Day 6/365 Bible in a Year

I read Isaiah 1-6. I love this entire passage, but I only want to focus on one part.  Isaiah 5, but not even all of Isaiah 5, I want to draw speacial attention to verses 1 through 7.

This section is called the Song of the Lord's Vineyard
"Now I will sing for the one I love
a song about His vineyard.
My beloved had a vineyard on a rch and fertile hill.
He plowed the land, cleared its stones,
and planted it with the best vines.

In the middle He built a watchtower
and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks.
Then He waited for a harvest of sweet grapes,
but the grapes that grew were bitter.

Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah,
you judge between me and my vineyard.
What more could I have done for my vineyard
that I have not already done?
When I expected sweet grapes,
why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?

Now let me tell you
what I will do with my vineyard:
I will tear down its hedges
and let it be destroyed.
I will break down its walls
and let the animals trample it.
I will make it a wild place
where the vines are not pruned and the ground is not hoed,
a place overgrown with briers and thorns.
I will command the clouds
to drop no rain on it.

The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven's Armies.
The people of Judah are His pleasant garden.
He expected a crop of justice,
but instead he found oppression.
He expected to find righteousness,
but instead he heard cries of violence."

That was Isaiah 5:1-7.

The first part sets up the story (verses 1-2). Then the second part of verse 2 gets to the main point. He waited for sweet grapes, but he got bitter ones. Grapes make wine!! Remember this for later.

He did EVERYTHING in his power for these grapes to grow sweet, he planted the best vines, placed this vineyard in the best area, and set up a watchtower so noone could harm it...but the grapes still ended up bitter. What else could he do? Apparently something wasn't right. The grapes weren't "learning" how to stay sweet, they were becoming influenced by SOMETHING! So he thinkgs, well, let me chop all these vines down, break down the walls and the watchtower, let it be a wild place, and abandon it, allowing no water to get there, which could be the equivalent of cutting the water supply of irrigation.

After he tells this story, He related it to real life. Isreal, the nation, is the vineyard...Judah His pleasant garden... He gave them everything, protected them, and expected them to be righteous and full of justice...sweet. But instead they betrayed everything God gave them and became  changed...violent and full of oppression....bitter..

Now remember I told you to remember that grapes made wine?

Israel was a bitter wine...of bitter grapes...

Flash forward! About 700 YEARS later!

Jesus has already been crucified, but He has not died. He is up there between the two criminals, and He is in so much pain. He watched then lay His hand out, watched the nails go deeper and deeper.. felt the pain and the warm blood burning.. felt the stretch of the other arm, and through blood filled eyes, watched as the nails punctured His other hand...felt but did not see the nail go through His feet....was lifted up... and now He is between two criminals... an innocent man between criminals.

Jesus asks His Father, our Father, "Please forgive them, they don't know what they are doing..." As He is saying this, the soldiers are showing how much they don't care by gambling for Jesus's clothes...He is naked and in pain...They scoff at Him, "Save yourself, you have saved others!" The mocked Him...by...

...get this...

offering Him something to drink in a sponge... this something?

BITTER WINE!

Is this a symbol that once AGAIN the nation of Israel has betrayed the One and Only again? They have everything, Jesus gave them health, teachings, and promises....EVERYTHING! And they give Him nothing but bitter wine.

Guys, don't take everything for granted. Thank God for it. Thank God for EVERYTHING! DDon't forget Him, please don't forget Him!

Prayer requests? Comment them below or email them to me at livin4christ0129@yahoo.com.

Lanie