Isaiah - Verse By Verse | Isaiah

Isaiah - Day 91

versebyverse | September 04, 2008 19:29

Scripture: Isaiah 5:11 (NIV): "Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine."

Thought: To me, making wine consumption a priority is a choice--not a "disease."

Question: Does my life consist in a continual desire to escape?

Perhaps this is the reason that in verse 10 there is only a small amount produced from a 10-acre vineyard! Rather than working hard, the servants are wasting time in "other" activities: drinking wine being at the top of the list. If the "fruits" of our labors are harvested only to bring pleasure and escape from responsibilities, we are a people worthy to receive only what we sow.

This verse has further practical application in a broader sense. There will be only "woe" at the end of this kind of road: a road that indulges the flesh while at the same time deadens the senses. Our entire drug culture would do well to realize that a pursuit of any agent that alters God-given faculties is a sin against the Creator, and will only result in God's vengeful "woes" directed at those who pursue those agents. We will reap what we sow.

God's warnings go out for all the world to read and understand. There is woe to come when we sin in these ways!

Prayer: Creator God, forgive me when I fail You! Heal me from making wrong choices. Lead me to honor You in all that I do. Amen.