Introduction
C. The analogy of wild grapes ch. 5
This is the third and last of Isaiah’s introductory oracles. The first one (ch. 1) introduced the book as a whole by presenting major themes with which the prophet proceeded to deal in chapters 2-66. The second, chiastic one (chs. 2-4), presented the tension between what God intended Israel to be, and what she had become. This third prophetic sermon (ch. 5) was a clever presentation of the present condition of Israel in Isaiah’s day and its consequences. It starts out deceptively as a casual song, transforms into a courtroom drama, and ends with pure condemnation. Isaiah lured his listeners into hearing him with a sweet song and then proceeded to burn them with fiery preaching.
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