A Love Song for God's Vineyard
Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. … And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? … For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!
Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. … And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? … For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!
Introduction
Chapter 5 closes the first of the three panel opening of Isaiah. The scene of judgment being painted by the prophet is colored with dark hues and scarcely a hint of light. God’s verdict of judgment allows for no court of appeal. The day of retribution was slow in coming, but as there is no evidence of remorse or repentance, the day of reckoning can no longer be delayed. Previously, God mercifully intervened to safeguard his people from self-destruction, but now the days of forbearance are past. As it stands there is nothing left that is worth saving. All that remains is a revelation of the holiness of God in his obliterating judgment. The vineyard of the Lord will become a wasteland as Israel’s neighbors prey upon the few remaining morsels of Israel’s once flourishing nation. At the end of the day, all that will remain will be darkness and distress. The prophet says that even the light of noonday will be darkened by the storm clouds of judgment.
the vineyard (5.1-7)
Isaiah opens chapter 5 with a parable of a vineyard. Though the metaphor of Israel as God’s vineyard was obvious, Isaiah leaves no room for speculation: For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting (5.7a). But I am ahead of myself; before Isaiah delivers his scathing prophecy he invites his friends to a celebration of the harvest where he sings to them a harvest song. The song opens with Isaiah’s declaration of God’s (my beloved) affection and provision for the vineyard (Israel); Isaiah details how God planted his vineyard in very fertile soil. After the land had been cleared a watchtower was built in its midst. A wine vat was built in preparation for a harvest that never materialized. The fruit of the vine was inedible. Israel had been favored by the grace of God, but lived as a people untouched by grace.
The second stanza of the song addresses its listeners with a question: And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? The question is rhetorical. Clearly, Isaiah’s Beloved could have done nothing more than he had already done. The fault for the failed crops is not his, it must lie somewhere else. Isaiah’s voice becomes the voice of the Lord: And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. Every protection will now be removed; if only useless wild grapes will grow from the vine, then the entire vineyard will be destroyed. There is no middle course of action, the fruit is either good or it is no good. The master of the vineyard is Isaiah’s Beloved, the God of Israel. He has come in time for the harvest only to find there is no fruit on the vine. Imagery of the vineyard is not uncommon in either the Old or New Testament. The metaphor requires the reader to scrutinize the community of faith to which he belongs and ask the questions: “‘Are we bearing the sweet fruit consistent with the Spirit of God’s grace and are we yielding an abundant harvest that gives evidence of God’s abiding presence?’ If the answers to those questions are not encouraging, let us have the honesty to ask ourselves why” (cp. Raymond Ortlund, Jr., Isaiah: God Saves Sinners, p. 68).
A brief excursus on John 15.1–11 is worth a few words. While Isaiah notes that Israel was God’s vineyard, the motif springs to life as we read that Jesus is the true vine and God the Father is the vinedresser. As much as Israel was intended to be the vine in the Old Testament it is the New Covenant heirs of the promises to Abraham (all believers whether Jew or Gentile) who are the branches of the true Vine. By faith believers abide in Vine as the Helper (parakletos, John 15.26) bears witness to redemptive work of Christ. However, a word of caution is warranted here, for just as Israel was admonished to continue in faithful obedience in their worship of their covenant keeping God (Deuteronomy 6.1-9; cf. Deuteronomy 11), so, too, Christians are instructed to remember that they are too constantly abide in Christ. It may be of value to examine Paul’s use of the imagery of the vine; as in Romans 11.11-24 and Colossians 1.23.
Now, back to Isaiah the remainder of chapter five reveals how the Lord will deal with the house of Israel. The vineyard that should have produced the fruit of justice and righteousness, instead produced a harvest of bloodshed, oppression and despair. Isaiah systematically overturns every rock of Israel’s corruption; every wicked deed is exposed to the light. There is a natural causal event stemming from every action. Isaiah gives Israel a graphic depiction of what lays in store for them. The six woes (expressing both a lament as well as a threat of judgment) associated with the “wild grapes” are divided into two sections. The first two woes deal with the greed and debauchery associated with the self-indulgent lifestyle of the materially prosperous. These are followed by the consequential judgments introduced by therefore in verses 13 and 14. “The final four ‘woes’ (18-23), dealing with failure in the moral and spiritual obligations of life, are likewise followed by two ‘therefores’ (24-30). The ‘therefores’ match each other. In each case the shorter of them (13; 24) explains how the judgment is suited to the foregoing sin, and the longer (14-17; 25-30) describe an act of God in total judgment” (J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, p. 70).
