Isaiah 5:7
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant, His cherished vine, and it stands for His professed people and church in every age, precious and dear to His heart. He took that vine out of Egypt and planted it in Canaan, nourishing and guarding it by His law and giving it every means to thrive, with the right as its owner to expect fruit in its season. He looked for justice and righteousness, but found oppression and the cry of the suffering instead of the fruits of love, peace, goodness and faith. Because the husbandmen mistreated His messengers and at last rejected the Son, the nation forfeited its privileges and brought ruin upon itself in the loss of its city and temple and the giving of the vineyard to others who would render fruit. That warning belongs to His church in every generation, that great blessing brings the obligation to bear righteous fruit, yet above the desolation shines the hope of covenant mercy to be fulfilled to a faithful remnant.
Vineyard and Plant Identified
The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, the whole house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant, His cherished and carefully planted vine. He looked for justice and righteousness from them, but found oppression and cries of distress from sufferers instead, showing they had not fulfilled their calling as His people and representatives. Israel had been planted as a goodly vine by the wells of life, called and trained to represent God in the world, with the purpose and possibility of becoming trees of righteousness that glorify Him. Through that chosen nation He intended to bring blessing to all mankind. The generation to whom Christ came stood like a fig tree within that vineyard, belonging to the circle of His special care and blessing yet failing to show the character He sought.
The vineyard represents the Jewish church, whom He carefully planted, protected, and supplied so they would bear good fruit and reflect His goodness in life and character. By extension it means His professed people and church in every age, very dear to His heart and precious in His sight. Instead Israel became a degenerate vine producing wild grapes. Christ looks for fruit from His vineyards, and that fruit is obedience to God's commandments, which makes souls precious in His sight. His saints assembling to worship Him from year to year are to sing about His vineyard with heart and understanding also. Its lesson applies not only to ancient Israel but to the church in every generation, for great privileges and blessings bring corresponding responsibility to bear good fruit, and its ground must be cultivated rather than left neglected while workers and resources are concentrated in one place to hinder the extension of the work.
The verse denotes the past and future history of the Jews as unfaithful husbandmen who beat one servant, killed another, stoned another, and at last killed the heir to seize the inheritance. Condemned by their own answer, the just punishment for failing to render fruit in its season was taking away their national privileges, giving the vineyard to other husbandmen who would render fruit, and bringing destruction of their temple and city and dispersion of the nation.
Israel's character as God's prosperous vine was displayed at the entrance to the temple in Jerusalem by a vine of gold and silver with green leaves and massive clusters of grapes. It was made at enormous expense by the most skillful artists, twining gracefully about the white and glistening pillars and clinging with shining tendrils to their golden ornaments. Catching the splendor of the setting sun, it shone as a wonderful thing of beauty with a glory borrowed from heaven.
Care and Purpose Given
God took Israel as a vine out of Egypt and planted it in Canaan by the wells of life, where He nourished, protected and cared for it. He guarded it by His law, provided for its religious life, and gave it every means to thrive. The marriage law and the Sabbath law by which it was guarded were clearly established in Eden, so that the people could know His requirements without misunderstanding.
As owner of the vineyard He had the right to expect its stewards to return its fruit at the appointed time. He entrusts His covenant people with the care of that vineyard, and faithful servants are to carry out His will and judgment in it.
Israel was called, trained, chosen and richly blessed to honor God by steadfast commitment to noble principles and by bearing fruit that revealed the principles of His kingdom. That fruit was to represent His character and heaven itself in a fallen world, to preserve practical godliness from idolatry, and to become trees of righteousness that glorify God. Through the chosen nation He intended to bring blessing, light and salvation to all mankind, to restore His moral image in humanity, and to extend His kingdom. The glory of that purpose, declared centuries before Christ, was what Israel through obedience might have fulfilled.
The generation to whom Christ came was like a fig tree planted within that vineyard, belonging to the circle of His special care and blessing. It had received that care with the purpose and possibility of bearing good fruit and glorifying Him.
God intended His people to spread through the land and take possession of the territory He had set before them in Canaan. Their failure to occupy the vineyard as He directed marked a departure from Him, and had they done so their history would have been different.
Fruit Sought and Found
He looked for judgment, which is justice, and for righteousness, but found oppression and a cry of distress from those suffering it instead. The vineyard is the house of Israel and the men of Judah are His cherished and carefully planted vine, given special care and blessing that they might bear good fruit and glorify Him. Their failure to bear the fruit He sought showed they had not fulfilled their calling as His people and representatives. The same vineyard image describes the generation to whom Jesus came, which belonged to the circle of His special care yet failed to show the character He sought.
