While living in San
Francisco I had a friend whose family owned vineyards in the nearby wine
country. Watching the workers care for the vines is a vivid memory of 7/24/365 constant
care and pruning to ensure an abundant harvest.
For the people of Israel,
the vineyard was part of everyday life. Throughout the Old and New Testaments
the vineyard became a biblical symbol of hope for the people of God.
In Isaiah’s “song of the
vineyard” he recalls the careful and loving treatment the owner God gave to his vineyard Israel. As the vineyard continued to yield only
wild grapes of sin and rebellion, God threatened destruction of the vineyard by
the Assyrian army.
The historical context for
Isaiah’s song of the vineyard was an attack expected against Jerusalem by the
Assyrian army in the eighth century B.C.
Psalm 80 describes Israel’s
origin as God’s people in terms of a vine transplanted from Egypt, and the
often sad state of God’s vine. The Psalmist asks God once more to care for and
protect his beloved vine.
Vineyard symbolism appears
also Jesus’ parable in Matthew 21. The landowner is God and the vineyard, God’s
beloved Israel. The tenants are political and religious leaders of the day and
the servants sent to collect the landowner’s produce are the prophets. The
landowner is Jesus the anointed and appointed One to bring in the harvest of
God’s kingdom for final judgment.
Vineyard texts of Isaiah,
Psalms and Matthew insist that God remains in personal relationship with his
people, continuing to care for and preserve them and remaining faithful when
the people fail to do so.
Solomon calls to our attention that it is the
little foxes that spoil the vine. “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in bloom.” (Song of Songs 2:15)
Let us not allow the little things of life to bring
us down; the things that destroy our relationships, our homes and our churches!
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