Woe to the Greedy and the Profligate (5.8-12)
While Scripture does not view wealth negatively, it does evaluate how it is acquired and how it is used. Like the New Testament (2 Timothy 4.10; cp. 1 Timothy 6.8-10), the Old Testament recognizes the danger of its allurement. The wealthy, landed-class Hebrews gave themselves over to the excesses of self-indulgence. According to the Torah all land belongs to God. The parcels of land allocated to families after the conquest of Canaan were held in trust by families. They were not free permanently to dispose of that which did not belong to them. This is what Ahab failed to respect as the reason for Naboth’s not selling him his vineyard. The last commandment is the one that applies to the greed of these arrogant Jerusalemites who had an unslakable thirst for wealth. It is not surprising that the Israelites had a proclivity for idolatry, for the sin of covetousness is at the heart of this grievous sin: Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Colossians 3.5).
Illustrative of the self-indulgent is the one who devotes himself to the party lifestyle. As with the avaricious person, Isaiah warns (woe) of the destruction that is coming if he continues to live for the weekend party. Such people are looking for every opportunity to drink, eat and escape into their music. There is, of course, nothing wrong with celebrations, the Lord himself ordained many feasts for the Israelites (Leviticus 23; cp. Deuteronomy 14.25-27). Isaiah’s complaint was that the Lord did not have first place in the hearts of those who were supposed to be his people. So, too, Paul warns the Ephesians: And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5.18; cp. Galatians 5.16-25).
These two woes are accompanied by two therefores. First, Isaiah briefly states that Jerusalem and Judah will go into exile (5.13) because they lack a knowledge of God. They have been thirsting for drink (pleasure) when they should have been thirsting for God. The second therefore is a more expansive explanation (5.14-17) of what will happen to them. Their appetites are unsated in life but the grave will enlarge its appetite to devour them in death. There is no distinction of rank in death. Everyone who disavows the Lord will be brought low. Only the Lord is exalted and only those who exalt him will be acknowledged for their righteousness: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you (James 4.10). The principle is the same whether it is Isaiah who speaks, Paul, Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life (Galatians 6.7-8), or Jesus, So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10.32).
Woe to the Arrogant Confusing Evil for Good (5.18-21)
When a person no longer resists sin (cp. 1 Corinthians 10.13; James 1.12-15) he eventually reaches a point where he displays his sin openly. The sin of which Isaiah speaks is not the sin of ignorance, but the sin that results from willful self-deception. There is a progressive nature to sin. Initially the cords of sin are slight flaxen-like, but over time they are woven into unbreakable strands that bind the heart and mind to its own passion. These cords of death enslave the mind and pervert the will, until, if unchecked, there is no longer any recognizable good in the life of the sinner.Who can deliver such a person from this slavery to sin? Paul writes about deliverance in Romans 8.1-2, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. The witness of the Spirit is at war with the lusts of the flesh. The flesh attempts to rationalize its unbridled pursuit of pleasure, but its reasoning is corrupted by the very sin it pursues.
If the ethical imperative is dependent upon human reason alone, that reason is no match for rampant self-interest. In fact, self-interest will press reason into service to justify its own behavior. Only a prior commitment to the revealed wisdom of God (Prov. 1:7; 3:7; 9:10) and a commitment to call good good, despite the reasonings of the wise of this world, can make possible genuine long-lasting righteousness both in individuals and in society. The path of those who chart their own course leads inexorably from self-aggrandizement to the ultimate reversal of moral values. (John Oswalt, Isaiah, p. 165)
The persistent insistence on personal autonomy precludes mining the wisdom of God. Mankind is not on a quest for God’s wisdom as a source of direction in godly living; rather, he seeks to exalt his own “wisdom” as the final word about moral “goodness.” Isaiah summarizes his lament and threat of judgment in 5.22-23: those who are unwilling to forsake the pursuit of self-gratification cannot cultivate the necessary internal constraints to bring justice to the oppressed. The failure to know to God and to live in obedience to his known will can only result in divine judgment.
The Path of Fire (5.24-30)
In the six woes addressing the greed, debauchery, vapid spiritually and moral failure of Israel, Isaiah declares that the last vestige of any evidence of God’s grace has dried up. Again, in a short summary statement, Isaiah describes the consequence of rejecting the law of the Lord: the fire of God’s wrath will consume the stubble of dry grass thereby exposing its rotten roots. Though the Lord found delight in his children, they did not find any pleasure in knowing him (cp. 5.7). In 5.26-30 Isaiah brings to a close the preface of his book. “The message of the first two sections (1:2-31; 2:1-4:6) is that human sin cannot ultimately frustrate God’s purposes and that, in God, mercy triumphs over wrath. But the third section (5:1-30) poses a shattering question: When the Lord has done all (5:4), must the darkness of divine wrath close in and the light flicker and fade? This was the day of crisis in which Isaiah ministered: a crisis for humankind, for the day of wrath has come and a crisis for God: can mercy be exhausted and defeated?” (Motyer, p. 73). Thankfully, this is not the end of Isaiah’s word from the Lord.
