Isaiah 5:1

Much in the same way that Nathan induced David to pronounce sentence upon himself, Isaiah here gave a little song about one who planted a vineyard, etc.; and, when it produced poisonous berries instead of grapes and after it had become obvious that there was no possible excuse for such a thing, he revealed the true meaning of this little song about the vineyard. Only when we come to Isaiah 5:7 does it become clear that God is the one who planted the vineyard and that Israel and Judah (collectively) are the vineyard. "This is the first appearance, chronologically, of the vineyard as a symbol of Israel."[1] Later, the same figure was adopted by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 12:10), and by the Psalmist (Psalms 80). In the New Testament, Jesus utilized the metaphor in the parable of the wicked husbandmen (Mark 12:1-10); and in John 15:1ff, Christ made one of the most significant announcements of his earthly ministry, namely, that he is the "true vine," and therefore the true Israel, replacing utterly and completely the old Israel which had indeed, in their rejection of Christ, fallen into the status of a corrupt or degenerate vine! Thus, Jesus Christ and his Church, who are united with him as his spiritual body are indeed the New Israel, the chosen people of God, and the only Israel God now has.

Immediately after this first section (Isaiah 5:1-7), the chapter becomes a catalogue of the characteristics "of a corrupt civilization"[2] (Isaiah 5: 8-23); and the final paragraph (Isaiah 5:24-30) is a powerful and overwhelming picture of the final judgment. The special attention which Jesus Christ our Lord gave to this chapter and its prophecies should induce all Christians to take a very careful look at it.

Isaiah 5:1-2

"Let me sing for my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well beloved had a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: and he digged it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes."

"My well beloved ..." In the light of what follows in Isaiah 5:7, we know that Isaiah's "well beloved" here is no other than the "Lord of Hosts." As for the winepress, the tower, etc., these are fully discussed in Vol. 2 of my New Testament series, pp. 221-222. The message is that every possible improvement and advantage of the wonderful vineyard were provided by the God who planted it.

"The choicest vine ..." These were the great Jewish patriarchs, especially, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who were the beginnings of the Old Israel. They did indeed establish benchmarks of human conduct which were far in advance of their times and infinitely above the sordid behavior of the pagan society in which they lived. This is seen in the truth that God Himself consented to be known as the "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

"Wild grapes ..." These should not be identified with the grape known by this designation in America. Lowth tells us that, "They were not simply useless, unprofitable grapes such as wild grapes; but they were offensive, noxious, and poisonous."[3] The same scholar cited 2 Kings 4:39-41, which records the instance where there was "death in the pot" as a case where the poisonous effect of this variety of "wild grape" was demonstrated. Jamieson pointed out that the particular variety of wild grape intended here was known by several other names, such as, "nightshade, monk's head, and wolf grapes."[4]