Let us open our Bibles today
to Isaiah chapter 5. This chapter contains a prophecy
concerning the nation of Israel. I believe the best commentary
upon it are the words of our Lord in a parable that he spoke. We will look at the parable in
just a few minutes, but first I would like to point some things
out to us in the prophecy. And let's keep in mind this morning
that Isaiah, the man that God inspired to write this prophecy,
he lived some 700 years B.C., 700 years before the Lord Jesus
Christ was born into our world. First, we're going to ask some
questions as we look. First, who is the beloved to
whom the prophecy is sung? Notice it says, will I sing to
my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. Who is the beloved to whom the
prophecy is sung? Well, I'm convinced it refers,
of course, to the Lord Jesus Christ. He's oftentimes, especially
in the Song of Solomon, by the church, the bride. referred to
as my beloved. And in our Lord's parable, as
it is given in the Gospel of Mark, the parable that comments
on this passage of scripture, he calls himself the beloved. So who is the beloved to whom
the prophecy is sung? It is sung to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Second, what is the vineyard
in this prophecy? Notice it says, now will I sing
to my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. What is the vineyard in this
prophecy? Well, I'm thankful there's no
need to guess about this or to speculate because if you look
in verse seven, we are told who the vineyard is, for the vineyard
of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah,
his pleasant plant." The prophecy concerns the two nations. Now,
when the prophecy was given, when Isaiah lived, we know that
the one nation of Israel had been divided after Solomon's
death into two parts. One part normally referred to
as the nation of Israel and the other part as Judah. But when
they came back out of captivity, 70 years captivity in Babylon,
they came back not as two, but as one. And so some from all
of the tribes came back. And the vineyard of the Lord
is the nation of Israel. This is the vineyard in the prophecy. as it is referred to as the house
of Israel and the men of Judah. Number three, where did the beloved
place his vineyard? Notice again in verse one we
are told, now will I sing to my well beloved a song of my
beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard
in a very fruitful hill. Where did the beloved place his
vineyard? Well, we are told, in a very
fruitful hill. When the angel of the Lord, and
this is what we read in Acts chapter 7, Stephen's message,
that it was the angel of the Lord who appeared to Moses in
the burning bush in the desert. Remember, he revealed himself
to Moses and called him to go into Egypt and bring his people
out. He referred to himself when asked
his name, I am that I am. But let me read these words to
you there in Exodus chapter 3 and verse 8, speaking the angel of
the Lord speaking to Moses. I am come down to bring them
up out of that land, that is the land of Egypt, unto a good
land, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And this is just
another reason that we believe, that I believe, that the well-beloved
here is the Lord Jesus Christ, because no doubt he was the angel
of the Lord who appeared to Moses in that burning bush. And he
said, I am come down to bring them up out of that land unto
a good land onto a land flowing with milk and honey. Where did
the beloved place his vineyard? In a good land, in a fruitful
hill, a very fruitful hill. And notice what the beloved did
to make it a good land, a fruitful hill. There are several things
that are mentioned in verse two. First of all, he fenced it. And
he fenced it. Now, we know this is not to be
taken literally. There was not a fence built all
around Palestine. But how did he fence it? He gave
them his law, his covenant. And by that law, a fence separates. A fence separates those on that
side and those on this side, right? And the Lord fenced this
land by giving them his law. Here they were, one nation out
of the many nations in the world at that time, they were the one
nation who knew and were to worship God, the only true and living
God. And they were to know that there
is only one God. In fact, in part of the law,
part of the Pentateuch, and I've read that this was repeated every
day in an Israelite home, here, O Israel, the Lord our God is
one God. They were fenced off from all
the other nations who worship many gods, many gods. They were the one nation. that
were to worship the one and true and living God. That's one way
he fenced them off. Another way is he gave them his
Sabbath. For most nations, most people,
every day was alike. Seven days in a week, work every
day. But no, God commanded his people,
this is the way he fenced them off. Separated them from the
other nations. that they were to observe one
day out of the seven to worship Him, to worship God. They were
separated in many ways. Their diet, they were not allowed
to eat certain meat. There's nothing morally wrong
with eating pork. You eat pork probably, I do at
times. Nothing morally wrong with it.
