"Greetings in the Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 13 January 2101"
Today's Blog Title: "God's disappointing Vineyard"
Today's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 5:1-30
Today's Key Verse: Isaiah 5:4 "What more could have been done to my vineyard. That I have not done in in? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?"
The clearest expression of this metaphor in this chapter in the Bible is found in Galatians 5:22-23, which identifies the fruit God's Spirit produces in the Christian life as "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control." This parallel in Isaiah is clear, God looked for his people to produce the fruit of justice and righteousness, but instead the society was marked by injustice and crime.
Chapter 5 opens with what has been called "The Song of the Vineyard (verses 5:1-7). Israel is frequently spoken of as a vine in the Old Testament (Psalm 80:8,14, 15; Jeremiah 2:21; Hosea 10:1; Zechariah 3:10). God is the keeper of the vineyard who nurtures and protects His people. Yet despite God's loving care, the covenant community continued to produce the bitter fruit of sin rather than the pleasing products of righteousness. Jesus provides prospective when He calls Himself the "true vine" (John 15:1), reminding us that only through an intimate personal relationship with Him can any human being produce the fruit God desires.
It is a mournful song indeed, as God laments the necessary abandonment of the "garden of His delight," the people He cared for so patiently. The image of a well kept but now abandoned vineyard forcefully drives home the lesson that no generation that produces bloodshed rather than justice can expect to survive.
Isaiah then lists a series of woes, formal announcements of impending judgments, on the wicked who monopolize land ownership (verses 8-10), live profligate lives (verses 11-17), make evil their life's work (verses 18-20), distort good and evil (verse 20), are self important (verse 21), and corrupt justice (verses 22-25).
In verse 8 God distributed the Holy land in small parcels so every family would have a homestead. For some to have so much at the expense of others who have less and less is a great and terrible social injustice.
"Wine" or "strong drink" is often associated with joyful occasions. Yet the Old Testament bluntly condemns both drunkenness and love of drink (Proverbs 20:1; 21:17; 23:20-21), and the New Testament views alcohol abuse as a characteristic of a pagan rather than a Christian lifestyle (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3).
We now read in verses 26-30 that God's anger burns against such wickedness and He will bring foreign armies into Judah to judge them. God will raise an "ensign" (banner) and will "hiss" (whistle) at the nations to come and do His bidding. The clouds at the end of verse 30 symbolize the coming judgment against Judah.
Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, as we as Christians walk in the footsteps of Jesus, may our works, our actions and our words bring glory to Your name. May we spread the Good News of the free gift of salvation that comes through Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit prune us and shapen us that we might bring much fruit into tour everlasting kingdom. Amen
Today's Biblical Truth: "Those who pervert God's evaluation of what is called good by calling evil good are heading down a dangerous path--one that leads to judgment."
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today. Pray for our Brothers and Sisters who are being persecuted for the Faith and Trust in Jesus Christ. Pray also for God's Blessings on the Nation of Israel. Always remember that when you have a spiritual dilemma in your life and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD Whispers to you, "BUT I CAN."
"But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations."
Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi
Today's Blog Title: "God's disappointing Vineyard"
Today's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 5:1-30
Today's Key Verse: Isaiah 5:4 "What more could have been done to my vineyard. That I have not done in in? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?"
The clearest expression of this metaphor in this chapter in the Bible is found in Galatians 5:22-23, which identifies the fruit God's Spirit produces in the Christian life as "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control." This parallel in Isaiah is clear, God looked for his people to produce the fruit of justice and righteousness, but instead the society was marked by injustice and crime.
Chapter 5 opens with what has been called "The Song of the Vineyard (verses 5:1-7). Israel is frequently spoken of as a vine in the Old Testament (Psalm 80:8,14, 15; Jeremiah 2:21; Hosea 10:1; Zechariah 3:10). God is the keeper of the vineyard who nurtures and protects His people. Yet despite God's loving care, the covenant community continued to produce the bitter fruit of sin rather than the pleasing products of righteousness. Jesus provides prospective when He calls Himself the "true vine" (John 15:1), reminding us that only through an intimate personal relationship with Him can any human being produce the fruit God desires.
It is a mournful song indeed, as God laments the necessary abandonment of the "garden of His delight," the people He cared for so patiently. The image of a well kept but now abandoned vineyard forcefully drives home the lesson that no generation that produces bloodshed rather than justice can expect to survive.
Isaiah then lists a series of woes, formal announcements of impending judgments, on the wicked who monopolize land ownership (verses 8-10), live profligate lives (verses 11-17), make evil their life's work (verses 18-20), distort good and evil (verse 20), are self important (verse 21), and corrupt justice (verses 22-25).
In verse 8 God distributed the Holy land in small parcels so every family would have a homestead. For some to have so much at the expense of others who have less and less is a great and terrible social injustice.
"Wine" or "strong drink" is often associated with joyful occasions. Yet the Old Testament bluntly condemns both drunkenness and love of drink (Proverbs 20:1; 21:17; 23:20-21), and the New Testament views alcohol abuse as a characteristic of a pagan rather than a Christian lifestyle (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3).
We now read in verses 26-30 that God's anger burns against such wickedness and He will bring foreign armies into Judah to judge them. God will raise an "ensign" (banner) and will "hiss" (whistle) at the nations to come and do His bidding. The clouds at the end of verse 30 symbolize the coming judgment against Judah.
Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, as we as Christians walk in the footsteps of Jesus, may our works, our actions and our words bring glory to Your name. May we spread the Good News of the free gift of salvation that comes through Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit prune us and shapen us that we might bring much fruit into tour everlasting kingdom. Amen
Today's Biblical Truth: "Those who pervert God's evaluation of what is called good by calling evil good are heading down a dangerous path--one that leads to judgment."
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today. Pray for our Brothers and Sisters who are being persecuted for the Faith and Trust in Jesus Christ. Pray also for God's Blessings on the Nation of Israel. Always remember that when you have a spiritual dilemma in your life and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD Whispers to you, "BUT I CAN."
"But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations."
Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi
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