TODAY’S DAILY BIBLE VERSE

April 8, 2025

Isaiah chapter 5 verses 11 and 12: Isaiah chapter 5 verses 11 and 12:

11: Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! 12: And the harp, and the viol (vee-ol), the tabret (tab-ret), and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.

VERSE CONTEXT

These two verses form the second “woe” in Isaiah’s series of judgments found in chapter 5, spoken by the prophet Isaiah to the people of Judah in the eighth century B.C. This woe is directed not merely at those who drink, but at those whose lives are governed by the pursuit of intoxication. The phrase “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink” brings immediate judgment upon those whose first desire upon waking is for strong drink. The term “strong drink” here refers to a highly intoxicating fermented beverage stronger than ordinary wine—often similar to what we would call liquor or hard alcohol. It is associated in Scripture not with occasional consumption but with habitual abuse and loss of control. This isn’t simply about having a drink; it’s about being mastered by the desire for it, placing pleasure before God from the very start of the day.

Isaiah continues: “that continue until night, till wine inflame them.” This draws a full-day picture of indulgence: from morning to night, they chase the pleasure of alcohol. The phrase “wine inflame them” uses the image of a fire being kindled—to inflame means to set ablaze or consume. Here it describes how the wine stirs up their passions and carries them into reckless behavior. The physical intoxication is only part of the problem; the deeper issue is the spiritual dullness and loss of self-control that comes with it. John Calvin (1509–1564, Reformed) noted that this verse reveals a people “so besotted by pleasure that they have drowned all sense of duty and shame,” and he argued that this is a sign of a heart that has cast off restraint.

Verse 12 paints a fuller scene of this unholy lifestyle: “And the harp, and the viol (vee-ol), the tabret (tab-ret), and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts.” Isaiah is not condemning instruments or music itself—the harp, viol (vee-ol) (a stringed instrument like a lyre), tabret (tab-ret) (a type of hand drum or tambourine), and pipe (a wind instrument like a flute)—were often used in festive celebrations and even in temple worship. But here, they are used in self-centered banquets, not for God’s glory, but for selfish enjoyment. The verse pictures a scene of parties filled with music, wine, and laughter—while entirely ignoring the holiness of life and the presence of God. The key issue isn’t the sound of music but the heart of the feast. These were pleasure feasts, not thanksgiving feasts. Their gatherings were sensuous rather than sacred.

The indictment closes with a devastating line: “but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.” To “regard” something means to look upon it with care and reverence. But instead of acknowledging the Lord’s hand in their lives, they have chosen to ignore it. The “operation of his hands” refers to God’s visible actions—His providence in creation, His judgment, and His ongoing care for Israel. The people of Judah were so focused on their entertainment and indulgence that they had lost all sense of God’s active role in their world. Matthew Henry (1662–1714, Presbyterian) observed that their sin was not simply drunkenness, but a kind of “atheism of the heart”—living as if God did not exist, even while enjoying the blessings of His creation.

What makes this more tragic is that these people were part of God’s covenant nation. They knew His law. They had access to His prophets. They had seen His works in history. And yet they filled their days with drink and music and celebration, never once lifting their eyes to heaven. Albert Barnes (1798–1870, Presbyterian) commented that this passage strikes at “the luxury and thoughtlessness of a people hardened by prosperity,” noting that the problem is not just personal sin, but a cultural decay where pleasure becomes more important than righteousness.

Spiritually, this reveals a society whose heart has grown numb. They wake up to chase liquor, stay drunk all day, and fill their nights with loud music—and all the while, they do not even pause to consider that it is God who gave them breath, rain, crops, family, and the very wine they abuse. Their sin is rooted in forgetting God.

This passage stands as a warning not just against drunkenness, but against any lifestyle so consumed with pleasure and distraction that it forgets the hand of God in everything. This is why Isaiah calls out this behavior with a prophetic woe. It’s not about condemning pleasure—it’s about calling people back to reverence, to awareness, and to worship.

