Greetings, dear friends,
Today, let’s examine the woe that God pronounces to the Israelites through the prophet Isaiah:
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness,
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
— Isaiah 5:20
It is worth noting that this is the fourth in a series of woes laid down by the prophet.
The first woe addresses the greediness of the people of the land. This pronouncement is against those who care only for themselves and seek to add more wealth at the expense of others.
Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field,
Until there is no more room,
So that you have to live alone in the midst of the land!
— Isaiah 5:8
The second woe is directed towards those who immerse themselves in the pleasures and cares of this world, centering their lives on achieving pleasure and turning to strong drink even early in the morning.
Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink,
Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them!
— Isaiah 5:11
The third woe is directed at those who pursue and participate in all manner of sin.
Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of worthlessness,
And sin as if with cart ropes,
— Isaiah 5:18
Following these three woes, the prophet now turns his attention to those who confuse the distinction between evil and morality.
Before we explore this further, it’s important to understand what the word “woe” means. The Hebrew word used here is an exclamation of great concern. It is the word ‘hôy,’ which can mean: ah!, alas!, ha!, ho!, O!, woe! The English word ‘woe’ evokes great sorrow or distress (often used hyperbolically). Simply put, every time we see this word in Scripture, it is attached to a great warning or judgment.
Looking closer at this warning shows us some very particular realities about the ways we might find ourselves falling into this confusion.
1. Calling evil good and good evil
The first part of this fourth woe has to do with neglecting clear conscience and conviction. This is the state of the heart that ignores clear morality and, in its place, pursues wickedness.
Paul’s indictment to the Romans states that the law of God is written even for those who did not receive the law through Moses. Because of this, all men come to the awareness of what is good and what is evil.
For when Gentiles who do not have the Law naturally do the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they demonstrate the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,
— Romans 2:14-15
This distinction between good and evil is quite clear. Many times, we act as though the line is blurry and there is no clear way to know the distinction; however, Scripture tells us that the deeds of the flesh are quite evident:
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
— Galatians 5:19-21
This is not an exhaustive list, but it does a good job of touching on the many groups of things that Scripture considers evil. Furthermore, Paul makes a comment at the end of his list by stating “and things like these,” meaning that anything else that shares characteristics with these can be added to the list.
When the prophet Isaiah declares this woe to the people, he targets those who, despite knowing what is evil, choose to ignore it and even rebrand it as good.
2. Substituting darkness for light and light for darkness
The next target has to do with the despising of knowledge. One commentator states: “Darkness, in the Scriptures, is the emblem of ignorance, error, false doctrine, crime. Light denotes truth, knowledge, piety.” Those who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness are those who neglect the knowledge of God and what has been clearly revealed by God in favor of willful ignorance. Solomon calls these people fools:
The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;
Ignorant fools despise wisdom and discipline.
— Proverbs 1:7
Such people have been blessed with access to the knowledge of truth, yet they choose to remain in darkness. Our Lord describes this as judgment:
And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
— John 3:19
There is a responsibility attached to those who have access to knowledge. The prophet was proclaiming this warning to all those who had been graced with access to knowledge and yet substituted it for darkness.
A good example of such people would be the priests who refused to proclaim the law of God to the people. To this, God said His people are perishing because of the reluctance and negligence of the priests. They substituted light for darkness:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from ministering as My priest.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I Myself also will forget your children.
— Hosea 4:6
Like these priests, this woe is targeted at all those who hear and know the truth but reject the word of God or refuse to act upon it.
3. Substituting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter
Here, the bitterness refers to sin. The warning is directed at those who downplay sin, neglecting the holiness of God.
The Scriptures go to great lengths to showcase the holiness of God. One picture we see is the vision of the prophet Isaiah, of the angels in heaven glorifying God:
And one called out to another and said,
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is Yahweh of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory.”
— Isaiah 6:3
Here we see how this particular character of God is raised to the third degree. This is to highlight that, of all God’s characteristics, His holiness stands at the highest position. It stands to reason then, that those who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter launch a direct attack on the holiness of God.
These are serious warnings stated by the prophet, and they are as serious today as they were in his time. It is of utmost importance that we heed these warnings.
Let’s think on these things:
- Do we confuse what is evil for what is good?
- Do we claim ignorance to the light and make excuses for the darkness?
- Do we have an appetite for what is bitter and call it sweet?
I pray that we can heed these warnings and take the word of God seriously in our family lives.
Your brother, Paul
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