Isaiah 5:1-2

Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.

From Background Notes [BN] for April 5th & 6th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

These passages emphasize the efforts of Israel's God, Yahweh, to plant, cultivate, prune, and otherwise nurture his vineyard, Israel. The purpose of God in all of this is that Israel might become a "fruitful vine."

But having been planted "a choice vine," Israel turned degenerate and became a wild one. What sort of fruit did Yahweh want from His people? Clearly, He sought justice and righteousness, but harvested violence instead. In fact, a bonfire awaits the dry and broken branches of the failed and dying vine. This is a tragic story, yet, as the Isaiah 27 text explains, in future days the fruit of Israel the vine will "fill the whole earth." God's ancient people were a vine destined for great fruitfulness, but turned instead into something worthless. Yet He has not abandoned them. The picture of the vine points to Israel's future mission: to be God's people throughout the world and through their testimony glorify God among the nations toward covenant relationship with Yahweh. [BN, 3]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am