God’s Saving Word: Justice and Peace

Introduction

Isaiah 5:1‒7: Today’s reading is a song about a vineyard in which the sins of the people of Jerusalem and Judah are compared to sour grapes.

Scripture Reading

The Song of the Vineyard

5 Listen while I sing you this song,
    a song of my friend and his vineyard:
My friend had a vineyard
    on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug the soil and cleared it of stones;
    he planted the finest vines.
He built a tower to guard them,
    dug a pit for treading the grapes.
He waited for the grapes to ripen,
    but every grape was sour.

3 So now my friend says, “You people who live in Jerusalem and Judah, judge between my vineyard and me. 4 Is there anything I failed to do for it? Then why did it produce sour grapes and not the good grapes I expected?

5 “Here is what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge around it, break down the wall that protects it, and let wild animals eat it and trample it down. 6 I will let it be overgrown with weeds. I will not trim the vines or hoe the ground; instead, I will let briers and thorns cover it. I will even forbid the clouds to let rain fall on it.”

7 Israel is the vineyard of the Lord Almighty;
    the people of Judah are the vines he planted.
He expected them to do what was good,
    but instead they committed murder.
He expected them to do what was right,
    but their victims cried out for justice.

Today’s Key Verse: Isaiah 5:7a

Israel is the vineyard of the LORD Almighty; the people of Judah are the vines he planted.

Reflect

Verses 1‒7 in chapter 5 are known as “The Song of the Vineyard,” a traditional wine harvest song used here to describe God’s relationship with the people of Israel and Judah. How is that relationship described? What are your thoughts about this image concerning God’s relationship with people today?

Pray

Almighty God, I sing your praises. In love you nurture me so that I grow in faith day by day. Teach me to obey your teachings so that I become a fruitful disciple. May my words and deeds reflect your love and grace. Amen.

Tomorrow’s Reading

Isaiah 11:1‒9: A vision of a peaceful kingdom is described.