Sometimes we can invest a lot of our time and attention on a person or group, only to see no good results come from it. In Isaiah 5:1-7, the Lord recounts the care He took to form a successful vineyard. But it resulted in bad grapes.
The Lord asked the Jews, “Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard” (5:3). With this rhetorical question, He invited them to review His covenant. If they would honor Him by keeping His commandments, not going after other gods, and dealing with sin through the sacrifices, then:
- They’ll be blessed in the city and country.
- Their offspring and their beasts’ offspring will be healthy.
- Their enemies will run away from them.
- He will make their barns overflow with food.
- They will bless other nations and not be in debt to them.
- It will be apparent that God is in their midst and favoring them. (Deuteronomy 28:1-14.)
Then the Lord asks, “What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it?” (5:4). What more could the Lord have done, indeed? What blessing is missing? With health, security, prosperity, the respect of the nations, identified as the people of God–what was left out?
The Jews had had a written record of their dealings with God since around 1200 B.C. With Isaiah’s preaching falling on deaf ears, the Assyrians came in 722 B.C. to carry away the northern kingdom of Israel, fulfilling his prophecies of judgment to come.
We of the church will do well to review the new covenant we have with Christ Jesus. How does He bless us? His blessings are too numerous to list. We can make a long list of blessings if we confine ourselves to just one of a number of epistles. From Ephesians:
- Blesses us with every spiritual blessing (1:3)
- Redemption through His blood (1:7)
- Reveals His will to us (1:9)
- We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:13-14)
- We are His body, the fullness of Him (1:23)
- He made us alive who were dead in sins (2:1)
- We are His workmanship (2:10)
- He made peace with us (2:14)
- He gives us access to the Father (2:18)
- We belong to the household of God (2:19)
- God lives in us (2:22)
It doesn’t hurt to review the terms of the covenant for His people: trust in Jesus, or, “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). This simple yet profound requirement is superior to the old covenant because we’re not hoping our good deeds, whether religious or secular, are good enough. Rather, we let the Word of God direct our faith to Jesus and keep it there. We trust God to keep His end of the covenant and care of us. What we do then flows out of our faith in Jesus.
All the blessings come about through faith in Jesus. On the other hand, all the curses come about by turning away from faith in Him. Expressions of the curse could be fear, worries, depression, anger, the works of the flesh, inability, powerlessness, and more (from Handbook to Happiness, by Charles Solomon–highly recommended reading).
But through faith we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
God cannot bless us more when we are living by faith; in Christ we have it all. The just shall live by faith. The Word directs us to faith (Romans 10:9). Through faith in Jesus we have eternal life (John 3:16).
God is still the keeper of the vineyard, Jesus tells us (John 15:1-11). By faith in Christ, our branches stay in the vine and we are fruitful. When we stay in the Word, believing God is speaking to us and responding, God will enjoy the fruits of His vineyard–your love and joy for Him.
