Isaiah 5:1-7

CHAPTER FIVE

C. THE IMPRECATION OF ABANDONMENT Isaiah 5:1-30

1.

THE WORDS OF ACCUSATION

TEXT: Isaiah 5:1-7

1

Let me sing for my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

2

and he digged 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 hewed out a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

3

And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

4

What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

5

And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

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and I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned nor hoed; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

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For the vineyard of Jehovah of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant; and he looked for justice, but, behold, oppression; for righteousness, but, behold, a cry.

QUERIES

a.

Did Isaiah actually put this in the form of a song?

b.

What are the wild grapes brought forth?

c.

Why use the figure of a vineyard?

PARAPHRASE

Now I shall sing indeed of my Beloved a song of my Beloved about His vineyard. My Beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He plowed it carefully and took out all the rocks and planted His vineyard with the choicest vines. He built a sturdy watchtower in the middle of it to aid in its protection and cut a permanent wine-press out of the solid rock. Then He patiently waited anticipating a bountiful harvest of sweet grapes. But the grapes that grew were wild and putrid. Now, men of Jerusalem and Judah, you have heard the case! You be the judges! What more could I have done? Why did My vineyard give Me wild grapes instead of sweet? Now I would indeed have you to know what I am about to do to My vineyard; I shall remove the fence of hedge and the vineyard shall be consumed by predators and I shall break down its wall of stone and it shall be trampled down by wild beasts. I will not prune it or cultivate it any more. Briers and thorns will grow up and strangle the vines; I will command the clouds not to rain on it any more. I have been giving you the case of God's chosen people. They are the vineyard I have been speaking about. Israel and Judah were His pleasant plantings. He expected justice, but they produced bloodshed instead. He expected righteousness, but the cries of deep oppression came to Him.

COMMENTS

Isaiah 5:1 POSSESSOR OF THE VINEYARD: The vineyard belongs to The Beloved, God. Even the song about the vineyard is of the Belovedthat is, originates with the Beloved. The prophet sings the song on behalf of the Beloved. This seems to be a song composed rather like some of our contemporary folk-songsby on-the-spot improvisation. Whether sung to the accompaniment of an instrument or not is immaterial. This song was intended for teaching, not entertainment! The vineyard was a favorite subject for parabolic instruction, both in the O.T. and the N.T. (Cf. Psalms 80:8 ff; Hosea 10:1; Jeremiah 2:21; Ezekiel 15:6; Ezekiel 17:1 ff; Ezekiel 19:10 ff; Matthew 20:1-16; Matthew 21:33-43; John 15:1-11).

Isaiah 5:2 PROVISION FOR THE VINEYARD: It is God's vineyard by absolute right. He planted it upon land which was His. He planted it in a very productive, conspicuous place in the midst of civilization (on a fertile hill); He cleared it of all hindrances of foreigners (gathered out the stones); He built protective fortresses within it (watchtower); He made provisions to use the fruits of the nation (built a winepress). Then with Divine patience and long-suffering He cultivated this nation with great blessings of deliverance and chastening. He sent His servants the leaders and prophets to tend it. He had every right to anticipate an abundant harvest of sweetness; instead it produced wildness, putridness and rottenness.

Isaiah 5:3-4 PETITION AGAINST THE VINEYARD: It is the very essence of the righteous dealings of God with man that such dealings, when perverted, bring inevitable self-condemnation upon the perverters. Here, the guilty are petitioned to make a judgment as to where justice lies between the Owner and His vineyard. It reminds one of Jesus asking the Jews to make such judgments upon themselves (Cf. Matthew 21:28-43, etc.). There comes a point in God's dealing with man beyond which God can do no more to produce good fruit in man's life. There is a point where God is forced, by the very nature of the moral being of man, to give up. Man, left to his own devices, falls into complete ruin.

Isaiah 5:5-6 PUNISHMENT OF THE VINEYARD: Really all that God has to do is withdraw Divine protection and sustenance and leave men to their own selfish, evil devices, and that would be punishment enough (Cf. Romans 1:18-32). When God withdrew His protection from Judah, the wild bull of Assyria (Isaiah 10:13) and the lion, bear, leopard and iron beast of the book of Daniel all trampled the vineyard down. When God withdrew His sustenance from Judah, she suffered famine and hunger (both spiritual and physical) in her captivities. Often times the prophets use rain to symbolize the refreshing presence of the Spirit of God. Ezekiel represents the Spirit of God leaving the temple of God in Jerusalem near the end of the national existence of Judah (Cf. Ezekiel 11:23).

Isaiah 5:7 PRONOUNCEMENT OF THE VINEYARD'S IDENTITY: If the audience of the prophet has not already surmised who was being evaluated, the prophet would not leave it to doubt. The vineyard is JudahGod's covenant people (Israel does not here necessarily refer to the northern kingdom, but is synonymous with covenant-people). This is like Nathan's statement to David, thou art the man! God looked for His people, with all their advantages of having His word and being sustained by His power and seeing His love, mercy, justice and goodness exhibited, to produce the same kind of characterjustice and righteousness. Having all this and appropriating it are two different things! This people appropriated the nature of the pagan gods they were so enamored of (Cf. Hosea 9:10). Where a man's treasure is, there will his heart be also!

QUIZ

1.

What kind of song was sung by the prophet?

2.

Why use the figure of a vineyard?

3.

Why did God have a right to expect the vineyard to produce a certain kind of harvest?

4.

Why does God not do more to bring about the right kind of fruit in this vineyard?

5.

How is God going to punish this vineyard?

6.

Who will the beasts likely be that will trample down the vineyard?

7.

What kind of character did the covenant people produce?