The one I love had a vineyard, a fine, well-placed vineyard. He hoed the soil and pulled the weeds, and planted the very best vines. He built a lookout, built a winepress, a vineyard to be proud of. He looked for a vintage yield of grapes, but for all his pains he got junk grapes. "Now listen to what I'm telling you, you who live in Jerusalem and Judah. What do you think is going on between me and my vineyard? Can you think of anything I could have done to my vineyard that I didn't do? When I expected good grapes, why did I get bitter grapes?"
"Well now, let me tell you what I'll do to my vineyard: I'll tear down its fence and let it go to ruin. I'll knock down the gate and let it be trampled. I'll turn it into a patch of weeds, untended, uncared for — thistles and thorns will take over.
I'll give orders to the clouds: "Don't rain on that vineyard, ever!'"
Do you get it? The vineyard of God is the country of Israel. All the men and women of Judah are the garden he was so proud of. He looked for a crop of justice and saw them murdering each other. He looked for a harvest of righteousness and heard only the moans of victims.
Isaiah 5:1b-7 The Message
Through Isaiah God is delivering His message of judgement that is coming.
It would be easy to ignore these words from God, if this was only a story from history.
HOWEVER, this story is in the Bible to teach us.
This message is just as fitting to the church, and every Christian, today.
Playing the game and living on our heels is not the life of a disciple.
We need to be caring for the "vineyard" and producing "fruit".
What have you been doing with your "vineyard"? Produced any "fruit" lately?
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