S10E08: Yielding Wild Grapes (Prophet Margins pt. 7)

Sermon #511

Isaiah delivers to the people of Judah a parable of a vineyard owner who did anything and everything he could to yield a harvest of good grapes, and yet in the end the vine only produced sour berries that could not be used.  The question Isaiah poses is, is it the fault of the vineyard owner that the vine produced bad grapes?  Or is the vine at fault?  He then drops the boom on the people by telling them that God is the vineyard owner and they are the vine.  This prophecy, delivered before the exile of the northern kingdom, was a warning to the people of Judah, and they heeded its call.. for a while, at least.  But what does this prophecy mean for us today?  Are we producing good fruit?  Or are we, like the people of Judah, producing something that looks good and yet is unpalatable?

Isaiah 5:1-7

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on August 14, 2022

S.D.G.