Opening Prayer
Lord, we will keep Your precepts; do not forsake us. Amen.
Text: Isaiah 5:1-7
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. 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. “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. 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? 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. 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.” 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, weeping.
Devotion
“What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it?” the Lord says about Israel. Should the same be said about us? He planted us as His congregation, fenced us in with His omnipotence and faithfulness, bestowed upon us rich and beautiful gifts, gave us the light of His Word, set watchmen among us and chastened us as we needed and deserved. What more could have been done that He has not done? His only-begotten Son He gave into death for us. Incredibly faithfully and patiently His Holy Spirit has worked in us, and everywhere He went with us was our path of grace and salvation. “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?” Yes, why are we wicked and why do we produce bad fruit? It is wretched indeed. Here grow hatred and lying, fraud and wrong, idolatry and envy, enmity and quarreling, gluttony and drunkenness and lewdness. And those who avoid these things calmly look on and say nothing, or they step in too strongly, because they lack love. Love is lacking, but why? After His unspeakable grace and mercy toward us the Lord should expect justice, but behold, oppression; righteousness, but behold, weeping! His love must melt our hearts and adorn us all with the beautiful fruits of the Spirit; but see, we are cold and scattered and, like poles of a magnet, repel one another, except out of selfishness. So the Lord then must remove the candlestick if we do not repent (Rev 2:5). “I will lay waste My vineyard,” He says: “it shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns.” He did it with the people of Israel, although they were His choicest vine. The city was destroyed, and the people were scattered everywhere. This is right in front of our eyes as a warning to us. Let our Bible passage impress on us these two things which are closely connected: 1) God has richly supported us with every grace and gift, so that we were lacking nothing for faith and holiness; 2) if we do not produce better fruit than up to now, He will take the light from us, and we deserve this punishment.
Closing Prayer
But we pray You, merciful God, help us to see and hear so that we may escape the destruction! Wake us, and let Your Holy Spirit rule. Let all the upright pray for this. Have mercy on our people. Drive away the evil spirit, strong and faithful God, patient, merciful God, and let the Spirit of grace and peace rule us for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Hymn
O Lord, we pray Thee, grant to us remission!
Pardon our sins, we mourn them with contrition,
Thou who desirest not the sinner’s dying,
Grace art supplying.
Therefore, O Father, through Thy dear Son’s merit,
Spare us and let us grace through Him inherit,
That we in heav’n, with Thee, of life the Giver,
May live forever.
Thymus/Møller: Afvend fra os L 390:3.7 LHy 104:3.6 tr. C. Døving;
tune: Herzliebster Jesu (ELH 292); alternate hymn: Awake, Thou Spirit, who didst fire ELH 395:1.4