BROADER CONTEXT

The verses we’re studying—Isaiah chapter 5 verses 11 and 12—are part of a longer prophetic indictment that stretches through the entire fifth chapter. Isaiah, speaking by the Spirit of God, issues a series of six “woes” against the people of Judah, highlighting the moral and spiritual decay that had spread through the nation. These woes are not random; they follow a logical and moral progression, demonstrating how once a nation forsakes God’s righteousness, it falls into personal sin, then public sin, then systemic sin, and finally faces divine judgment. The warning is not just about individuals who sin, but about a culture that embraces sin as normal.

The first seven verses of this chapter are framed as a parable of a vineyard, where Isaiah uses poetic imagery to describe how God carefully prepared and planted Israel as His vineyard. He did everything right—cleared the land, planted good vines, built a watchtower, and protected it. But instead of yielding good fruit, it brought forth wild grapes—a metaphor for corrupt behavior and injustice. This imagery mirrors the Lord’s covenant care for Israel and their shocking rebellion in return. As Isaiah chapter 5 verse 4 says: “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?” This rhetorical question emphasizes that the fault lies not in the Gardener but in the vine—Israel.

Following this parable, Isaiah pronounces six specific woes. The second one, found in verses 11 and 12, confronts the sin of drunkenness and self-indulgence, as we’ve explored. But when viewed in the full arc of chapter 5, it becomes clear that Isaiah is warning about more than alcohol—it’s about the callousness of a people who seek pleasure over holiness, distraction over devotion, and entertainment over obedience. The people are not atheists; they are spiritual adulterers—numb to the sacred, obsessed with the sensual. This attitude becomes the foundation for the other woes: greed (verse 8), moral inversion (verse 20), pride (verse 21), and corrupt justice (verse 23). All are symptoms of a people who have “cast away the law of the Lord of hosts” as Isaiah later says in verse 24.

Isaiah’s audience here is Judah, the southern kingdom. This prophecy is likely set during the reign of King Uzziah or shortly thereafter. During this time, Judah enjoyed relative economic success and political stability, but the wealth came with spiritual compromise. The prosperity they enjoyed dulled their sense of dependence on God. Worship became hollow, and the people gave themselves over to luxury, sensuality, and lawlessness—justifying sin and silencing truth. The Temple still stood. Sacrifices still happened. But the heart of the people was far from the Lord.

This chapter serves as a warning that God’s patience with sin is not endless. Verse 25 declares that “the anger of the Lord is kindled against his people.” Eventually, His judgment would come in the form of foreign invasion, devastation, and exile—a prophecy that would come true less than two centuries later with the Babylonian conquest. But Isaiah’s message was meant to awaken the people before that happened. He spoke with urgency and grief, not delighting in their judgment but longing for their repentance.

Zooming out even further, the book of Isaiah as a whole is structured in two major movements. Chapters 1–39 emphasize judgment, while chapters 40–66 emphasize comfort and restoration. Chapter 5 falls within that first section, where Isaiah is pleading with the nation to see the consequences of their rebellion before it’s too late. Yet even in these hard words, there is an invitation: if they would just open their eyes, if they would just “regard the work of the Lord” and “consider the operation of his hands,” they could turn back and be healed.

From a theological standpoint, these verses reflect several core truths:

• God is not indifferent to sin.
• Cultural corruption begins in the heart but spreads when leaders and people normalize wickedness.
• There is a connection between sensual indulgence and spiritual blindness.
• Judgment is not cruel; it is just, especially when it follows repeated divine warnings.

The New Testament picks up this thread in multiple places. For example, Paul writes in First Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 7: “For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.” He contrasts the behavior of the children of light with those of darkness—again using drunkenness as a metaphor for spiritual unawareness. Similarly, Jesus warns in Luke chapter 21 verse 34: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life…” showing that the dangers of indulgence weren’t just for ancient Israel—they’re for all people in all generations.

Isaiah chapter 5 verses 11 and 12 therefore stand not only as a diagnosis of Judah’s condition but as a timeless warning to every generation. The people were too busy feasting to fear, too full of wine to worship, and too wrapped up in entertainment to ever consider eternity. And that blindness would cost them everything.