But God commanded His people not to eat pork and other animals
like that. And there were certain fish and
things in the ocean they were not allowed to eat. You couldn't
eat oysters. All of this, God gave them His
law separating them, fenced them, so that they were different from
everyone else at that time. Notice number two, it says, he
gathered out the stones thereof. What does that mean? You know,
you've seen pictures, newsreels of Palestine. You know, it's
a very rocky, very rocky terrain over there. Doesn't mean he literally
took all the rocks out of that land, but what it does mean,
there were seven nations, seven nations that inhabited the land
of Canaan when God gave them that land, and God drove them
out, and with them their idols, which many of them were made
of stones. He gathered the stones out of
it, a fruitful land, a good land. Number three, he planted them
in the land as a choice vine. You see that in verse two? He
fenced it, gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with
the choicest vine. Now keep your places here, but
turn back with me to Psalm 44 just a moment. In Psalm 44, David is writing of the history
that we are actually talking about this morning here in Psalm
44. He says, we have heard with our
ears, O God, our fathers have told us what work thou didst
in their days, in the times of old. How thou didst drive out
the heathen, took the stones out of the land. Thou didst drive
out the heathen with thy hand. Now notice, and plannest them. How thou didst afflict the people
and cast them out. There was no way, humanly speaking,
that the nation of Israel could drive out those pagan nations
that inhabited Canaan. Seven nations in total. God even
used the bees, remember. He said, I'll cause the bees
to drive them out. God has so many different ways. to work His will, my friends. And He took the stones out of
this fruitful hill and He planted them a choice vine. Notice in
verse 3, for they got not the land in possession by their own
sword. Oh yes, but remember they were
always to cry the sword of the Lord and of Gideon. Whose sword first? The sword
of the Lord. Who was it that gave them the
power, the ability to drive out and defeat those pagan nations? God did. They didn't get that
land by their own power. For they got not the land in
possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save
them. But thy right hand and thine
arm and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favor unto
them. The word favor means grace, doesn't
it? What is grace? It's God's unmerited
favor. And the whole nation of Israel,
when you think about it, it began by God calling, God showing His
grace to one man who was in a family of idolaters. Probably himself,
an idolater, Abraham. And God called him. God chose
him. God called him out of that Ur
of the Chaldees and gave him the land of Canaan and made of
him the nation of Israel. Thou plantest them in the land. Notice another thing back in
Isaiah chapter 5. He built a tower in the midst
of it. Now, towers were usually built
so that watchmen could get up in the tower and they could watch
for invading armies, enemies that might come into the land.
