Isaiah 5: 1-7
I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choices vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.
“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.”
The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard the cry of distress.
A Thought
God had chosen Israel to be his chosen people as described in this passage as the Lord’s vineyard. God had taken great care to prepare fertile ground with all the obstacles removed that might hinder the growth of his choice vines. When it came time for the vines to be fruitful, they only produced bad fruit. Now God was forced to remove his protection from Israel and force them into exile because of their injustice and unrighteousness. God expects his own to produce fruit of righteousness for his glory. If we do not continue to cultivate and grow in Christ, we will have sin in our lives, just like an unattended vineyard will produce briers and thorns.
Our Prayer
Father forgive us for falling into the trap of the enemy where we now call evil good and good evil. Open our eyes to the darkness all around us; bring us back to the joy of our salvation in your marvelous light. Prune us that we will produce good fruit for you while it is still day. We ask in Jesus’ name, amen.
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