The Vineyard
Isa. 5:1-2
Vicky Moots
Kingman, Kansas
Isa. 5:1-2: “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.”
God is pictured here as a patient Husbandman carefully planting and nurturing a choice vine. His vineyard is fenced, not only to protect it from harm, but also to separate it unto Himself and to show ownership of it. He painstakingly removed all of the stones and all obstacles that might hinder its growth. The vine that He planted was specially chosen by Him and pruned and properly cared for. What love, what care, what patience is manifest through His actions!
Under such ideal conditions, one would expect the vine to flourish and bring forth an abundance of fruit. But instead, to the sorrow of the Husbandman, it brought forth nothing but wild grapes. God had chosen a people, Israel, and planted them in a bountiful land. He separated them unto Himself and protected them in expectation that they would glorify Him and yield much fruit. The result, however, was quite the opposite.
Proverbs 18:10 declares, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe.” The tower in the vineyard represents the name of the Lord. Israel refused to take shelter in or to find safety in the name of the Lord. Instead, they turned to the gods of the nations around them, and so the only fruit that they could bear was wild grapes. Consequently, God withheld His blessings and protection from them and allowed them to go into captivity.
Although this parable refers to the nation of Israel, it also has a precious personal lesson for us as Christians. As a new creation in Christ, we are a chosen people unto God, as was Israel. He encloses us round about with His love so that we are separated unto Him. Through His Holy Spirit, He patiently cultivates us, removing or breaking up all bitterness and hardness within our hearts. We become rooted and grounded in love as we yield ourselves to the Lord so that we begin to grow and bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness. He is faithful to prune us through tests and trials so that we may produce the fruit of the Spirit, as described in Gal. 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…”
When our enemy, Satan, attacks us and tempts us, we have a Strong Tower to run into: His name is Jesus. Let us find refuge in Him.
But the most important part of this vineyard has not yet been discussed, and that is the winepress. It is a picture of Calvary. The greatest degree of God’s love for us was expressed through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. The wine represents His blood that was shed for us, as Jesus told His disciples at the last Passover supper. His blood is the basis for our redemption. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.
God desired that Israel would be a fruitful vine, and one day that will happen when they accept Christ as their Messiah and apply the blood of the Lamb to their hearts. He also desires that we, as Christians, bring forth fruit that will glorify His name, so let us be faithful to yield to the pruning of the Holy Spirit.
