Text:        Isaiah 5:1-7

By:           Emakpor, Jeremiah (Deacon)

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The passage in reference was God’s message about the Israelites through prophet Isaiah presented in the form of a song and a parable.

The parable began by stating that, “My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a fruitful hill;” (vs 1).

The owner of the vineyard fenced it, stripped it bare of stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. Besides, he erected a tower in the midst of the vineyard and equally provided a winepress in it (vs 2).

However, at the time of producing fruits, the vineyard brought forth wild grapes.

The vineyard owner was in anguish as to what his vineyard had turned out to be. He had provided a winepress in the vineyard to process an anticipated bumper harvest in due time (vs 2). Sadly, the vineyard was a huge disappointment.

 What more could I have done on my vineyard that I failed to do, the vineyard owner asked. Why did the vineyard bring forth wild grapes instead of good ones, he asked further (vs 4).

• Imagine where he sited the vineyard: “in a very fruitful hill” (vs 1).
• He fenced the vineyard to prevent intruders (both man and animal) from gaining entry into it (vs 2).
• He stripped the vineyard of stones for the vines to be deep-rooted and thus have access to sufficient nutrients (vs 2).
• The owner planted the vineyard with the choicest vine (vs 2).
• He erected a tower in the midst of the vineyard so that one could easily monitor or watch over the farm to further ensure that no harm was done to it (vs 2).

The vineyard owner called on the men of Jerusalem and Judah to judge between him and his vineyard (vs 3).

The owner of the vineyard was so angry that he decided he would withdraw all the tender care he had shown the farm; that he would remove the hedge or fence so that the unproductive vineyard could be eaten up by animals and trodden down by intruders (vs 5).

Moreover, he said he would lay the vineyard waste and it should not be tendered so that thorns and briers could choke up the farm. Besides, he said he would cause the vineyard from being watered further by rain (vs 6).

• This metaphorical parable was literally about God and the men of Israel and Judah. The vineyard was the nations of Israel and Judah, while its owner was God. That God looked for justice among the Israelites but found oppression; He looked for righteousness but heard cry of distress (vs 7).

• The nation of Israel had always had the special attention and care of God right from inception as His chosen nation. He ensured that they were brought to Egypt through Joseph where they survived a terrible seven years of famine as a young nation. When the Israelites were subjected to untold oppression and persecution by the Egyptians, God liberated them through the leadership of Moses and ushered them into a promised land of milk and honey. He provided them food and water, protected and fought for them against the onslaught of their enemy nations for forty years on their way to the promised land. They inherited lofty, luxurious, cozy houses and already-cultivated farms in Canaan-the land of promise. Nevertheless, the Israelites spun and took God’s love and care for granted by indulging in all manner of sinful acts, including idolatry which the almighty God detests so much. They provoked God to anger from time to time despite His goodness and mercy towards them. This led to God allowing them to be killed by their enemies sometimes, and eventually taken into captivity by their adversaries for seventy years as a way of punishment like was intended for the unfruitful vineyard in the parable.

• Relatedly, we, as Christians, are a chosen generation of God. God allowed His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to die a shameful death on the cross for our salvation. We are in the kingdom of God, the church, where we are being thoroughly groomed in God’s ways through sound teachings and admonitions from His written word. These are to grow us in faith, wisdom and understanding, in addition to moral and spiritual advancement. We enjoy God’s love, care and attention with a promise of an everlasting life at the end of time.

However, have we been reciprocating God’s attention and care for us with righteous living and obedience to his word? Let’s make a concerted effort to be a fruitful “vineyard” so that God will not give up on us in Jesus’ name.

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