Exposition by Max A Forsythe
Today as we finish Isaiah's short Apocalypse of four chapters, we need to summarize the themes of these chapters. We have seen in chapter twenty-four the coming judgment of the world. Then we have noted in chapter twenty-five the end of death and in twenty-six the eternal safety of God's people. The purpose of Isaiah's message here in chapter twenty-seven is to show us that even while God is accomplishing our salvation and eternal life there is a necessity for us to be fruitful in a growing Vineyard.
Certainly, this present chapter must be read in conjunction with the earlier fifth chapter where we were shown the unfruitful vineyard of Isaiah's contemporary Israel. In the present passage we are shown a more perfect vineyard which will one day be restored, once the discipline of exile has cleansed Israel of idolatry, which we should note well in verse nine.
This purpose of cleansing is important to note because this is God's ongoing work of sanctification in the daily lives of His elected saints. Have you been challenged in your calling? Has life been difficult? Are you like some of Isaiah's who might have wondered about the difficult trials and hardships of their time. Many of us may well ask, how can I be sure of God's love when it appears that He is sending only one trial after another? If you have ever wondered that, you are not alone. The answer to that question may be found in comparing God's punishment of the nations and the discipline of His own people. What is the difference, you may ask? The difference is that discipline is done for the purpose of restoration; the punishment of the ungodly is for their ultimate destruction! One type of person, the elect, God would hold back, discipline and save. The other, the worldly, is allowed to go their own way to destruction.
How many of you have heard about the upcoming flogging in Singapore? The one with the American teenager who vandalized private property, was caught and sentenced to be publicly whipped. This upcoming event has the attention of the media and the government. I have heard that over thirty thousand Americans have phoned or written the Singapore government and urged them to go ahead. Our media and government elite are wringing their hands in their bleeding heart concern that the young man may be scarred for life. "Let him go", they urge the President of Singapore!
Let him go free of punishment with the rest of our young hoodlums in this country. Do not discipline him, do not hold him back from the life of crime that so many of our young people are being allowed to choose! Have you heard about some of the young and their bloodthirsty assaults on tourists in Miami? In most American states hardly any effective effort is being made to hold back the young from going their own way. Is the tough love of Singapore's legal system too tough, as our Media believes? Is it better that the innocent suffer from the hands of the unruly than to ever think of punishing anyone?
Well, if you have felt the discipline of God's love in your life holding you back from the highway to hell, would you give that up so that you could go your own way? As the worldly get worse and worse in our society, the benefits of God's loving discipline holding you back gets more and more attractive. The regulative environment of the Lord's Vineyard proves its benefits in the present and finally in eternity. "Sing about the fruitful vineyard," the Lord encourages us. He it is that watches over us. Every unhealthy desire of ours he would have us self prune away. One good thing we can say about the American experience is that over eighty per cent of American taxpayers faithfully fill out their own tax forms correctly. No where else in the world is self taxation successful.
In the same way, God encourages us to take to heart His word, apply it in our lives and live a fruitful life for His present and eternal Kingdom. Yes, this process is difficult, but there are things that need to be cleansed from a Christian community. Judea of Isaiah's time would be removed from their homes for a generation until the pagan cultic practices are eliminated. Jerusalem will be left barren and desolate because God's people of Israel were without understanding and unwilling to comprehend the goodness of the law of God.
Would you copy the deeds and spirit of ancient Israel? Would you ignore the clear law and gospel of the Scriptures? Certainly not! Even as we accept the Lord's discipline and learn to love His law, we are preparing for that great day when the Kingdom shall come in at the end of the age. In that day, Isaiah promises a great threshing of all the community of Israel. When the trumpet of redemption and return is sounded, God's people will come one by one from exile in Assyria and in Egypt. Just as redeemed Israel was returned to their city and land, so will all of those who accept the Lord's discipline be gathered up for eternity with God in heaven. May we accept the loving hand of the Lord leading us in sanctification as we prepare for the great day when Christ shall come again. Amen.
Resources Used:
Ellis, Charles..
The Wells of Salvation.
Thomas, Derek..
Welwyn Commentary Series: God Delivers.
Young, Edward J.
The Book of Isaiah.
Youngblood, Ronald F. The Book of Isaiah: An
Introductory Commentary.
The Holy Bible.
New International Version (1984 Edition)
NOTE: I am not able to automatically
recommend any future editions.
Christ Covenant Reformed (Presbyterian Church in America) -
Box 13926 - Columbus, OH 43213
(c) 2001
17 April 1994
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.