Speaker Sermon/Lesson Title Audio   Video  Text     MS Word Bobby Stafford The Vineyard Of The Lord Isaiah 5

The Vineyard of the Lord

Text:

Isaiah 5:1-7, “ Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill.  2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.  3 "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.  4 What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?  5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.  6 I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, But there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain on it."   7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.  He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.

Introduction:

vineyards were of great importance in biblical times period a song was written about vineyards during the days of Isaiah. It is recorded in the 5th chapter.  Verses one and two describes how everything possible had been done to the vineyard to make sure it would produce the best possible fruit. But it only produced wild grapes. Not only worthless, but noxious and offensive, possibly even poisonous.

Versus three and four.  Nothing more could have been done. Good soil, Carefully prepared, Good stock, Protected.

Versus 5 through 7. Now Isaiah reveals the identity of the vineyard and the one who planted it.  The vineyard was the House of Israel. God expected good grapes, ones that listened to his word and produced justice and righteousness, not aggression and a cry for help. He expected love but received indifference; Holiness but received impurity. God had bent over backward for them but those days were over period now he would remove all his protection and it would be laid waste. The rest of the chapter describes several woes that are pronounced upon the wicked among his people.

Body:

1.      Woe to the Greedy   Isaiah 5:8-10, “Woe to those who join house to house; They add field to field, Till there is no place Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!  9 In my hearing the Lord of hosts said, "Truly, many houses shall be desolate, Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.  10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, And a homer of seed shall yield one ephah."

·         Some in Israel were only concerned about getting more and more. They were selfish and greedy. They never had enough. They were never satisfied.

·         They were greedy for gain - Proverbs 1: 19; Proverbs 15: 27.

·         This practice is self-destructive, proverbs 1: 26-27.

·         God, here in our text, promises a judgment upon them. A homer of seed for one ephah.  An Epha is only 1/10th of a Homer! Homer is about 100 gallons or 10 bushels.  The harvest would be disastrously low.

2.      Woe to those who drink intoxicating drinks.   Isaiah 5:11-17, “Woe to those who rise early in the morning, That they may follow intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames them! 12 The harp and the strings,The tambourine and flute, And wine are in their feasts; But they do not regard the work of the Lord, Nor consider the operation of His hands. 13 Therefore my people have gone into captivity, Because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst.  14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself And opened its mouth beyond measure; Their glory and their multitude and their pomp, And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.  15 People shall be brought down, Each man shall be humbled, And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.  16 But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.  17 Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture, And in the waste places of the fat ones strangers shall eat.”

·         Scripture is filled with warnings about the effects of drinking alcohol. Proverbs 23: 29-35. It loosens your inhibitions and makes 1 irresponsible. When one drinks they forget God: verse 12. 

·         Verse 13 is a prophetic future. So certain it is seen as something that has already occurred. Sheol- the grave- is seen as a huge monster with its mouth wide open to swallow these evil people. See Isaiah 14: 9-11.

3.      Those who pursue sin    Isaiah 5:18-19, “ Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as if with a cart rope;  19 That say, "Let Him make speed and hasten His work, That we may see it; And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, That we may know it."

·         Committing evil was their chief purpose in life. Sin follows them like a cart, Dragging their sins around with them. They pile sin upon sin. One sin leads to another and they pull this heavy load behind them. Proverbs 5: 22.

·         These people were cynical. They scoffed and mocked God. They challenged God. They were arrogant. Second Peter 3: 3-4.

4.      Woe to those who reject absolute truth  Isaiah 5:20-21, “ Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!

·         Calling sands by names that sound acceptable, greedy it's called thrifty. Arrogance is called self esteem. They blur moral distinctions. Good and evil are confused.

·         Those who believe in biblical morality are called intolerant and aggressive. Those who reject absolute truth, scripture, are like those of john 3: 20. They have no moral guidance.

·         These people trust in their own wisdom. Romans 1: 22. They exalt themselves over God. Note 1 Corinthians 1: 20- 21.

5.      Conclusion:  Isaiah 5:24-30, “24 Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25 Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people; He has stretched out His hand against them And stricken them, And the hills trembled. Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.  26 He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, And will whistle to them from the end of the earth; Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly. 27 No one will be weary or stumble among them, No one will slumber or sleep; Nor will the belt on their loins be loosed, Nor the strap of their sandals be broken; 28 Whose arrows are sharp, And all their bows bent; Their horses' hooves will seem like flint, And their wheels like a whirlwind. 29 Their roaring will be like a lion, They will roar like young lions; Yes, they will roar AND lay hold of the prey; They will carry it away safely, And no one will deliver. 30 In that day they will roar against them like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, Behold, darkness and sorrow; And the light is darkened by the clouds. “

·         Judgment is on the way. Why? They rejected God's law and despised his word. Jehovah will call to the nations to come quickly and destroy his people. Assyria destroyed the northern tribes. Babylon destroyed the southern tribes.

·         Do we try and justify sin in our lives? Has our culture changed our ideas of right and wrong?

 

Prepared by Bobby Stafford

The church of Christ at Granby, MO

Located at
516 East Pine St.
P.O. Box 664
Granby, Mo. 64844
(417) 472-7109

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