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1 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. 2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. 3 “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? 5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. 6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” 7 The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. (Isaiah 5:1-7 NIV)
Friends, as we pray, please pray for the family of Mr. Hector Cruz, beloved neighbor and friend, who died Sunday of a cardiac arrest. May God's comfort be with his wife, Terri, and their beautiful family. Hector will be laid to rest in his beloved Colorado.
My father found time to plant and grow trees and shrubs and plants of all kinds in our yard in Kingsville, Texas. One time it was a China Apple tree, or so we called it; tiny, semi-sweet apples would come forth and soon were gone. Hmm, I wonder why? We had a huge pomegranate shrub that yielded very sweet pomegranates that we enjoyed thoroughly consuming. We had carnation plants that brought forth nice flowers that my Mom and grandma loved on Mother's and Father's Day. I once planted watermelon seeds and had a nice watermelon that was slightly bigger than a football and very sweet. There's something to be said about the earth bringing forth new life, more especially edible life or life that can fill the air with awesome aromas. And for Israel, nothing said more about its own life than that of a vineyard, which were common to them. In 1962, a Yale School of Divinity professor, Dr. B. Davie Napier, wrote a book with that name, Song of The Vineyard, as an introduction to the theology of the Old Testament. The author went on to become president of Pacific School of Religion; and it sets out a way for people to more fully understand God's work among the people called Israelites. God is the owner and planter of the vineyard. He loves it. And later in scripture we meet God's Son, Jesus, Who says He is the true vine. The writer of this passage has him singing to God a love song about this vineyard. It sits on a fertile hillside and it has been cleaned up and made ready for its purpose. A watchtower is set in it as are winepresses; the only thing missing is a crop of good grapes. The poor vineyard could only bring forth bad fruit, aka sour grapes. I pause to mention this is the right season in our grocery store for the most sweet and delicious white grapes, which I personally prefer; but the days leading to the perfect crop some days bring not-so-good, not so sweet grapes.
God, as He talks with those living in Jerusalem that He has done all He could yet the crops are not what God desires. The only thing left is to bring about destruction, headed towards a wasteland; an unpruned non-cultivated land that will soon share its fertile land with briers and thorns and clouds will only pass over that land. The reason? The nation gave up being a just land choosing instead to be a land of bloodshed. God looked for righteousness and only heard cries of those in trouble, hurting; giving up.
This isn’t just ancient poetry—it’s a sobering reminder of the deep relationship God longs to have with His people, and the disappointment when His care is met with rebellion or neglect. In the story, the vineyard is Israel, but today it could easily be us—our lives, churches, and communities. God has given us everything needed to bear the fruit of justice, mercy, and righteousness. What are we producing?
Bad fruit comes when we lose our focus on Him, when our priorities shift toward self-interest, or when we grow complacent. Good fruit grows when our roots sink deep into His Word, when we are attentive to His voice, and when we love as He loves.
Isaiah’s warning is clear: God expects His vineyard to yield fruit worthy of His care. The question is—what will He find when He comes to inspect the harvest in our lives? When will we begin to truly do what God wants from us? What will it take for us to become the desired vineyard of the Lord?
PRAYER: Lord, You have poured out Your love, care, and provision over our lives. Forgive us for the times we’ve allowed weeds of sin and self-interest to grow in our hearts. Tend the soil of our souls. Prune what is unfruitful. Help us to bear fruit that honors You—fruit of love, justice, mercy, and humility. May our lives be those vineyards that brings You joy. In Jesus’ strong name, Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Examine your “vineyard” this week. Ask God to show you one area where He desires more fruit—and be intentional in nurturing it through prayer, obedience, and love.
I love you and I thank God for you!
Pastor Eradio.Valverde, Jr.