Chapter 5 closes the first of the three panel opening of Isaiah. The scene of judgment being painted by the prophet is colored with dark hues and scarcely a hint of light. God’s verdict of judgment allows for no court of appeal. The day of retribution was slow in coming, but as there is no evidence of remorse or repentance, the day of reckoning can no longer be delayed. Previously, God mercifully intervened to safeguard his people from self-destruction, but now the days of forbearance are past. As it stands there is nothing left that is worth saving. All that remains is a revelation of the holiness of God in his obliterating judgment. The vineyard of the Lord will become a wasteland as Israel’s neighbors prey upon the few remaining morsels of Israel’s once flourishing nation. At the end of the day, all that will remain will be darkness and distress. The prophet says that even the light of noonday will be darkened by the storm clouds of judgment.
the vineyard (5.1-7)
Isaiah opens chapter 5 with a parable of a vineyard. Though the metaphor of Israel as God’s vineyard was obvious, Isaiah leaves no room for speculation: For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting (5.7a). But I am ahead of myself; before Isaiah delivers his scathing prophecy he invites his friends to a celebration of the harvest where he sings to them a harvest song. The song opens with Isaiah’s declaration of God’s (my beloved) affection and provision for the vineyard (Israel); Isaiah details how God planted his vineyard in very fertile soil. After the land had been cleared a watchtower was built in its midst. A wine vat was built in preparation for a harvest that never materialized. The fruit of the vine was inedible. Israel had been favored by the grace of God, but lived as a people untouched by grace.
The second stanza of the song addresses its listeners with a question: And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? The question is rhetorical. Clearly, Isaiah’s Beloved could have done nothing more than he had already done. The fault for the failed crops is not his, it must lie somewhere else. Isaiah’s voice becomes the voice of the Lord: And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. Every protection will now be removed; if only useless wild grapes will grow from the vine, then the entire vineyard will be destroyed. There is no middle course of action, the fruit is either good or it is no good. The master of the vineyard is Isaiah’s Beloved, the God of Israel. He has come in time for the harvest only to find there is no fruit on the vine. Imagery of the vineyard is not uncommon in either the Old or New Testament. The metaphor requires the reader to scrutinize the community of faith to which he belongs and ask the questions: “‘Are we bearing the sweet fruit consistent with the Spirit of God’s grace and are we yielding an abundant harvest that gives evidence of God’s abiding presence?’ If the answers to those questions are not encouraging, let us have the honesty to ask ourselves why” (cp. Raymond Ortlund, Jr., Isaiah: God Saves Sinners, p. 68).
A brief excursus on John 15.1–11 is worth a few words. While Isaiah notes that Israel was God’s vineyard, the motif springs to life as we read that Jesus is the true vine and God the Father is the vinedresser. As much as Israel was intended to be the vine in the Old Testament it is the New Covenant heirs of the promises to Abraham (all believers whether Jew or Gentile) who are the branches of the true Vine. By faith believers abide in Vine as the Helper (parakletos, John 15.26) bears witness to redemptive work of Christ. However, a word of caution is warranted here, for just as Israel was admonished to continue in faithful obedience in their worship of their covenant keeping God (Deuteronomy 6.1-9; cf. Deuteronomy 11), so, too, Christians are instructed to remember that they are too constantly abide in Christ. It may be of value to examine Paul’s use of the imagery of the vine; as in Romans 11.11-24 and Colossians 1.23.
Now, back to Isaiah the remainder of chapter five reveals how the Lord will deal with the house of Israel. The vineyard that should have produced the fruit of justice and righteousness, instead produced a harvest of bloodshed, oppression and despair. Isaiah systematically overturns every rock of Israel’s corruption; every wicked deed is exposed to the light. There is a natural causal event stemming from every action. Isaiah gives Israel a graphic depiction of what lays in store for them. The six woes (expressing both a lament as well as a threat of judgment) associated with the “wild grapes” are divided into two sections. The first two woes deal with the greed and debauchery associated with the self-indulgent lifestyle of the materially prosperous. These are followed by the consequential judgments introduced by therefore in verses 13 and 14. “The final four ‘woes’ (18-23), dealing with failure in the moral and spiritual obligations of life, are likewise followed by two ‘therefores’ (24-30). The ‘therefores’ match each other. In each case the shorter of them (13; 24) explains how the judgment is suited to the foregoing sin, and the longer (14-17; 25-30) describe an act of God in total judgment” (J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, p. 70).
