Isaiah 5:20-24 Complete Jewish Bible
20 Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who change darkness into light
and light into darkness,
who change bitter into sweet
and sweet into bitter!
21 Woe to those seeing themselves as wise,
esteeming themselves as clever.
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,
men whose power goes to mixing strong drinks,
23 who acquit the guilty for bribes
but deny justice to the righteous!
24 Therefore, as fire licks up the stubble,
and the chaff is consumed in the flame;
so their root will rot,
and their flowers scatter like dust;
because they have rejected the Torah
of Adonai-Tzva’ot,
they have despised the word
of the Holy One of Isra’el.
The Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
In the profound words of Isaiah 5:20 (KJV),
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
These potent words serve as a cautionary cry, echoing throughout the ages down into our contemporary society, where moral, justice, injustice, ethical confusion often reigns.
The prophet Isaiah, living in a time of significant societal unrest and moral decline, speaks a timeless to that truth that still resonates today.
The call of evil masquerading as good is a chilling reality we witness all around us. It is not an ancient dilemma but a persistent struggle in our modern world.
We not only observe values being redefined, but a profound shift in perception where behavior deemed unholy is celebrated, and righteousness is scorned.
The darkness, once easily recognized as evil, antithetical to Torah, becomes insidious, creeping in under the guise of acceptance, tolerance, and even love.
Those who stand firm in the truth often find themselves labeled as intolerant or prejudiced, bigoted, for clinging to what the Torah Scripture defines as good.
Understanding this scripture is paramount for the believer.
It calls us to examine our own hearts and minds.
Are there moral areas in our lives where we find ourselves blurred in our moral discernment?
Have we allowed society’s norms to affect our definition of right and wrong, to the point where we are becoming apathetic, totally desensitized to the truth?
Proverbs 4:23 reminds us,
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
We must rigorously safeguard our hearts against the deceptive philosophies that seek to redefine truth.
Genesis 3:1-7 Complete Jewish Bible
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any wild animal which Adonai, God, had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You are not to eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat from the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3 but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, ‘You are neither to eat from it nor touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “It is not true that you will surely die; 5 because God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it had a pleasing appearance and that the tree was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her; and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together to make themselves loincloths.
Isaiah’s sorrowful proclamation—“Woe unto them”—is a heavy warning.
It denotes not just sadness but also impending judgment upon those who arrogantly disrupt the created order established by God.
When we place ourselves in opposition to the divine standards of morality, we court danger. This verse serves as a reminder that there exists a reality beyond our subjective experiences and societal trends—of God’s unchanging truth.
“Putting darkness for light” is not merely a matter of perspective—it’s a rejection of God’s holy character.
As children of the light (1 Thessalonians 5:5), we are called to be discerning and to shine brightly in a world that craves darkness. Our light should illuminate paths of righteousness and not conform to the shadows of societal acceptance.
The latter part of the verse—“that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter”—reveals a deeper issue.
It suggests a willful distortion of reality, where pleasure and fulfillment are sought in places that lead only to despair and destruction.
We live in a culture that often equates personal fulfillment with indulgence, but true sweetness is found only in our obedience and alignment with God’s will.
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To combat this moral erosion, we must understand our identity in Christ.
As Christians, we are called not only to embody good but to actively proclaim it.
We are to engage the culture with love, speaking the truth in grace but with resolute conviction.
Ephesians 5:8-9 tells us,
“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)”.
In understanding our transformation from darkness to light, we recognize our role as beacons drawing others to the true source of sweetness—Jesus Christ.
Finally, Isaiah 5:20 serves as both a warning and a clarion call to the faithful.
Let us heed its message by holding steadfast to the truth, discerning good from evil, and advocating for righteousness in a world that desperately needs light.
Let us strive to ensure our actions and voices reflect God’s standards, speaking out against the evil cloaked in good, while offering that true sweetness found only in Savior Christ.
Joshua 1:6-9 Complete Jewish Bible
6 “Be strong, be bold; for you will cause this people to inherit the land I swore to their fathers I would give them. 7 Only be strong and very bold in taking care to follow all the Torah which Moshe my servant ordered you to follow; do not turn from it either to the right or to the left; then you will succeed wherever you go. 8 Yes, keep this book of the Torah on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed. 9 Haven’t I ordered you, ‘Be strong, be bold’? So don’t be afraid or downhearted, because Adonai your God is with you wherever you go.”
Let it remind us of that critical importance of grounding ourselves in God’s Word, navigate this world with the moral clarity that can only come from Him.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Praying ….
Psalm 1 Complete Jewish Bible
Book I: Psalms 1–41
1 How blessed are those
who reject the advice of the wicked,
don’t stand on the way of sinners
or sit where scoffers sit!
2 Their delight
is in Adonai’s Torah;
on his Torah they meditate
day and night.
3 They are like trees planted by streams —
they bear their fruit in season,
their leaves never wither,
everything they do succeeds.
4 Not so the wicked,
who are like chaff driven by the wind.
5 For this reason the wicked
won’t stand up to the judgment,
nor will sinners
at the gathering of the righteous.
6 For Adonai watches over
the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked
is doomed.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
