfy you while you are in this life; you will have started with your soul, you will be right with God, and you will therefore succeed in time, you will succeed in death, you will succeed throughout the countless ages of eternity.” (Lloyd-Jones) Perhaps we should grasp onto the the idea of Jeremiah Burroughs that he presents in his wonderful book, “The Rare-Jewel of Christian Contentment,” “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every direction.”
Woe unto you who are greedy and materialistic in your approach to life. Destruction will be your lot. The soul will not be satisfied. Dryness of spirit will come and there will be no inner harvest.