Isaiah Chapter 5:18-19: The Six Sins of Stinky Fruit Part 3. Arrogance
The third sin Isaiah calls out is an arrogance where sin is thrown back in the face of God, daring Him to respond:
“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity,
and sin as though with cart ropes.
Who say, ‘Let His work hasten,
let it speed that we may see it;
let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near,
let it come that we may see it.’”
This passage is a little harder to understand in its poetic form and imagery. Basically, the people are binding themselves to sin, as with cords or even ropes. J. Alec Mounce says this indicates a progression of sin, where threads are small but cart ropes are bigger, stronger, and more binding. In any case, the arrogance lies in the attitude of the sinners. They dare God to intervene and assume that He will not. Their sins will go unpunished in their minds.
This too is an all too familiar situation in our day. People have embraced the idea that there is no God, no consequence to their actions, no objective morality. Whatever anyone wants to do is fine. The individual—driven by the pursuit of pleasure and happiness—determines what is good and right. At most, a cultural consensus determines what is right, but there is no rhyme or reason to it. Merely one example would be the way people want sexual freedom and to not be bound by “Victorian attitudes,” yet condemn (some) people who do so from positions of power. They fail to realize that there is no victimless sexual immorality.
Things have gotten dire indeed, when sin is our pursuit!
“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity,
and sin as though with cart ropes.
Who say, ‘Let His work hasten,
let it speed that we may see it;
let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near,
let it come that we may see it.’”
This passage is a little harder to understand in its poetic form and imagery. Basically, the people are binding themselves to sin, as with cords or even ropes. J. Alec Mounce says this indicates a progression of sin, where threads are small but cart ropes are bigger, stronger, and more binding. In any case, the arrogance lies in the attitude of the sinners. They dare God to intervene and assume that He will not. Their sins will go unpunished in their minds.
This too is an all too familiar situation in our day. People have embraced the idea that there is no God, no consequence to their actions, no objective morality. Whatever anyone wants to do is fine. The individual—driven by the pursuit of pleasure and happiness—determines what is good and right. At most, a cultural consensus determines what is right, but there is no rhyme or reason to it. Merely one example would be the way people want sexual freedom and to not be bound by “Victorian attitudes,” yet condemn (some) people who do so from positions of power. They fail to realize that there is no victimless sexual immorality.
Things have gotten dire indeed, when sin is our pursuit!
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