God’s Vineyard Lesson 4

The Parable (Isaiah 5:1-7)   Isaiah’s introduction sounds almost like a ballad: “Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard” (5:1). In the song, the owner selected a fertile hillside, removed the stones, and dug the ground in which he planted choice vines. He built a watchtower, which was essential for a well-kept vineyard. From it, the vineyard’s owner could oversee his workers and protect his field from intruders. A winepress, usually located in a sheltered spot on the hillside, was built to press the ripe grapes to make wine.

Beginning in 5:3, the speaker is the vineyard owner, symbolising the Lord God of Israel. The vineyard was the nation of Israel—in particular, Judah, the southern kingdom, and Jerusalem, its capital. God had shown love and mercy to Israel, so He logically expected to find fruits of righteousness in His chosen nation, His beloved vineyard. Instead, He found bloodshed and oppression.

In a series of assertions beginning with “I will” (Isaiah 5:5-6), God showed what He determined to do: destroy the protective hedge around the vineyard so it could be invaded and trampled. He would no longer prune the vines or cultivate the soil, allowing briars and thorns to choke out the vines. 

Judah’s Sins (Isaiah 5:8-23)   Woe is an interjection signifying “suffering” or “anguish.” In a series of “woes” (5:8, 11, 18, 20-22), Isaiah spoke for the Lord about the people’s lack of justice and righteousness in daily life. He denounced wealthy landowners for crowding out others by their monopoly. He declared a coming time when their mansions would be deserted and their land unproductive. Misery was coming to those who drank, caroused, and indulged themselves continually. They showed no awareness of God’s work on behalf of their nation. God announced deportation into a foreign land because of the Judahite citizens’ self-gratification and lack of reverence for Him: “Therefore my people go into exile.”

Think about Judah’s greed and willingness to oppress others. Their hard-heartedness came from their doubts about God’s involvement in their lives. They didn’t think He saw their evil or cared about the people they misused. But God does see and will intervene. When we acknowledge the Lord and love Him, we will also care about and love other people. Ultimately, people who refuse to revere God substitute evil for good, “darkness for light,” and “bitter for sweet.” They think of themselves as “wise” when they are “fools” (Romans 1:22).

The Vineyard Destroyed (Isaiah 5:24-30)   As fire consumes straw, so Israel’s and Judah’s foundations would decay, and their beauty would blow away like dust. The kingdoms would disintegrate because the people had rejected God’s law and despised “the word of the Holy One of Israel.” God would summon distant nations “from the ends of the earth; and behold, quickly, speedily they [would] come!” Armies equipped with bows, arrows, horses, and chariots would advance without opposition. As roaring lions seize their prey, so these foreign nations would invade the land. (Chapter 7 identifies Egypt and Assyria as a couple of those nations.) 

A Messenger Called to God’s Vineyard (Isaiah 6)    Before Isaiah described his calling, he summarised his message (see chapters 1–5). By informing readers about the prevailing social, religious, and political conditions, Isaiah better communicated the gravity of God’s message and his own reluctance to deliver it.

We can date this vision to 740 BC by Isaiah’s note that it came “in the year that King Uzziah died” (6:1). The end of Uzziah’s long, effective reign marked the beginning of economic and political uncertainty for Judah and for all of Israel.

God communicated with Isaiah in a vision: Isaiah “saw the Lord” (Isaiah 6:1) in the temple. The vision is a majestic, awesome manifestation of God as a king seated upon a throne, attended by seraphs having six wings. The sound of their voices caused the thresholds to tremble as they ascribed praise to the God of might and holiness. Their praise exalted God as “the Lord of hosts,” as holy, and as one whose glory and presence fill the entire earth.

Hearing the seraphs calling “Holy, holy, holy” made Isaiah keenly aware of his own sin and his people’s. So, experiencing God’s presence and majesty, he cried, “Woe is me!” This moment was a defining point in his many years of ministry—it kept Isaiah continually concerned for God’s holiness. Next, a seraph touched Isaiah’s mouth with a live coal from the altar, and the prophet was relieved of his despair. The seraph assured him his guilt had been removed, and atonement had been made for his sin. God then asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

After assuring Isaiah of pardon and cleansing, God called for someone to represent Him among Judah’s sinful citizens. God clearly was looking not for angels from His majestic court, but for a human volunteer. We almost sense Isaiah blurting out, “Here I am! Send me.” 

Think about the effect of being forgiven. Isaiah was convicted of his sin to the point of despair. As soon as he cried out, though, God sent an angel to cleanse him and remove his guilt. When God asked, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah’s immediate response was, “Send me!” Isaiah modeled a wonderful response to such incomprehensible forgiveness. When we realize how graciously God has forgiven us, shouldn’t that stir us, also, to great eagerness to serve Him?

God commissioned Isaiah but warned he would not have much success with this difficult, discouraging assignment. Although the people would listen to Isaiah, they would not comprehend or act on his messages. Hearing this sobering message, Isaiah asked, “How long, O Lord?” He felt free to ask God a question even in such awe-inspiring surroundings. 

God’s response included a ray of hope despite the impending judgment: armies would leave cities in ruin; houses would be deserted; the land would be desolate. A remnant of only one-tenth of the population would remain. However, although the “oak” of government and religious structures would be cut down, hope for a much better future would be vested in the “stump.” Through subsequent messages, God would expand on this illustration and what it represents. 

 In the vineyard parables in both Isaiah and Matthew, God planted and cultivated the vineyards. His desire was that they produce good fruit. His desire is the same for us today: “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). The apostle Paul described just how that fruit is produced: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh…. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control … If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 22-25). What does it look like for you when you “walk by the Spirit” and “keep in step with the Spirit”? How do you get back in step with the Spirit when you notice you’re walking in your own ways instead of God’s?

Day 1 

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Day 2 

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Day 3 

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Day 4 

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Day 5 

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