Scripture: Isaiah 5:1-25 (NKJV)
1 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. 8 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.”
11 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.
18 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.”
20 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!
22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, woe to men valiant for mixing
intoxicating drink, 23 who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away
justice from the righteous man! 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.
Devotion
God’s justice is fair. He has every right to punish and destroy those who
corrupt His will, because all His works and ways are for the good of all
mankind. Those who poison His designs with careless faithlessness also threaten
to harm many others who would otherwise be helped by the Lord’s work. So, His
judgments and severe consequences are not like the petty vendettas of man, but
the diligence of a holy, benevolent King who seeks the best for all those in
His care.
Israel’s sin is not just a simple failure to follow instructions. Their wicked
negligence mocked and obscured the mercy that God would bring to the world
through His Son. They continued to ignore God’s promises and twist His
commands, even to the day that the Christ came to them and fulfilled so many of
those promises. But, as Jesus said in His parable, “The owner of the vineyard
said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect
him when they see him.’ But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among
themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the
inheritance may be ours.’ So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.”
(see Luke 20:9-19).
The Lord’s Word is our salvation. It was no small thing that Israel compromised
His Word. The message of repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ is of
utmost importance, and our Lord’s will to bring that message to us all shows
that His mercy and benevolence is greater than His anger and wrath.
We pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your profound mercy shown to us in
Jesus Christ. Keep us faithful to Your Word and will so that all nations may
learn Your wisdom and be saved by Your Gospel, in the Name of Christ Jesus.
Amen.
The Lutheran Herald is a publication of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of
North America. These daily devotions are authored by the bishop, pastors, and
deacons of the diocese. Daily posts are provided by The Reverend Jeffrey A.
Ahonen.
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