And since God calls his prophets watchmen, I'm going to take this
to mean that God over time sent them prophet after prophet, instructing
them in the law of God and calling them to repentance because we
know they soon turned to follow the nations around them and took
to worshiping their gods, building their altars. Notice the next
thing. He made a wine press in it. Made a wine press in this fruitful
hill, this good land. This, I believe, refers to the
altar that God gave them. Remember, he gave them the instructions
concerning the tabernacle and the brazen altar. A wine press. The grape is pressed out of the
or the wine, rather, is pressed out of the grapes, a pitcher
of blood. It was at that altar, that brazen
altar, that the blood of animals was poured out. That's where
atonement was made for the sins of the country. It was a good
land, a fruitful hill. Notice number four. What fruit
did the vineyard produce? Verse two, at the very end, he
looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth
wild grapes. Instead of good grapes, love,
honesty, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, righteousness, it didn't
bring forth. It didn't bring forth good grapes,
but it brought forth, as the scripture says, wild grapes,
rotten, stinking grapes, as the word might be translated. What
are the wild grapes that it produced? Well, if we look this morning
at the woes, and that's what I want us to do, at the various
woes that are pronounced in this chapter, we will see what kind
of fruit it produced. If you notice first of all in
verse 8, Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field
to field, till there be no place that they may be placed alone
in the midst of the earth. This is a woe that is pronounced
against the sin of covetousness. Remember in Matthew 23, when
our Lord was here in the flesh, In that one chapter, he pronounced
woe after woe upon the Pharisees, the religious leaders. And one
of the woes was pronounced upon them because they devoured widows'
houses. And that's what this verse is
speaking of. It's speaking of that insatiable
desire that man had to have more, more, more. Never content, never
happy with what God had given them. but always desiring more,
house to house, property to property, covetousness. That's the first
woe. That's the wild grapes that it
produced, one of them. Next, if you notice in verse
11, it was drunkenness. Woe unto them that rise up early
in the morning and that they may follow strong drink that
continue until night. to wine inflame them. There's
a woe pronounced upon drunkenness. This is another of the wild grapes
that this vineyard produced. Verse 18, we see another woe
and this is their unbridled sin. Woe unto them that draw iniquity
with cords of vanity and sin as it were with a cart rope.
You know it's one thing to be be overtaken in a temptation. It's one thing to be surprised
by sin, but no, they were, as it were, drawing sin to them,
looking out, seeking how they might sin and disobey God. The evil they sought out, as
you would draw a cart with a cart rope. Verse 20. There's another woe, woe unto
them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness
for light. In other words, they began to
call what God had called evil, and what is apparently evil,
they began to call good. And what God called good, they
began to call evil. What a lesson, my friends, if
you just stop and think about it. There's as much difference
between good and evil as there is between light and darkness. You and I, we live in a day,
not that it's any different from any other day, but we live in
a time, it seems like, when especially people have begun to call good
evil. and evil good. That's one of the woes that is
pronounced here. That's part of the wild grapes,
the rotten grapes that this vineyard produced. And then if you notice
in verse 21, Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes and
prudent in their own sight. They refused instruction. They
knew it all. They were too smart for their
teachers. They outgrew the Word of God. The prophets, they mean
nothing to us. We're smarter. You know, doesn't
that sound a note to all of us today? We live in a time when
people have gotten so smart they reject the Word of God. The truth
concerning creation. In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. And man, in his wickedness and
rebellion against God, he's designed some other way that he believes
that this earth came into existence. And everything that man comes
up with, to anyone who believes the word of God, sees the ridiculousness
of the thought that That which is designed by God just happened
by happenstance or some great catastrophe. And then verse 22,
woe again to drunkenness. But I want you to look down in
verse 24, the last part of verse 24, because they have cast away
the law of the Lord of hosts. This is a wild grape, a rotten
grape or fruit, and cast away the word of God. We've outgrown
it, don't need it anymore. And then notice especially, and
despise the word of the Holy One of Israel. The Holy One of
Israel. Especially the word. Now I know
this morning that that we have the Word of God,
but remember who is the Word, the living Word? The Lord Jesus
Christ. In the beginning, the scripture
tells us, was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word
was God. And the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us. But notice this scripture here
says, they despise the Word of the Holy One of Israel. What we have here, and you know
this, but let me say to all of us here today, what we have in
these verses, in these woes, we have a description of all
men apart from the grace of God. All men, without exception. The
scripture says there's none good, no, not one. Someone says, but
preacher, look at what this says. Fifth, what is prophesied to
happen to the beloved's vineyard? Notice verses five and six. And now go to, I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard. Who's speaking? Christ. I will
tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away the
hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up. Break down the wall
thereof, it shall be trodden down. And I will lay it waste. It shall not be pruned nor digged,
but there shall come up briars and thorns. I will also command
the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. But you said that's
the Beloved, that's the Son of God. Yes, I do say that. But
preacher, how could the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God,
how could He do something like this? Command the rain not to
rain upon it. Have you never read the Word
of God that speaks about the wrath of the Lamb? The Bible tells us, my friends,
there's going to come a day when the men, the great men as well
as the not so great men, the kings, kings, the scripture says,
the mighty men, slaves, bondmen, and free men, they're all going
to pray to the mountains and to the hills, fall on us. Cover us from the wrath of Him
that setteth upon the throne and from the Lamb of God. From the Lamb of God. This is
the Lord Jesus Christ telling what He would do to His vineyard. God of the Bible, my friends,
is a jealous God. We read that, didn't we, in the
giving of the law in Exodus chapter 20 at the beginning of the service.