The cry is the cry of those who are His heritage because they are not treated as He would have stewards treat them. He looks upon every such scene of injustice, as in joining house to house and field to field until many great and fair houses are left desolate without inhabitant. Instead of good fruit Israel became a degenerate vine producing wild grapes, though carefully planted, protected and supplied to bear good fruit. The contrast between the fruit sought and what was found expresses failure to reflect His goodness in the life and character desired.
The wild grapes mean the absence of the fruits of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, and faith — in the lives of professed followers, warning them not to disappoint the owner. They mean forgetting God and going into rebellion, abusing privileges from age to age, turning religion into hollow formalism, and cherishing Pharisaical pride, self-exaltation and cruel attributes. They mean making the vineyard fruitless through ingratitude, resisted grace, and refusal of the opportunities and privileges provided.
As stewards the people greedily claimed the vineyard's fruits for themselves, and the leaders sought their own honor and its benefits. They failed in their duty to teach and obey His word, withheld the religious guidance, holy example, love, humility, and self-sacrificing service they owed others, exploited those entrusted to their care, and misled the people. Teachers who encourage disobedience withhold from Him the fruits He claims and are unfaithful servants, and the misleading and withholding contributed to the nation's sin, ruin and accountability. Their greed and wrongdoing brought oppression and cries of distress, misrepresented His character, damaged the surrounding nations' understanding of Him and His kingdom, and gave Gentiles reason to misunderstand Him and His laws. He holds His people accountable to live out the moral claims of their faith, and their professed devotion cannot excuse wrongdoing.
Rejection Judgment and Hope
Declared centuries before Christ, the verse sets forth the glory of God's purpose which Israel through obedience might have fulfilled. Near the close of His earthly ministry Christ referred to this vineyard in His parable of the householder who planted a vineyard and let it out to husbandmen. In that parable He called the Jewish teachers to see the rich blessings bestowed upon Israel and God's claim to their obedience.
The vineyard's lesson is a breach of trust: God sent messengers to receive the fruit, but the people mistreated them and ultimately rejected His Son. Their true character was that of unfaithful husbandmen who beat one servant, killed another, stoned another, and at last killed the heir to seize the inheritance. God had cared for Israel and Judah and expected good fruit, but He looked for justice and righteousness and found oppression and a cry of distress.
God did not withdraw His love but sent prophets to warn them and instituted the sacrificial system to keep Christ before them as the one great Sacrifice and efficient Offering. Yet for a thousand years they would not accept mercy but persecuted and killed the messengers, multiplied transgression upon transgression, and abused privileges from age to age in national apostasy of resisted grace and hollow formalism, cherishing Pharisaical pride, self-exaltation and cruel attributes. For three years Christ ministered among them with healing, comfort, forgiveness, and mercy, yet they despised His appeals, shut their eyes to Him, rejected their only helper and the one who could save them, and were ready to put the Son of God Himself to death. Over this long record of ingratitude Jesus wept as Jerusalem faced judgment.
By failure to fulfill its purpose the whole nation was forfeiting His blessing and bringing ruin upon itself. Condemned by their own answer, the just punishment for failing to render fruit in its season was taking away their national privileges and giving the vineyard to other husbandmen who would render fruit. Despite great light, blessings, and prosperity, their unfaithful care led to withdrawing of favor and to calamity and defeat. That judgment came as destruction of their temple and city, dispersion of the nation, and the casting off of Jerusalem because the people rejected the light and mercy offered them.
Jerusalem's doom also symbolizes the world, which will likewise receive its doom. The vineyard parable warns all that God cannot bless and sustain those who reject His ways and commandments. Though the church is beloved and cared for, He does not condone its sins, but may allow calamity and defeat when its members glorify themselves and practice false principles. He forgives those who repent while withdrawing favor from those who persist in sin, exalt themselves, mix the sacred with the common, and misrepresent Him while claiming His temple and setting a misleading example.
Israel's degradation as a desolate waste is not the end. Above it shines the promised glory of the Messiah's reign. God's wrath is spanned by the hope of His covenant mercy.
The goodly vine that the men of Israel despised and cast over the vineyard wall, bruising and trampling it in hope of destroying it forever, was then removed by the divine Husbandman and concealed from their sight. It was planted again on the other side of the wall where its stock is no longer visible and beyond human power to reach or harm, while its branches still hang over the wall so grafts may be joined to it. Israel's call, successes and failures, restoration to favor, rejection of the Master, and the carrying out of the plan of the ages by a goodly remnant to whom all covenant promises will be fulfilled reveal God's eternal purpose, His love for the lost race, and His plan for salvation. That charge now belongs to God's church on earth as faithful husbandmen occupying His vineyard.
The vine that once bore good grapes can afterward yield wild grapes, meaning souls with a faithful past can depart from the faith and send forth bitter instead of sweet. This change brings weariness and sorrow of heart. As the end nears when truth alone will triumph, the truth as it is in Jesus must be planted in the heart by the Holy Spirit and daily tended there by grace.
Warning to Church Today
The vineyard is God's people, and from those He has favored He looks for justice and righteousness as fruit, a lesson that belongs not to ancient Israel alone but to the church in every generation, where great privilege and blessing carry a corresponding responsibility to bear good fruit. The same vineyard once identified as Israel and Judah, carefully tended yet yielding oppression and a cry of distress instead of the justice and righteousness expected, now stands for the Lord's church, which His care and blessing place under obligation to bear righteous fruit. When that church seeks worldly praise and support it falls into spiritual decline and brings forth degenerate fruit.
Christ looks for fruit from His vineyards, and that fruit is obedience to God's commandments and the good fruit of faithful service. Such obedience makes souls precious in His sight. The church is very dear to His heart, precious to Him as He seeks this fruit in worship. His saints assembling to worship Him from year to year are to sing about His vineyard with the heart and with the understanding also.
God enriched His vineyard and looked for the good fruit of faithful service, but failure to meet His expectation is like a promised gift that never arrives. He expects His people to produce fruit unto righteousness and not to become a strange vine failing His purpose. Their lives are to show a real difference from the world and to represent Christ rightly. This calling rests on spiritual advantages given to display His glory, extend His kingdom, restore His moral image in humanity through obedient and righteous lives, and to be used faithfully rather than left unemployed.
Work in Neglected Fields
The Lord is not partial in His vineyard, for His vineyard is the world itself, the field where His work is to be carried out in all its different parts with integrity and strict economy, and its ground must be cultivated rather than left unworked. The work required is the elevating of the standard of truth and the raising of memorials of truth that make a proper impression on the world, with means so used that workers in neglected parts can move forward without hindrance. The vineyard waits to be worked, and its unworked places call for workers and for the means needed to carry out missionary work.
No portion of the vineyard is to be robbed so that money is absorbed in one location or one large center, and the pattern followed in America is not to be copied in every large center while other fields are hindered. Leaving parts neglected while concentrating workers and resources in one place hinders the extension of the work, diverts resources from more destitute fields, and leaves other fields barren. Diverting resources to one area can keep established forces, the plants of the vineyard, from being planted in other parts of the field.
God gave the nation advantages so that His name would be honored throughout the world, and those advantages were to be used to support more destitute fields. Selfishness and covetousness diverted resources to a few places, leaving other fields barren and preventing the good He intended, and this was unfaithful stewardship for which He would remove the trust from those who proved untrustworthy. He does not judge as man judges with finite judgment; He looks at the character of the fruit borne and then judges the tree.
The Southern field is a neglected and most destitute portion of the Lord's vineyard, though the duty to care for it has been clearly set out for years. Its people lacked ministers, teachers, and medical missionaries, and parts of it were left without due support when resources intended for them were diverted. Its poverty and suffering, and the failure of Christians to relieve them or provide their share of ministry, show a neglected responsibility to cultivate God's vineyard. Leaving thousands of suffering people there to perish in their sins leaves undone what God would have accomplished and stands as a reproach to those who know the truth.
The colored race in America is a part of the Lord's vineyard committed to His people, toward whom God looked for judgment and righteousness. He asks why those living in this part of His vineyard are left in their awful condition to become the sport of Satan's temptations, and He will require an excuse for neglect. He calls for united action to help them by proclaiming and living the truth, with no blind zeal and nothing done in defiance of law. God commends those who strive to establish interests in new, poor fields, and such fields are to receive special help. His people are to redeem their neglect by thorough conversion and repentance and by decided effort to carry the work forward there despite difficulty and poverty, instead of hindering, discouraging, criticizing and judging those entrusted with it.
Cultivating the vineyard means supporting the work of bringing souls into the truth, including the commandment-keeping people in a new world whose work needs practical help and means. The vineyard's unworked places call for workers and for means for missionary work, and God is the one to whom workers in His field should bring their needs. Refusing to labor in that vineyard for selfish interests means neglecting the service owed to the Lord who gave His life for them. Drawing funds away from a sanitarium can obstruct medical missionary work throughout that field, for the Lord's vineyard is the field where His work is to be carried out.