The Vineyard and Its Owner

Who is the owner, and what is the vineyard?  The vineyard owner points to the answers to these questions when he himself speaks:  "Now, O you inhabitants of Jerusalem and you men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.  What is there yet to do for my vineyard that I have not already done in it?  Why is it that I hoped for it to produce grapes, but it gradually produced wild grapes?  And now, please, may I make known to you men what I am doing to my vineyard: There will be a removing of its hedge, and it must be destined  for burning down.  There must be a breaking down of its stone wall, and it must be destined  for a place of trampling." - Isaiah 5:3-5.

Yes, Jehovah is the owner of the vineyard, and he has put himself, as it were, in a courtroom, asking for judgment to be rendered between him and his disappointing vineyard.  What, then, is the vineyard?  The owner explains:  "The vineyard of Jehovah of armies is the house of Israel and the men of Judah are the plantation of which he was fond." -Isaiah 5:7.

Isaiah calls Jehovah, the owner of the vineyard, "my loved one."  (Isaiah 5:1)  Isaiah can speak of God in such an intimate way only because he has a close relationship  with Him.  (Compare Job 29:4; Psalm 25:14)  However, the prophet's love for God pales in comparison with the love God has shown for his "vineyard"-the nation that he 'planted.' -Compare Exodus 15:17; Psalm 80:8, 9.

Jehovah "planted" his nation in the land of Canaan and gave them  his laws and regulations, which served as a wall to protect them from being corrupted by other nations.  (Exodus 19:5, 6; Psalm 147:19, 20; Ephesians 2:14) Furthermore, Jehovah gave them judges, priests, and prophets to instruct them.  (2 Kings 17:13; Malachi 2:7; Acts 13:20)  When Israel was threatened  by military aggression, Jehovah raised up deliverers.  (Hebrews 11:32, 33)  With reason, Jehovah asks:  "What is there yet to do for my vineyard that I have not already done in it?" 

 Next time: Identifying God's Vineyard Today

From the Book Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind