Text: Isaiah 5:1-7
1 Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?
5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!
I have to admit some hesitation in approaching the scriptures before us today. Some commentators have admitted a "chilling" quality to this text. Others, have questioned its suitability for preaching within the church, having a message that is essentially antithetical to the "good news" of the new covenant. This is obviously not good news for its recipients. Nonetheless, regardless of my own difficulties with the text, or the reservations of some regarding its suitability, I think there is value here that is definitely worth our attention.
A casual observation of this text can provoke troubling questions regarding abandonment and divine culpability. But, thankfully, while we are dealing with a particular text in a specific place, it is not a complete snapshot and therefore, must be interpreted in light of everything the Bible says about God's relationship with his people. While there is clearly a disconnect between God and his people here, and obviously, as we will see, for good reasons, and this separation ultimately has dramatic consequences, this must and can be mitigated by the demonstration of God's love and forbearing. This God who pronounces judgment here, is the same God whose mercy and loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting.
So, with these things said, let's now take a look at what this text has to say to us about God and his purposes.
Notice, first, that God is the initiator; there is nothing passive in the imagery here. Scripture says that he located the right place for the vineyard, he exerted effort in clearing and preparing the ground for its planting, and then planted the vineyard himself. This indicates a deliberate act on His part. As a benevolent Creator, God is the author of our existence as a people, as well as the relationship that ensues from our creation.
With this said, let there be no mistaking the fact that God ultimately takes responsibility for His creation. As the architect and author of life and all it entails, God does not cast aside his responsibility. Now, this is quite different from saying that God is responsible, in terms of divine culpability. Let's not get distracted here, because regardless of how we would answer that question, in the final analysis, scripture describes a God who works endlessly, obsessed, if you will, with the fulfillment of his divine purpose within creation. Therefore, just as the vineyard is analogous of the people of God, the people of God gives way to a further analogy of the Church. The Church: a people redeemed by God's salvific actions in history, whereby he ultimately takes upon Himself our sin and renews us in His grace.
The world we live in is in a horrible state. We can indict God, but the indictment would be moot and would do nothing to change the world as we know it. But, there can be no mistaking God's grace. The scripture before us is a snapshot of a people who have failed, and as such, they are cast aside, momentarily. But, God never entirely abandons his ultimate purpose in his creation and will bring it to a successful conclusion.
Before we go further, let me address something that I think is very important. I think we sometimes harbor the notion that God is somehow indifferent to the suffering and plight of His creation. This is foreign to what the scriptures teach. I am reminded of Christ, weeping over the city of Jerusalem, knowing that in just a few short years, she would be destroyed beyond anything they had ever experienced (Matt 23:37). Paul, writing about this very same thing, says that the creation is groaning as in travail, waiting for the sons of God to be revealed as they really are (Ro. 8:22) Where does this travail come from? It is indicative of God's presence in creation.
God is not a passive by-stander. The cross itself speaks volumes against this notion. God is and has always been actively involved in history. While the reality of such is beyond our ability to comprehend, Paul tells us that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself. God rolled up His sleeves and took upon Himself the redemption and wholesale renovation of His creation. As the prophet Isaiah, in chapter 59, would later declare:
He saw that there was no one, and was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm brought him victory, and his righteousness upheld him. (v. 16, emphasis added)
This leads us to a sense of anticipation. With all the benefits afforded these people, God anticipates a return. Unfortunately, this anticipation, expecting and hoping for the best in his creation, is met with disappointment. Injustice is the source of this disappointment; the ultimate result of man's inhumanity to one another.
God desires a people who will mirror his concern in creation: that is, a people who will identify with the plight of the oppressed and poor. A people who esteem justice and righteousness and denounces anything to the contrary. Their unwillingness to do this eventually brought God's judgment upon them, and this same injunction rest upon us today.
God's values have not changed. He works within his people, his church, to effect justice and righteousness in the world. This is anticipated in the cross. Christ, who lived as a man, immersed himself in the suffering of humanity, crucified as a subversive who dared to take upon himself the plight of the oppressed, is the ultimate investment of God. This same God, in Christ, works within us to continue this ministry to the outcast, to enact justice, to embody love of neighbor.
The same situation confronts us today. We are benefactors of the same divine initiative, the same investment, the same nurture, and fundamentally, the same anticipation. Our mission is clear: justice and righteousness are our directives, our divinely conferred responsibility.
May God help us to produce fruit worthy of our Creator.
God of justice,
your word is light and truth.
Let your face shine on us to restore us,
that we may walk in your way,
seeking justice and doing good. Amen.
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