The Song of the Vineyard
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Isaiah 5 is divided into 2 sections:
Isa. 5:1-7 - song of the vineyard (it’s a disappointing vineyard)
Isa. 5:8-30 - is about the fruit of the vineyard (wild, worthless grapes)
We’re just going to listen to the song this morning
I don’t know how good a singer Isaiah was but he’s a master songwriter
He draws us in with a story, there’s tension and twist
As it starts we think it’s a love song
Probably how the people heard
That’s what they expect to hear from words like beloved and vineyard
Psalm 128:3 “3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.”
Cf. Song 2:15; Song 4:16
The song quickly turns into something like a country song
What starts in love ends in cheating loss, sadness, ruin and sour grapes
Part of the genius of Isaiah’s song is how skilfully he draws them into the song
Causes us to desire the vineyard then look at it with condemnation
Isa. 5:3 - Makes it personal, tell me what would you do if this was your vineyard?
Isa. 5:5 - come (calling them deeper into the story) I’ll tell you what I did
Finally (Isa. 5:7) he tells them it’s a story about them
It’s the perfect song
It’s made me invested & it causes me to react
It makes me think
Makes me examine, is this song really about me?
Jesus uses this same technique & so did Nathan with David
Today I want to think a little bit about the composer, a little about the hearers and a little about the song
A Song of the Beloved
A Song of the Beloved
Isaiah 5:1 “1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved...”
He is Above All
He is Above All
(Holy One; ...of Hosts)
He is the Holy One
He is the Holy One
I’ve spoken of the song as Isaiah’s but more accurately it is God’s song that Isaiah sings to and for God
I want to take note of the way Isaiah refers to God through this song and message
As the prophecy starts in the last section of Isa. 5 we return to a common title: Holy One of Israel (Isa. 5:19, 24)
Recalling it seems this is a title that started with Isaiah & used by him far more than anyone else
That God is holy is one of the great themes of Isaiah’s prophecies
To be holy is, as we’ve seen, to be utterly above all created things, to be separate from
Holiness is the ‘otherness’ of God, that is, that He is not like us
Perhaps the clearest way His ‘otherness’ is expressed in holiness is in His absolute purity
When we come to the prophecy of Isa. 5 we will see how separate God is from us
We are openly sinful, call evil good, slaves to our lusts and desires
God is none of that
In fact, because of His holiness God is offended by our lack of holiness
He is Yahweh of Hosts
He is Yahweh of Hosts
Isa. 5:7, 9, 16 - He is Yahweh of hosts
What does that mean? That God is the captain of the armies of Heaven
Often it is used as a comfort for the people of God
When God is on our side who can stand against us
No power of hell or scheme of man can overcome us
No matter what things look like God has the power to overwhelm all evil & He will
That is not how it is used here
Not used to comfort God’s people but to elicit fear
This is a title that expresses the almighty power of God
By being captain of the mighty armies of Heaven He stands as the sovereign ruler of every kingdom & every time
As Lord of the heavenly armies, who is the Holy One of Israel, He is the one who crushes every rebellion
Including the rebellion of those who claim His name but who reject His authority
He is Devoted to His People
He is Devoted to His People
(…of Israel; Yahweh)
He is the Holy One of Israel
He is the Holy One of Israel
Notice the title used isn’t just Holy One but Holy One of Israel
It deliberately connects His name and nature with a people He has chosen (choicest vine)
Exercise of His holiness through His sovereign might isn’t capricious, harshly vindictive or void of accountability
In fact, the song points out how deeply, personally invested in these people God is
You see in one sense of the word Israel is holy in that God separated them from all other nations to be His own
He brought them near, He cared for them, He didn’t abandon them
Rather they strayed away, they spurned His love and they abandoned Him
He is Yahweh
He is Yahweh
Though I described God as captain of Heavenly armies note that is not the word God uses here
He is captain but here something else supercedes the rank of captain or even Lord as in master
He is YAHWEH of Hosts
Why does that matter?
Yahweh is God’s personal name
Yahweh is God’s covenant name to Israel, name of promise
It is a reminder that though He must come against them He is personally committed to them
Though they have broken their promises to Him, He has not broken His promises to them
He is Loved by His People
He is Loved by His People
(My Well-beloved)
A High View of God
A High View of God
Why have I spent time speaking about titles and names we’ve spoken about before?