He's a jealous God. And what we see, his vineyard,
when he came looking for fruit, good fruit, instead he found
wild grapes, wicked, evil. Now, I want you to turn with
me to Matthew chapter 21. I said I believe personally this
is the best commentary, this parable that our Lord spoke here
in this passage, the best commentary on that in Isaiah chapter 5. Matthew chapter 21 beginning
in verse 33. Our Lord said, hear another parable. There was a certain householder
which planted a vineyard. That's what we were reading about,
wasn't it? A vineyard. And hedged it round about, fenced
it. Digged a winepress, built a tower,
and let it out to husband and went into a far country. When
the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandman
that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandman took
his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. The Lord sent prophet after prophet
after prophet to his venue, to the nation of Israel. Again,
he sent other servants, more than the first, And they did
unto them likewise. But last of all, he sent unto
them his son, his only begotten son, his well-beloved son. They will reverence my son. But
when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, this
is the heir. My friends, the Lord Jesus Christ,
He is there of all things. It's all His. Everything. Everything in heaven and earth
and under the earth, everything is His. He is the King of kings
and the Lord of lords. And our Lord tells us here in
this parable that God sent His son. Surely they'll reverence
Him. But when the husbandmen saw the
sign, they said among themselves, this is the heir come. Let us
kill him. Not reverence him. Not worship
him. Not recognize him. Oh, no. Let us kill him. And let us seize
on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast
him out of the vineyard, and slew him. Now notice this question. When the Lord therefore of the
vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They
say unto him, he will miserably destroy those wicked men, and
will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall
render him the fruits the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saying
to them, did you never read in the scriptures, the stone which
the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner.
This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.
Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken
from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on
whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And
when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parable, they perceived
that he spoke of them. But when they sought to lay hands
on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. Now here are four things I want
us to notice in this parable quickly. Number one, the husband
who cast out and killed the beloved son in verse 38, they're called
the builders in verse 42. And then in verse 45, the chief
priest and Pharisees perceived that he spoke of them. the builders, the chief priests,
the Pharisees, those who were charged with teaching Israel
in this day, they stumbled on this stone. The Lord Jesus Christ
is that stone that God laid, but they stumbled at it. Why?
Because they looked for a Messiah who would come in power and great
authority and would raise an army if need be. and conquer
and set up his throne here upon this earth and reign and the
nation of Israel once again would be the head and not the tail
of the nations. They stumbled at this stone because
he came meek and lowly. Not the one they looked for,
not at all. They stumbled at this stone. The second thing, this was the
Lord's doing. Do you see that in verse 42?
This is the Lord's doing at the end of that verse and it's marvelous
in our eyes. Let me just read to us the words
of the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost. After they had
killed the beloved, These Jews were pricked in their
hearts. What shall we do? Peter said this. He said, Him,
that is Christ, being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God. Didn't take God by surprise.
