The Lord’s Vineyard: Isaiah 5 & 27
Isaiah uses the imagery of a vineyard with a Vinedresser to teach about Israel.
How do we know Israel is the vineyard?
Verse 7 is clear:
“For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, the plant He delighted in.”
OK, what is Isaiah teaching about Israel in Ch. 5?
Well, several things. The first is that God established the vineyard, He is the Vinedresser:
“He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there.” (2a)
The second is that the vineyard did not yield the kind of fruit that God expected:
“He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes.” (2b)
The third is that God would discipline the vineyard for yielding bad fruit:
“Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland. It will not be pruned or weeded; thorns and briers will grow up.I will also give orders to the clouds that rain should not fall on it.” (5-6)
Finally, because the vineyard yielded bad fruit, God would send Israel into exile:
“Therefore My people will go into exile because they lack knowledge…” (13a)
What does Isaiah mean by “they lack knowledge”? Is it because they were not smart enough?
No, it is because they inverted good and evil. Isaiah describes some of the sins in the surrounding verses, but 20-21 summarize the sins of the vineyard:
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight.” (20-21)
Yeah, I see that this was Israel. They turned away from God and He sent them into exile.
Too bad for Israel. They had their chance. Now God has moved on from them by sending Jesus the Messiah and establishing the Church. We are the New Israel.
Hold on just a second. What gives you that idea? We haven’t finished reading Isaiah’s teaching about the vineyard. We cannot just look at one passage and make such a drastic conclusion about a biblical subject, especially a subject as important as Israel and the Church.
Oh, well, the next chapter, 6, is about Isaiah’s calling. So, I thought he was done.
We must always keep reading. It is often the case that hope follows judgment, especially with the Hebrew prophets. Let’s skip ahead to chapter 27 to learn what else Isaiah says about the vineyard. But I am glad you agree with me that the vineyard of chapter 5 is Israel.
Ok, what does chapter 27 teach?
First, Isaiah teaches about the future of the vineyard:
“On that day sing about a desirable vineyard: I, Yahweh, watch over it; I water it regularly. I guard it night and day so that no one disturbs it.” (2-3)
Now, look at verse 6:
“In days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will blossom and bloom and fill the whole world with fruit.”
Wait, isn’t that the Church? The Church will fill the whole world with fruit.
No, it says "Israel" & "Jacob." It literally cannot be more clear.
I believe that is now referring to the Church.
So, you think the vineyard was Israel in chapter 5 because they were being disciplined. But here in chapter 27, when Israel is being blessed, you switch the meaning of Israel to be the Church, even though it is plainly written that the vineyard is Israel??
Well, if we had NT evidence that confirmed blessing and salvation would happen to Israel, then I would believe that this was about Israel. But as it stands: Yes, I believe that the meaning of Israel switches when we get to the NT. And then we go back and re-read all of the OT with that understanding.
What evidence do you have, chapter and verse, to support the claim that the Church is now Israel and God has transferred all His promises made to Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, over to you?
Well, it’s found in the Covenant of Grace.
Where is the covenant of grace?
It’s a theme, spanning the whole Bible. It dictates God's dealings with mankind across the ages.
That’s not a covenant. That’s an attribute of God's character. And what happened to this attribute when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people?
You mentioned NT evidence of Israel's future blessing. Have you read Romans 9-11, specifically 11:26-27? Here, we see reference to an actual covenant, the New Covenant:
"And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Liberator will come from Zion; He will turn away godlessness from Jacob. And this will be My covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Jer. 31:31-34)
Plus, check out Isaiah 27:12-13. Writing centuries after Moses, Isaiah uses the same future borders for Israel that Moses used in Genesis 15:
“On that day the Lord will thresh grain from the Euphrates River as far as the Wadi of Egypt, and you Israelites will be gathered one by one. On that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those lost in the land of Assyria will come, as well as those dispersed in the land of Egypt; and they will worship the Lord at Jerusalem on the holy mountain.”
In summary,
if Israel is the vineyard that was disciplined by God with literal exile in Isaiah 5,
then Israel is the vineyard that will be literally blessed, forgiven and regathered by God in Isaiah 27.
To view Isaiah 5 as literal Israel but then turn around a few chapters later and see Israel as the church in Isaiah 27 is bad hermeneutics, at the least.
A terrible bias, at the worst.
Are that many people bad at hermeneutics?
No, many people have chosen an anti-Israel theology that is propagated by Gentiles who failed to heed Paul's warnings of ignorance and arrogance in Romans 11. This arrogance robs the Jewish people of their future blessings by replacing them with -- themselves.
How convenient.
Now you’re getting it.