Solomon speaks of the superiority
of three over two, saying, And if one prevail against him, two
shall withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly
broken. John speaks pointedly to three
groups of disciples, fathers, young men, and children. John
also says there are three that bear witness in heaven, and there
are three that bear witness in the earth. The Lord Jesus was
three days and three nights in the earth, even as the prophet
Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of the fish. Paul
tells us that there are three abiding graces which the Holy
Spirit is pleased to manifest in the sons of God. And now abideth
faith, hope, charity, these three. But the greatest of these is
charity or love. So we can conclude that there
is some significance in the use of this particular number in
these instances. We can see the same thing here
in the book of Isaiah as the Lord used a threefold illustration
in his description of the daughter of Zion, which I believe is the
church of God, his elect bride, or that remnant which is left.
She is likened, first of all, to a cottage in a vineyard, then
a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, and a besieged city. She is as
a lodge in a cucumber patch, since there is nothing in the
kingdom of God which is to be desired by the natural man. He
has no desire to be found numbered with her, nor can he see her
beauty. Yet this is indeed the hope of the saints. I will greatly
rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my
God, for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation. He
hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom
decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself
with jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth
her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it
to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness
and praise to spring forth before all the nations. She has a beauty
which cannot be hid, but yet at the same time cannot be seen
by any but those to whom the Lord will give eyes to see it.
She is likened to a besieged city. Not only do the enemies
of God see no desirable beauty in the bride of Christ, they
are secretly jealous of her favor with God and would persecute
her night and day. Her single hope, the cross of
Christ, is that which is despised by all of those outside of this
city wall. The offense of the cross shall
never cease among men until such time as death and hell are swallowed
up in the pit of destruction along with those who are not
written in the Lamb's book of life. The religious world may
pay lip service to the work of Christ on the cross, but to a
man they will rise up in anger when its particular and definite
nature is proclaimed. So the little remnant which the
Lord has chosen and preserved is despised and rejected, and
even though hidden behind impenetrable walls in complete safety. My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And
I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which
gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck
them out of my Father's hand. The third illustration of the
state of the daughter of Zion is that of a cottage in a vineyard.
There is no likeness between the vineyard and the cottage.
The man who is simply looking for wine is unconcerned with
the cottage but is only interested in the fruit of the vine, which
he believes will cheer his heart and fill his soul. This vineyard
is like the religion of this world, which grows abundantly
and satisfies the needs of those whose desire after it is to fill
their own lusts and wishes. I'm amazed at the proliferation
of what I would call designer churches. They're on every corner.
We have cowboy churches, Indian churches, motorcycle churches,
et cetera. The idea is to try to make religion convenient and
appealing to those who would like to try to combine the world
and the kingdom of God. Yet the kingdom of God stands
in total contrast to the ways of the world. Be ye not unequally
yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness?
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your
pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet,
and turn again, and wring you. That little cottage is where
the vinekeeper dwells, and is a place of refuge for those workers
in the vineyard which the Lord has called. He has made his people
desire to serve in his vineyard, not for the fruits which can
be found in abundance there, but because they desire to be
found where he is worshipped, in spirit and truth. He alone
is their refuge. This little cottage is built
by the Lord of the manor, who has planted both those vines
that bring forth wild grapes, and also those branches that
are grafted into the true vine. Both shall grow until the time
of the end, when he shall separate the precious from the vile. I
am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me ye
can do nothing. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.