There are six Woes listed in Isaiah chapter 5 pronounced upon spiritual Leaders today, upon those considered ‘mighty’ among the Believers. These appear in (Isaiah 5:8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22).
In this short writing we will look at the fourth and last of the six woes, in order to see the result, and more importantly, the cause of these woes:
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! (Isaiah 5:20)
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! 24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law(Torah) of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 5:22-24)
Woe to the Spiritual Leaders of This Generation
Isaiah spoke a scathing indictment upon the spiritual Leaders of today, because as Isaiah describes it, these Leaders have become inverted in their understanding, and in their practice, and thus in their teaching. That is, they continue to call what is evil ‘good,’ and what is good ‘evil.’
Isaiah goes on to tell us these Leaders do not understand the difference between wickedness and righteousness. The result is that they proclaim those who practice wickedness to be Righteous in Yahuweh’s eyes (Isaiah 5:22, 23a).
If that were not bad enough — to falsely label the ‘Wicked’ as ‘Righteous’ — there is a greater charge against these spiritual leaders!
Good Works Demonised
Isaiah tells us that by their mixing of the word of Yahuweh with Doctrines of Men, these Leaders actually remove — by discrediting — the genuine works of Righteousness accomplished by the Biblically Righteous (Isaiah 5:22, 23b). But who are the biblically Righteous?
The Biblically Righteous, according to the apostle Peter, are those in whom Yahushua lives and grows:
Being [having been] born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1Peter 1:23)
These are they who have been ‘Born-Again’ according to Peter — that is, Yahushua has been born within them, and is growing within them, after having been conceived or regenerated within them, by the incorruptible seed of the Word of Elohim.
It is these who understand that the person of Yahushua-in-us is our only hope of Glory, for He is our Righteousness (Colossians 1:27; Jeremiah 23:6, 33:16).
These understand it is Yahushua who is the seed of Righteousness planted within the soil of our heart; and it is He who becomes the sprout, and then the roots and trunk of the Tree of Righteousness (Isaiah 45:8).
These understand also that it is Yahushua-in-us who produces the fruit of Righteousness in us, who are the branches (John 15:4, 5; Philippians 1:11; Jeremiah 51:10). That is, Yahushua enables us, by His Grace, to perform the works of Righteousness He has commanded of us, in keeping Torah (Isaiah 5:22, 23b).
This is the two-fold righteousness of Scripture: First, Yahushua as the seed, becomes our Righteousness. Second, Yahushua produces the fruit of Righteousness in us, as we allow Him-in-us to obey Torah. It is He who produces the works of Righteousness in our daily walk.
It is all Yahushua, to be sure, but only as we co-operate with Him. He first becomes our Righteousness, and then He produces the works of Righteousness in us, in our obedience to Torah. Thus it is all by His Grace — the Holy-Spirit enablement He gives us to obey the Torah, as He lives within us!
And so it is today, that the works of obedience to Torah, performed by Yahushua within His people, are discredited, demonised, and removed by many of today’s evangelical, Grace-oriented spiritual Leaders — simply for their fear of a paper-tiger called ‘Righteousness by Works.’ They simply do not practice, nor understand, the Biblical Word of Righteousness; for not one instance may be found in Scripture in which man may become cleansed from sin, and enter into Covenant with Yahuweh, by any means, other than by the shedding of blood.
The Root Cause
Isaiah tells us the six woes are pronounced against the spiritual Leaders of today because of the source of their teaching: they have ‘cast away’ (despised, refused, rejected) the Torah of Yahuweh (Isaiah 5:24). Brothers, this is equivalent to what Balaam did!
Isaiah thus says of these Leaders who continue to reject Torah, that they ‘despised the Word of Yahushua — the Word of Righteousness (Isaiah 5:24). It is the Word of Righteousness that defines the Way of Righteousness, which is our daily walk in Yahushua.
Some Deceptions Promoting Rejection of Torah
Some of the greatest deceptions of this generation promoting rejection of Torah are those characterised by slogans that are not Scriptural, thus revealing they are but Doctrines of Men. A few of these un-Scriptural slogans are:
* Grace vs. Works;
* Grace plus Works;
* Salvation by Works;
* Law vs. Grace;
* The Law is Done away with;
* ‘Jewish’ Holidays;
* dispensational theology;
* not for today;
* not for Gentiles;
* church has replaced Israel;
and a host of other deceptions-by-slogan too numerous to mention.
The use of slogans to teach is well-intended, but the result instead is that error is taught. These slogans, and the doctrines and practices they promote, result in abandonment of walking in Torah, abandonment of practicing New-Covenant Righteousness, promoting instead the practice of Unrighteousness as substitutes. Any substitute for the practice of the Word of Yahuweh is the ultimate definition of idolatry.
Anyone who does not practice nor understand the Word of Righteousness, according to the Scriptures, will remain as ‘babes’ (Hebrews 5:13). Anyone following blind leaders, will also fall into the ditch (Matthew 15:14; Luke 6:39).
Spiritual Leaders:
We have all been deceived by our teachers, and we have walked in unrighteousness. Let us repent of our unrighteousness. Let us abandon previously-held paradigms of what we have been told Scripture says; let us instead read the Scriptures for ourselves, and walk in all of Scripture!
Let us remember that the error of Balaam was to reject the earlier Word given to him, and to embrace only the later Word as being more suitable. Let us repent of walking in the Way of Balaam ourselves, in rejecting the earlier Word; let us then repent of exporting this error to others via the Doctrine of Balaam, as others have learned by our example and our words.
Followers of spiritual Leaders:
Let us awaken, and begin to read the Scriptures for ourselves! Let us repent of giving over our eternal spiritual destiny into the hands of others!
Let no man steal your crown!
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Posted by notesfromthewilderness 