1 of the great aspects of Isaiah is the high view of God that it gives us
Do not lose sight of that, let Isaiah lift your understanding of God higher and higher with each paragraph
God is holy, righteous, almighty, sovereign, just, pure and far more as we will see
He is not a person to be toyed with, mocked, disrespected, ignored, rejected or rebelled against
He is not a God that you can claim as your own but refuse to follow as He describes
He is not a God that will let you define Him in any way that pleases you
A Deep Love of God
A Deep Love of God
Please notice how Isaiah speaks of God as the song begins
The God who is the Holy One of Israel, who is Yahweh of Hosts
This same God Isaiah calls ‘my Well-beloved’
How vastly different this name is, how personal, how gentle, how intimate
Isaiah has a high view of God, perhaps the highest, but this isn’t a contradiction or flaw in his understanding of God
Through Isaiah we learn that it is possible to know God’s holiness AND to adore Him in love and delight
Isaiah not only calls us to see God’s holiness but also God’s mercy, goodness, grace & kindness
Isaiah reveals God is just and reveals that God is saviour
In the coming together of these names we are reminded of the Shammah
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
In Isaiah’s ‘Well-beloved’ we hear echoes of David
1 I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications.
And Psalm 42:1“1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.”
We made mention in Isa 1 how personal these messages were to Isaiah
It is His love for God that helped him identify so closely with the message he must give
His love for God was reason He could feel anger and grief over Israel’s situation and plead with them to repent
To call God his Well-beloved is to say that He is acquainted with God
That is, that He knew God and God knew Him
This is the great place of the true child of God
The God who is above us, the just and sovereign ruler of all is not my dread but my desire
A Song of His Vineyard
A Song of His Vineyard
Isaiah 5:2–7
The Wonderful Land
The Wonderful Land
The Fertile Land
The Fertile Land
As you hear this song, picture it in your mind
Vineyard is on a very fruitful hill
Describes a piece of land that is naturally rich, full of nutrients
It is the perfect soil, perfectly located for a vineyard to thrive
Been fenced & painstakingly removed all the rocks & stones from the soil
Planted with purpose, care & great expectation
Purpose of Isa. 5:2 is to make the point that nothing was left undone
Whatever was needed for the vineyard to thrive was provided
Israel knew this was a picture of them
8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
God had chosen them, blessed them beyond measure
Given them every possible blessing and resource to thrive
Ultimately, they had a unique relationship with Him
The Fenced Vineyard
The Fenced Vineyard
Land was fenced
That marked this field as being owned, this was God’s property
Fence protected it
Set the boundaries of God’s work
The Finest Vines
The Finest Vines
Land was cleared of anything that would hinder growth
Anything that would taint the sweetness of the grapes was cast out
God chose Himself what He would plant
No good thing was withheld
All the vineyard had to do was produce fruit for the master
A tower and winepress was built in the midst
These were permanent structures (unlike shack of Isa. 1:8)
The Worthless Fruit
The Worthless Fruit
Soured Grapes
Soured Grapes
After all the effort the fruit was worthless
He had every right to expect good fruit
Nothing was withheld so that the vineyard had every possibility to produce good fruit
The fruit is worthless - literally ‘stinking fruit’, ‘sour grapes’
The vineyard didn’t serve it’s purpose
Know we’re beginning to see why ‘Yahweh of Hosts’ is the comforting name in this context
Soured People
Soured People
Jesus told us ‘by their fruits you shall know them’ (Matt. 7:20)
Israel’s fruit showed they were corrupted inside
In this state they couldn’t serve their purpose
They were unable to provide fruit for the Master
Often talk about our lives producing fruit - some expression of godliness or success
Mark of our true spirituality isn’t always seen in the presence of fruit but is most evidently seen in the quality of our fruit
Sour grapes is just another way of describing what Jesus says are whited tombs
Look good on the outside but inside is rotten
Spoiled Vineyard
Spoiled Vineyard
Problem in our song isn’t a few bad grapes but a completely useless vineyard
So the question, what can you do with a vineyard that has been lavished watered with grace and yet produces stinking fruit?
Everything that could be done had been done, no expense was spared for the good of the vineyard
The only answer is to lay the vineyard to waste
Note again, this isn’t a passive destruction, just letting it crumble
He actively brings about it’s destruction
The Prophecy of Isaiah The Vineyard: A Total Work, a Total Loss
Fruitfulness and security belong together. If only the vineyard had been true to the beloved’s intention no hand could have touched it. The obedient are impregnable.
Conclusion
Conclusion
This song is written about a specific people - Israel
Destuction did come as God warns here
It’s almost as if the hope of Isa. 4 is dashed away in the darkness of Isa. 5.
Promises of the Kingdom are still true but in the reality of the present sin destroys hope
While this song is sung for Israel it can still be a parable for God’s people today
There is a warning in here to all who claim the name of Christ without truly knowing Christ
For those who appear to have fruit but really only produce sour grapes
How would I know? Do you delight in God and do you delight in obeying God’s Word?
I wonder what God finds in your life?
What goodness God has showered upon you? What advantageous position God has put your life in?
Would you say, truthfully, that the fruit of your life is fitting?