Woe to the Greedy and the Profligate (5.8-12)
While Scripture does not view wealth negatively, it does evaluate how it is acquired and how it is used. Like the New Testament (2 Timothy 4.10; cp. 1 Timothy 6.8-10), the Old Testament recognizes the danger of its allurement. The wealthy, landed-class Hebrews gave themselves over to the excesses of self-indulgence. According to the Torah all land belongs to God. The parcels of land allocated to families after the conquest of Canaan were held in trust by families. They were not free permanently to dispose of that which did not belong to them. This is what Ahab failed to respect as the reason for Naboth’s not selling him his vineyard. The last commandment is the one that applies to the greed of these arrogant Jerusalemites who had an unslakable thirst for wealth. It is not surprising that the Israelites had a proclivity for idolatry, for the sin of covetousness is at the heart of this grievous sin: Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Colossians 3.5).
Illustrative of the self-indulgent is the one who devotes himself to the party lifestyle. As with the avaricious person, Isaiah warns (woe) of the destruction that is coming if he continues to live for the weekend party. Such people are looking for every opportunity to drink, eat and escape into their music. There is, of course, nothing wrong with celebrations, the Lord himself ordained many feasts for the Israelites (Leviticus 23; cp. Deuteronomy 14.25-27). Isaiah’s complaint was that the Lord did not have first place in the hearts of those who were supposed to be his people. So, too, Paul warns the Ephesians: And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5.18; cp. Galatians 5.16-25).
These two woes are accompanied by two therefores. First, Isaiah briefly states that Jerusalem and Judah will go into exile (5.13) because they lack a knowledge of God. They have been thirsting for drink (pleasure) when they should have been thirsting for God. The second therefore is a more expansive explanation (5.14-17) of what will happen to them. Their appetites are unsated in life but the grave will enlarge its appetite to devour them in death. There is no distinction of rank in death. Everyone who disavows the Lord will be brought low. Only the Lord is exalted and only those who exalt him will be acknowledged for their righteousness: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you (James 4.10). The principle is the same whether it is Isaiah who speaks, Paul, Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life (Galatians 6.7-8), or Jesus, So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10.32).
Woe to the Arrogant Confusing Evil for Good (5.18-21)
When a person no longer resists sin (cp. 1 Corinthians 10.13; James 1.12-15) he eventually reaches a point where he displays his sin openly. The sin of which Isaiah speaks is not the sin of ignorance, but the sin that results from willful self-deception. There is a progressive nature to sin. Initially the cords of sin are slight flaxen-like, but over time they are woven into unbreakable strands that bind the heart and mind to its own passion. These cords of death enslave the mind and pervert the will, until, if unchecked, there is no longer any recognizable good in the life of the sinner.Who can deliver such a person from this slavery to sin? Paul writes about deliverance in Romans 8.1-2, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. The witness of the Spirit is at war with the lusts of the flesh. The flesh attempts to rationalize its unbridled pursuit of pleasure, but its reasoning is corrupted by the very sin it pursues.
If the ethical imperative is dependent upon human reason alone, that reason is no match for rampant self-interest. In fact, self-interest will press reason into service to justify its own behavior. Only a prior commitment to the revealed wisdom of God (Prov. 1:7; 3:7; 9:10) and a commitment to call good good, despite the reasonings of the wise of this world, can make possible genuine long-lasting righteousness both in individuals and in society. The path of those who chart their own course leads inexorably from self-aggrandizement to the ultimate reversal of moral values. (John Oswalt, Isaiah, p. 165)
The persistent insistence on personal autonomy precludes mining the wisdom of God. Mankind is not on a quest for God’s wisdom as a source of direction in godly living; rather, he seeks to exalt his own “wisdom” as the final word about moral “goodness.” Isaiah summarizes his lament and threat of judgment in 5.22-23: those who are unwilling to forsake the pursuit of self-gratification cannot cultivate the necessary internal constraints to bring justice to the oppressed. The failure to know to God and to live in obedience to his known will can only result in divine judgment.
The Path of Fire (5.24-30)
In the six woes addressing the greed, debauchery, vapid spiritually and moral failure of Israel, Isaiah declares that the last vestige of any evidence of God’s grace has dried up. Again, in a short summary statement, Isaiah describes the consequence of rejecting the law of the Lord: the fire of God’s wrath will consume the stubble of dry grass thereby exposing its rotten roots. Though the Lord found delight in his children, they did not find any pleasure in knowing him (cp. 5.7). In 5.26-30 Isaiah brings to a close the preface of his book. “The message of the first two sections (1:2-31; 2:1-4:6) is that human sin cannot ultimately frustrate God’s purposes and that, in God, mercy triumphs over wrath. But the third section (5:1-30) poses a shattering question: When the Lord has done all (5:4), must the darkness of divine wrath close in and the light flicker and fade? This was the day of crisis in which Isaiah ministered: a crisis for humankind, for the day of wrath has come and a crisis for God: can mercy be exhausted and defeated?” (Motyer, p. 73). Thankfully, this is not the end of Isaiah’s word from the Lord.