Daily Devotion: Isaiah 5:1-4

Isaiah 5:1-4    "Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:  (2)  And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.  (3)  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.  (4)  What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?"

We think of the teaching of Jesus when we think about parables; yet, the Old Testament is filled with many different parables. Today's verses are such a teaching when God used the parable of a grape vineyard to remind us of His grace in our lives. God even sang this parable so that we will receive it as being promoted by His love for us. When reading this passage, we see the Lord did everything necessary for the vineyard to be prosperous.  He put a fence around it to keep the predators out. He gathered out all the stones in order for the vines to have good ground in which to grow. He used the very best vine, built a defence in the center of it, and made the press for the best wine to be brought forth. But the vines only produced wild grapes. 

 The Lord is still in the mode that was seen back in chapter one. "Come now, and let us reason together." After putting forth the truth of His works, God asks one simple question: "What could have been done more?"  Let's use reason by asking, "What more could God have done in order for the vineyard to produce the best grapes?" He did everything!

It's understood the vineyard in this parable has Israel (Judah) as its primary subject, but we can place our own lives in this lesson. For each one of us, the Lord put a hedge about our lives. He took away our stony hearts and replaced it with a heart of flesh, born of His Spirit. He planted within us the very life of His choicest vine, Jesus Christ. He is our defence and by His Spirit, we are able to produce good fruit such as "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance." See Galatians 5:22-23.  What more could He have done for each of us?  He has given us everything we need in order to accomplish His purpose for our lives. Let us "be about our Father's business" by producing good fruit in our lives.