Read
A Song about a Vineyard
The Lord said:
1 I will sing a song
about my friend's vineyard
that was on the side
of a fertile hill.
2My friend dug the ground,
removed the stones,
and planted the best vines.
He built a watchtower
and dug a pit in rocky ground
for pressing the grapes.
He hoped they would be sweet,
but bitter grapes
were all it produced.
3Listen, people of Jerusalem
and of Judah!
You be the judge of me
and my vineyard.
4What more could I have done
for my vineyard?
I hoped for sweet grapes,
but bitter grapes
were all that grew.
5Now I will let you know
what I am going to do.
I will cut down the hedge
and tear down the wall.
My vineyard will be trampled
and left in ruins.
6It will turn into a desert,
neither pruned nor hoed;
it will be covered
with thorns and briars.
I will command the clouds
not to send rain.
7I am the Lord All-Powerful!
Israel is the vineyard,
and Judah is the garden
I tended with care.
I had hoped for honesty
and for justice,
but dishonesty
and cries for mercy
were all I found.
Reflect
I don’t know about you, but I love gardening. I enjoy all aspects of it, working the soil, planting, weeding, watering and harvesting. I especially enjoy seeing and tasting the fruit of my labour, whether it’s viewing a beautiful flowerbed, or tasting a fresh garden carrot.
Today I had a delicious and nutritious vegetable soup for lunch. It was made with beets, carrots and beans from my garden. It was a satisfying meal in two respects. It satisfied my appetite and it provided a deep sense of accomplishment. This was not store bought processed food. It was food that I had a hand in creating from planting the seed, to nurturing, to preparation for my dining table.
Today’s reading from Isaiah should remind us that God is a gardener. He planted the first garden in Eden and placed Adam and Eve there to tend it (Genesis 2:8-9). But the most important crop in that first garden wasn’t produced by fruit trees. The harvest the LORD was looking for was a harvest of love and obedience from our first parents. Instead he got sin.
Similarly, God planted the people of Israel in their land. I am the LORD All-Powerful! Israel is the vineyard,and Judah is the garden I tended with care (Isaiah 5:7a)
But alas God’s garden produced bitter fruit. I had hoped for honesty and for justice, but dishonesty and cries for mercy were all I found (Isaiah 5:7b).
When God searches the garden of our lives will he find fruit he can enjoy?
Respond
LORD God, I want the fruits of your Spirit to be evident in my life. May your love, peace, patience and self-control be evident in my life. Amen.
David Kitz
David Kitz is an actor, an award-winning author, and teacher. For more than thirty years, he has served as an ordained pastor. His love for drama is evident to all who have seen his Bible-based performances. He has toured across Canada and United States with a variety of one man plays for children and adults. Raised in Saskatchewan, David now lives in Ottawa with his wife Karen. Books in print: The Soldier Who Killed a King, Little Froggy Explores the BIG World, Psalms Alive!, Tunks on Tongues