Anglican Devotional 20 October 2022 – God’s Judgment On Disappointment

TOPIC: God’s Judgment On Disappointment

READ: Isaiah 5:1-7 (NKJV)

1. Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill.
2. He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected [it] to bring forth [good] grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.
3. ” And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
4. What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected [it] to bring forth [good] grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?
5. And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; [And] break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6. I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, But there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain on it.”
7. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts [is] the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry [for help.]

THE MESSAGE:

In today’s passage, Prophet Isaiah uses poetry to convey God’s message to Israel. In his song, he likened God to the ‘Well Beloved’ who planted Israel as His vineyard in the Promised Land. God protected His people, gave them the land of Canaan, and blessed them (verse 2a). Despite this benevolence, God’s expectation of His people was not met. He expected justice and righteousness but they kept oppressing one another.

What a disappointment! God pronounced judgment on the nation of Israel by taking away His blessings and allowing foreign nations to capture and take them into captivity (verses 5-6). God’s blessings to us are ever sure so far we remain connected to Him and yield to His Divine counsel. God is expecting nations to bring forth justice and righteousness. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). We should learn from Israel’s apostasy and the consequences that followed. God is not a respecter of men, therefore, we should not fail His expectations of us.

PRAYER: Help me O Lord, not to become a disappointment to Your Kingdom in Jesus’ name. Amen.