This was the Lord's doing. This is what he had purposed
from old eternity, my friend. He is as a lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. Now they didn't know that. Peter
said this, him being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, you have taken, you have taken and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain. They did not know they
were doing the Lord's will. They were doing what they did
because of their hatred and because they were afraid they were going
to lose their positions. But when they did what they wanted
to do, they were doing exactly what God had purposed and determined
from old eternity. What an amazing matter it is,
isn't it? think about and read about and
learn about the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God and Father
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's not this wannabe God that's
preached and proclaimed so often in the land who wants to do a
whole lot, but man just won't cooperate. No, God does his will in the
armies of heaven. and among the inhabitants of
the earth. And no one can stay his hand
nor say unto him, what doest thou? Man would like to bring
God up to his tribunal, wouldn't he? Here you are, stand before
me, and I'll judge you, and I'll say what's right and what's wrong. Oh no. That's not the God of
the Bible, and that's not the God with whom you and I have
to do. The third thing about this parable,
the kingdom of God was taken from them. That's what our Lord
said, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to
another nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. Not the evil
fruit, but the good fruit. Keep your place there, but look
in Colossians, or let me read you this from Colossians chapter
one. Our Lord said here in this parable, therefore I say unto you, the
kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation
bringing forth the fruits thereof. On the day of Pentecost, the
gospel was to be preached, not to the one nation, but to the
nations of the world. And Paul, as he writes this letter
to the believers in Colossae, never having seen them, never
having visited this church, in chapter one in verse three, he
says, we give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, praying always for you. since we heard of your faith
in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have to all the saints,
for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof you
heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which is
common to you as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth
fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day you heard of it
and knew the grace of God in truth." Our Lord said, it shall
be taken from you. The gospel was taken from them.
Paul in Romans said, what was the chief blessing of the Jews? They had the oracles of God.
They had the word of God. But now the gospel is commanded
to be preached in all the world. And as he said, and as Paul said
here in Colossians, it bringeth forth fruit. Bringeth forth fruit. And when a person hears the gospel
in the grace of God, it does bring forth fruit in our life.
It brought forth sinners saved. That's one fruit. And those saved,
God the Holy Spirit in us produces fruit, good fruit, love, joy,
peace, faith, kindness, you know, all of the fruit of the Spirit.
And one other thing about this parable, the stone fell upon
their nation And it was ground to prophecy. It was ground to
powder, rather. As in the prophecy we read there
in Isaiah, the Lord said, I will command the clouds that they
rain no rain upon it. In AD 70, the Romans, they destroyed
Jerusalem and carried the Jews who were left there into captivity. You say, well, preacher, what
in the world does all of that have to do with me? Well, I want
you to turn to one other place, Matthew chapter 7. You remember that stone? That stone
that the builders stumbled at, rejected? That stone is Christ. Here in Matthew chapter 7 and
beginning in verse 24, our Lord closing this message called the
Sermon on the Mount. He said, therefore, whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock. Who is
that rock? That rock is Christ. That stone
that the builder stumbled at, my friends, He is the rock, the
rock that God laid, the stone that God laid. And here's a wise
man who hears our Lord's sayings, and he does that. He does that. What is the Lord saying? If you
look above that, here in Matthew chapter seven, He said, not everyone, verse
21, not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father,
which is in heaven. And what is the will of his father?
John six, that you believe on him whom he hath sent. The wise man builds his house
upon the rock, upon Christ. That doesn't exempt the wise
man from the rain, from the water. The flood doesn't exempt him
from the wind. Don't believe the lie that's
told today that if you just trust God and have faith, you'll never
have any problems. What a lie, my friends. The man
who built his house on the stone, He experienced the same thing
in this world that the man who built his house upon the sand
experienced. But the one thing different is
that man who built his house upon the sand, phew, it was gone. As long as the sun was shining,
in good health, money in the bank, everything's okay. But what happens, my friends,
when the sun's not shining? There's no money in the bank.
And you are sick in body. What happens then? Are you built upon the rock?
Upon Christ? Is he all your salvation? And
your house won't fall. It'll stand. You will persevere
by the grace of God. I pray that the Lord would bless
this message, this word to all of us here today. We're going to sing a hymn I've
chosen out, Sitting at the Feet of Jesus.