The Song of the Vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7)
What does it mean to bear good fruit in life? Nobody wants to produce worthless fruit, but not everyone produces good fruit either. Good fruit comes with rewards, while bad fruit leads to judgment and punishment. For believers, the reward isn’t something temporary like wealth or success. As it says in Romans 8:23, “We were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?” The real reward for believers is an eternal inheritance in the kingdom of heaven—one that never perishes, spoils, or fades.
God, through the blood of Christ, has given us the grace of redemption so that we can bear good fruit. Anyone who is in Christ now can bear abundant fruit. God’s grace is limitless and eternal, and the fruit we produce in Christ is also eternal.
At the same time, God disciplines and refines us so that we can bear good fruit. In John 15:2, Jesus says, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” Through discipline and refinement, God reveals the hidden sins and wickedness in us, leading us to repentance and salvation. Though discipline and trials can be painful, God lovingly guides us in truth so that we may produce a harvest of righteousness and peace. Amen!
Singing About My Beloved’s Vineyard
1 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My
loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. 2 He dug it up and cleared it
of stones and planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. (Isaiah 5:1-2a)
The prophet Isaiah sings about the one he loves—God Himself. The phrase “my beloved” is repeated three times in just one verse. This is a song about God’s vineyard, which represents Israel (Isaiah 1:7). The vineyard was planted on a rich and fertile hillside. The vineyard was carefully prepared, the stones were removed, and the finest grapevines were planted. A watchtower was built, and a winepress was prepared. Everything necessary for producing the best grapes was provided.
How did God make Israel into a good vineyard? First, He saved them from slavery in Egypt through the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. He drove out the Canaanite nations filled with idolatry and sin. Most importantly, He gave them the Law, commands, and sacrificial system through Moses. God instructed His people to carefully listen to and obey His words. Through the temple and sacrifices, they were able to have a holy and spiritual relationship with Him. In other words, God provided everything they needed to bear abundant fruit.
Deuteronomy 28:1 says, “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.”
The good fruit that Israel was meant to produce was obedience. What is obedience? It means listening to God’s commands and following them. It means upholding the sacrificial laws and moral standards in relationships with others. But first, they needed to hear God's word. Blind obedience isn’t true obedience. They had to listen, understand, and know why God commanded them to obey. A great example is Saul. He chose to interpret God’s command in his own way rather than fully obeying.
1 Samuel 15:22 says, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
God’s Almighty Power Revealed
God chose Israel. This was purely out of His grace. They were not a mighty nation—quite the opposite. Deuteronomy 7:7 reminds us that they were the smallest of all nations. When Jacob’s descendants lived in Canaan, a famine forced them to move to Egypt. There, they became Pharaoh’s slaves and suffered in misery for 400 years. They groaned under the weight of oppression. But God heard their cries, sent Moses, and rescued them, leading them to the Promised Land.
Through His almighty power, God fulfilled His covenant with Abraham. For forty years in the wilderness, He provided manna from heaven, water from the rock, and protection like the apple of His eye. God’s power and authority were so evident that even the people of Jericho were terrified. Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho, testified to this:
9 “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” (Joshua 2:9-11)
God Calls Israel to Be a Holy People
God gave His holy commandments to the Israelites, who had once been a people without laws, enslaved in Egypt. No longer lawless, they became a covenant people set apart by God's word. Sin is lawlessness: "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness." (1 John 3:4) As God's covenant people, they were promised blessings if they obeyed His word, but consequences if they disobeyed. God chose them first among all nations, calling them to be a blessing to the world. Those who follow God's word are holy.
"Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." (Exodus 19:5-6)
Expecting Good Grapes, but Getting Wild Ones
"2b Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. 3 So God called Israel to examine themselves: "Now, you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 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? 7 The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. " (Isaiah 5:2b-4, 7)
But Israel produced worthless fruit instead of good fruit. Instead of the fruit of obedience, they chose disobedience, injustice, and evil deeds. They turned away from the Lord and worshiped idols, bowing down to them. They chased after wealth and ignored the cries of widows and orphans—instead of helping them, they exploited them (Isaiah 1:23). They loved bribes and sought gifts, twisting justice and making unfair rulings. The elders and priests of Israel did not lead the people according to God’s justice and righteousness; instead, they abused their power and cruelly oppressed the poor.
So God spoke to them and said, “Judge between Me and My vineyard.” In Hebrew, the word for "judge" (שָׁפַט) means to hold a trial or make a legal decision. The most important principles in any judgment are righteousness and justice. God was calling them to carefully examine their wrongdoing and discern right from wrong based on His justice and truth. Above all, He was asking them to consider why His well-prepared vineyard, which had everything it needed to bear good fruit, instead produced wild, useless grapes.
This moment is similar to when God confronted Adam after he ate from the forbidden tree. Adam hid from God, but God asked, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9). It was a call for Adam to reflect on what he had done. In the same way, God was asking Israel to recognize their sins and repent.
God's Judgment on His Vineyard
"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." (Isaiah 5:5-6).
Because of Israel’s sin and rebellion, God removed His protection. The vineyard’s hedge and walls—symbols of His divine security—were torn down, leaving them vulnerable to enemies. Without God’s covering, Israel became desolate, overrun by thorns and thistles. Even the heavens withheld rain, symbolizing God's judgment and their spiritual drought.
Just as God had promised blessings for obedience, He also warned of judgment for disobedience. His justice is unchanging. But even in discipline, His ultimate desire is for His people to turn back to Him in repentance and bear the good fruit of righteousness.
Who Faces God's Judgment?
God's judgment comes upon those who disobey Him. Just like in the time of Noah's flood, His judgment is thorough and inescapable. God is holy and cannot tolerate any form of wickedness or sin in His presence. However, He is also a loving God—compassionate, merciful, and slow to anger. Even in judgment, He provides a way of salvation, just as He gave Noah the ark to survive the flood.
"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.'" (Exodus 34:6-7)
God Is Love
God’s love is patient and enduring, even when it is painful. His wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and sin (Romans 1:18). But before the final judgment, He calls sinners to turn back to Him and receive His grace. This is His holy love in action.
By nature, we were all children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). No one deserved His grace. But by His mercy, through the blood of Jesus Christ, we were made alive and seated with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:5-6). Believers now have the power to obey and bear the fruit of righteousness in Christ (1 John 2:1).
However, just as Israel fell into idolatry despite God’s grace, believers also commit sins. Those who persist in wickedness and wrongdoing will face trouble and distress (Romans 2:9). Even faithful believers experience struggles, as Paul lamented in Romans 7: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" (Romans 7:24). He recognized his inability to do good on his own and not to do evil (Romans 7:19).
But this is not the end! "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1). All our sins—past, present, and future—have been forgiven through Christ's blood. God has written His holy commandments in our hearts. Even when we don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with wordless groans (Romans 8:26). God knows our weaknesses and helps us. Amen!
The Consequences of Sin and the Hope in Christ
Sin still has consequences. Like Paul, we groan under its weight. But we do not lose heart, because Jesus’ blood has washed us clean as snow (Isaiah 1:18). Our response should be confession and repentance, with a broken and contrite heart (1 John 1:9). God has promised to guide and sustain us on this difficult journey until we reach His kingdom.
"To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 1:24-25)
Love One Another as Christ Loved Us
As followers of Christ, we are called to obey His new commandment: to love one another. This means loving our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus showed us the ultimate example of love by dying for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).
This commandment is not about loving only those who deserve it—it is about loving even our enemies. "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?" (Matthew 5:46). True obedience to this command means loving the unlovable, forgiving the unforgivable, and embracing those who are hardest to deal with. Often, the hardest people to love are the ones closest to us.
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:43-45)
March 9, 2025
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Scripture quotes are from the NIV.
