Verse 8: “Woe to the one who joins house to house and field to field until there is no more room, that you can dwell by yourselves in the midst of the land.”

Woe: A word which implies how awful something’s going to be unless there is a quick change.

Joins house to house and field to field: Talking of those who brought home after home and land after land in order to make their own estate large.

Dwell by yourselves: Dwelling in isolation is not good for us.

Verse 9: “In the ears of the Lord of hosts: There will be many homes that are for desolation, and those that are big and good there will be none dwelling in them.”

Many homes … are for desolation These people took home after home away from the poor – ignoring their poverty.

As a result, a time is coming when the big and beautiful homes are also going to face God’s judgment and they are going to stand empty. No one will dwell in them (the homes in Israel were emptied when the people went into exile, into captivity).

Verse 10: “For ten acres of a vineyard will only make one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield one ephah.”

Acres…bath…homer…ephah: These are all units of measurement.

Note: Although they planted much only a very small measurement of the produce was able to be reaped.

Verse 11: “Woe to those who get up early and pursue after drink, who continue until night until wine inflames them.”

Verse 12: “And there shall be the violin and the harp and the drum and the flute, and there will be wine at their banquet; but to the activity of the Lord they do not look, they do not notice the work of His hands.”

The violin and the harp and the drum and the flute: These instruments were supposed to make music unto the Lord – to glorify, praise and thank him. Instead, they were being used for personal parties and self-gratification.

Banquets: This is not referring to the Biblical feasts, but to personal parties or banquets.

Do not look: They do not pay attention to what God is doing.

They do not notice the work of His hands: They are not interested in God – they are neither interested in what He is doing nor in what He has done. What motivates these people is their strong drink, their wine, their parties. They delight in doing what pleases themselves,
rather than doing those things which are pleasing to God. Although Isaiah’s prophecy first and foremost affected the people in his day it still has ramifications for us, as it teaches us principles that will be most relevant in the last days.

Verse 13: “Therefore My people are exiled without knowledge; their honourable men are dying of hunger, and their multitude dried up with thirst.”

Therefore: This is going to happen to them as a consequence of God’s displeasure with them.

My people are exiled: Although this was yet future in Isaiah’s day it is written in the past tense. God had already made His decision (based on their rejection of His Word, their assimilation into the ways of the nations etc) and was not going to change His mind. This
exile was as good as done.

Exiled: This meant that the people would be leaving the land of Israel. When Israel is in the land, obeying God’s Word and serving Him, His program goes forward.

When Israel is disobedient or rebellious then God causes them to leave the land and His program goes on hold. For almost 2000 years Israel was out of the land of Israel. After 2000 years they once again became a nation – on the 14th May 1948 (Isaiah 66:8)

Knowledge: This implies knowledge that is provided or given to a person as a result of serving, as a result of obedience, as a result and outcome of faithfully carrying out the will of God. They were going to go into exile without this understanding.

Honourable men: God’s purpose for them was that they would be instruments of His truth and demonstrate His glory.

Dying of hunger…dried up with thirst: God had a different call for these people, He had a different purpose for them, and He wanted a different result. However, their rebellion, lack of faithfulness and rejection of His call, caused what should have been glorious to die – the
exact opposite of what God intended to place upon them.