APPLICATION

Appreciating God’s Greatness

This passage reveals God’s greatness through the clarity of His holiness and the justice of His character. He is not distant or indifferent to how His people live. The fact that He sends a prophet like Isaiah to speak directly against drunkenness and spiritual apathy shows that God sees everything—from private habits to public festivals. His greatness is not only seen in power or creation but in His moral perfection and relational involvement. He is not a silent observer of sin but a holy and righteous Judge who holds people accountable for how they treat His gifts. God gave Judah the vineyard, the rain, the music, the harvest, and the wine, but they used those very gifts to forget Him. What makes God so great in this passage is His mercy to warn them before He judges them. He is long-suffering, patient, and deeply committed to truth. The greatness of God is displayed in how He calls His people to wake up—He doesn’t abandon them to destruction without a voice. This is a King who confronts because He cares.

For the Believer

For believers, this passage serves as a sharp but needed reminder about the dangers of spiritual distraction. It is very easy, especially in times of peace and prosperity, to begin placing comfort, pleasure, and entertainment above God. While wine may not be the literal idol in every believer’s life, the principle behind this woe speaks to a much broader issue—what do we wake up desiring, and what do we go to bed thinking about? When our days revolve around what pleases the flesh instead of what honors the Lord, we start to fall into the very trap Isaiah condemned. The music, the feasting, the celebrations—none of it was evil on its own. But when the heart becomes obsessed with gathering pleasures and ignoring God, the soul begins to starve. Believers are called to be sober-minded (First Peter chapter 5 verse 8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about…”). We are to live each day aware of God’s presence, seeking His will above our own desires. This passage challenges believers to examine whether our lives are filled with distractions that have made us numb to the operation of God’s hand in our lives.

Call to Action

The call to action here is urgent: Fast from what dulls your awareness of God. If there is a pleasure, habit, or indulgence in your life that is pushing God to the margins of your heart—cut it off before it cuts off your spiritual clarity. Rise in the morning with prayer, not personal gratification. End the day with thanksgiving, not with numbing entertainment. Ask daily: “Have I regarded the work of the Lord today?” Take time to truly see God’s hand in your family, in your provision, in your convictions, and in the way He disciplines and guides you. Let Isaiah’s warning be a safeguard—not just against drunkenness, but against letting comfort replace commitment.

For the Unbeliever

For those who do not yet know God, these verses are not just a judgment—they are a mirror. God is showing what life looks like when He is not considered. The people of Judah partied, drank, laughed, and sang—but they were blind to the One who gave them breath. This is the danger of living without a relationship with the living God. Life becomes a series of pleasures with no purpose. When the music stops and the wine runs out, what is left? What Isaiah is offering is not condemnation without hope—he’s offering a chance to look up. To see that the blessings in your life—the sun, the rain, the food, the joy—come from a Creator who loves you and calls you to Himself. Ignoring Him doesn’t change the truth. He is still there, still holy, and still calling you to repentance. Acts chapter 17 verse 30 says: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.” This is your opportunity—not to entertain your way to the grave, but to repent and find the joy of knowing the One who gives all things richly to enjoy (First Timothy chapter 6 verse 17).

FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT

Isaiah chapter 5 verses 11 and 12 are more than just a rebuke against drunkenness—they are a piercing reminder that the gifts of life can become distractions when we forget the Giver. God is not opposed to joy or music or celebration; He created those things. But when they replace our reverence, when they become the center of our life instead of expressions of worship, they lead us into spiritual blindness. These verses are a loving wake-up call—a cry from the heart of a holy God who desires to be known, regarded, and honored. Whether you’re a believer needing to reset your priorities, or someone who has never truly looked up to consider the hand of God, the message is the same: Open your eyes. Look upon His works. Consider His hand. Turn back before it’s too late.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, We thank You for Your mercy to warn us when our hearts wander. Thank You for the reminder that joy without You is empty, and pleasure without purpose leaves the soul hollow. Help us to rise each day with a hunger for righteousness instead of indulgence. Help us to recognize the distractions that steal our attention from You. Make us sober-minded, not just in body but in spirit—eager to see Your hand at work, to consider Your will in all things. Forgive us when we have filled our lives with noise and forgotten to listen for Your voice. Open our eyes to the operation of Your hands and stir in us a holy awe for Your greatness. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

CLOSING

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Shalom Shalom.