Day 1 Introduction to the Text Isaiah 5:1-7

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1 Day 1 Introduction to the Text Isaiah 5:1-7 In Isaiah 4:2-6, the prophet tells of a day when God will establish His Branch who will be beautiful and glorious to those who see Him. On that day, only the redeemed will inhabit Jerusalem, those who are holy because of the washing and purging of the LORD. God s glory will appear before the people as in the days of the Exodus a cloud of smoke by day and a flaming fire by night. And God will provide ultimate protection for His holy people. There is no doubt that those who heard these words from Isaiah smiled. Who wouldn t? What a great promise from the only One in the entire universe who always keeps His promises. It is even possible that those hearing Isaiah s words in 4:2-6 thought that this day had already arrived. Under Uzziah s reign, the nation had prospered. The people enjoyed peace from their enemies, lived in luxurious homes, and owned acres of lush vineyards. So you can imagine their shocked looks when Isaiah sings his song about his beloved s vineyard. Isaiah s song in 5:1-7 begins with a description of the tender care provided by the vineyard owner for his vineyard. He prepares it on a fertile hill, removes its stones, and plants the choicest vine. He builds a tower for protection and fashions a winepress in anticipation of a bountiful harvest. Finally, he waits hopefully, in expectation of reaping good grapes. But to the vineyard owner s disappointment, his vineyard only produces rotten, worthless ones. The vineyard owner doesn t work the land over again. He doesn t fertilize and try new seed. Why should he? He has already done everything and more to produce good grapes. No, this vineyard owner removes the hedge and wall of protection so that wild beasts can trample it underfoot. He no longer prunes it or hoes it so that it only produces briars and thorns. Not only that, this vineyard owner commands the clouds to withhold their rain. Who is this vineyard owner? He is none other than the LORD of hosts! And who is the vineyard? The house of Israel and the plant represents the men of Judah. God provided and cared for the nation of Israel with the expectation that He would reap the fruit of justice and righteousness. Instead, He found rotten grapes in the form of bloodshed and the cry of injustice from the mouths of the weak. No wonder He was angry. Scripture Memory: Isaiah 5:7 1

2 Day 2 Observe the Text Read Isaiah 5: Who is singing the song? What is the song about? (v1) 2. Where is the vineyard located? What preparations did the vineyard owner take? What was his expectation? What was the result? (vv1-2) 3. How are the People described? What have they done? (v4) 4. Who is talking in verse 3? Who does he address? 5. What does the vineyard owner say that he is going to do to his vineyard? (vv5-6) 6. In verse 7, who is the vineyard owner? What does the vineyard represent? What about the plant? 7. What fruit was the LORD looking for? (v7) 2

3 Day 3 Interpret the Text Read Isaiah 5:1-7 again Verse 1: a vineyard The use of vineyard or garden for a bride is often found in the Song of Solomon (SS 2:15; 4:16 5:1; 6:1 2; 8:12), and it may have been recognized as a stock metaphor. The constant use of assonance in these verses and the choice of the gentler consonantal sounds, especially in the first verse, would have induced in the hearers a sense of complacent enjoyment. Not till the last clause of v. 2 do they discover that the song tells a sad, not a glad, story (Grogan, 497). Vineyards were common in the agricultural life of Israel, with evidence of them from the ancient Near East as early as the third millennium B.C. While grapes were necessary for wine production, many steps were needed to produce the final product. Isaiah 5 describes several of these. The rocky hill country of Israel had to be cleared of rocks and were also often terraced; the collected rocks reduced erosion caused by water run-off and retained moisture for the vines. Some of the rocks could also be used for walls surrounding the vineyards, for watchtowers where guards could protect against marauders, and also for huts where workers could sleep (Walton, 25). Verse 2: The lover s devotion to the vineyard is highlighted in 5:2. He plowed the ground, removed stones (used to make the tower and walls of 5:5), planted the best variety of plants available, and prepared for the harvest by building a wine press. The tower gave him a place to live as he protected the vineyard from predators during the harvest season. At the end of the verse, the song turns into a complaint because, after a long time of hopeful waiting [ He expected, NASB] for the vines to mature, he found only sour rotten fruit (Smith, ). Verses 3-4: Suddenly (weʿatta, and now ), the one who owns the vineyard interrupts the song with questions that invite the listeners in Jerusalem to decide who was at fault. These rulers/inhabitants of Jerusalem, whose action frequently determined the future of the nation, were now asked to declare their judgment. With this invitation the author begins to set the trap so that the audience will end up condemning themselves, for they were the ones ruining the fruit of the nation (167). 3

4 Verses 5-6: The owner decides not merely to abandon the vineyard for a better plot of land, he attacks it by removing what protected it from animals who might walk through it (no thorn hedges or stone walls will remain), by no longer cultivating or caring for the plants (no hoeing or pruning), and by cursing the field to prevent rain from falling on it (cf. Lev 26:19; Deut 28:23 24; Amos 4:7 8). Although this might appear to be a severe over reaction by the disappointed lover, it was totally appropriate, since there was no hope of ever getting anything of any value to grow in this vineyard (167). Verse 7: The hearers fall into a skillfully laid trap. The figurative form is cast off, and God s people stand exposed as the guilty objects of his disappointment and his judgment. They have condemned themselves, for the tacit agreement of the hearers to the criticism of the vineyard can be assumed (Grogan, 498). He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress. Plays on meaning and sounds, called paronomasia, appear to be linguistic universals, engaging the human sense of play. Sound play is generally language specific, not immediately clear in another, unrelated language. An example in 5:7 is words using similar sounding consonants (alliteration) and vowels (assonance) placed near each other but in contrast to each other. In 5:7 God looks for justice (mišpāṭ), but finds bloodshed (mis pāḥ). He seeks righteousness (ṣedāqâ), but gets cries of distress (ṣeʿāqâ) instead. Someone has suggested an English equivalent: He sought equity, but found iniquity, a righteous nation, but instead, lamentation (Walton, 27). 4

5 Read Isaiah 5:1-7 one more time. Day 4 Apply the Text 1. In the passage, God had provided the Israelites with all the means possible to produce good fruit. In what ways has God blessed you in your life? 2. According to the New Testament, what is the danger of believers not producing fruit in their lives? 3. When do you find it easiest to live a fruit-bearing life? 4. What things get in the way of bearing fruit in your life? 5

6 Day 5 Implement the Text Review and reflect on your study of the passage 1. How do you plan to honor God this week? 2. Jesus said in John 15 that He is the true vine and we are the branches. In order to bear fruit, we must abide in Him. In what ways will you strive to abide in Jesus this week? 3. What changes do you need to make in your life to ensure that you are producing good fruit? 6

7 Bibliography Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update. Grogan, Geoffrey W. Isaiah. In The Expositor s Bible Commentary: Proverbs Isaiah (Revised Edition), edited by Tremper Longman III, Garland David E., Vol. 6. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, Smith, Gary V. Isaiah Edited by E. Ray Clendenen. The New American Commentary. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, Walton, John H. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Old Testament): Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel. Vol. 4. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,

8 Sermon Notes