The Vineyard's Failure and God's Faithfulness

Introduction

Good morning, church! Let me start with a story. Back when I was a young pastor in Green Valley, I thought I had all the answers. I’d roll into church, ready to teach a bunch of seasoned saints who’d been walking with God longer than I’d been alive. One day, a young couple asked me about the Y2K bug—remember that? They were scared the world was going to collapse. I tried to reassure them, saying, “Jesus is our rock!” But the wife looked at me and said, “I wish I knew what that meant.” That stopped me in my tracks. It made me realize we can toss around spiritual phrases, but unless we dig into what they mean, they’re just words. Today, in Isaiah 5:1–7, we’re going to dig into what it means that God plants us to bear fruit—and what happens when we don’t.

We’re in the third week of our series through Isaiah. In week one, we saw God’s call to Judah to repent, offering forgiveness despite their rebellion (Isaiah 1:1–20). Last week, we looked at the vision of Zion in the last days, where all nations stream to God’s mountain to learn His ways (Isaiah 2:1–5). Today, Isaiah sings a song about a vineyard—God’s people—meant to produce good fruit but yielding something sour. It’s a story of failure, judgment, and yet, God’s unshakable faithfulness. Let’s dive in and see what God has for us.

The Vineyard Metaphor

Isaiah 5 opens with a love song: “Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard” (Isaiah 5:1). The Hebrew word for vineyard is kerem (כֶּרֶם), and in Scripture, a vineyard isn’t just a farm—it’s a picture of care, cultivation, and expectation. God describes Himself as a vinedresser who plants Israel, His chosen people, on a fertile hill. He clears the stones, plants the choicest vines, builds a watchtower to protect it, and even carves out a winepress, ready for a harvest of sweet grapes. This is God’s heart for His people—He’s invested everything to see them thrive.

But verse 2 delivers a gut punch: “He looked for a crop of grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.” In Hebrew, these are be’ushim, sour, useless grapes. Instead of justice (mishpat), God finds bloodshed (mispach). Instead of righteousness (tsedaqah), He hears cries of oppression (tse‘aqah). It’s a heartbreaking wordplay in Hebrew—God’s people were so close to His design, yet so far. They were called to reflect His justice and righteousness, but they produced idolatry and injustice, like a vineyard gone wild.

Israel’s Failure

God’s disappointment is raw. He asks, “What more could I have done for my vineyard?” (Isaiah 5:4). He gave Israel everything—the Torah, the covenant, His presence in the temple. Yet they chased false gods and oppressed the poor, betraying their calling to be a light to the nations. Early Jewish thought, like texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls, sees this vineyard as Israel, meant to produce justice but failing because of sin. This isn’t just ancient history, saints. How often do we receive God’s blessings—His grace, His provision, His Spirit—and still produce fruit that doesn’t honor Him? Maybe it’s bitterness we cling to, selfishness we excuse, or idols like comfort or control we chase. Like Israel, we’re called to bear fruit that reflects God’s heart, but we can fall short.

I remember after 9/11, churches were packed. People were desperate for something solid. But many didn’t stay anchored. They drifted back to their own ways, like Israel chasing idols. We need to ask ourselves: What fruit are we producing? Are we reflecting God’s justice and love, or are we growing something sour?

God’s Judgment and Faithfulness

Because of Israel’s unfaithfulness, God announces judgment: “I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled” (Isaiah 5:5). This points to the exile, when Israel faced the consequences of their sin. But here’s the hope: even in judgment, God doesn’t abandon His covenant. Romans 11:29 declares, “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Israel’s failure doesn’t cancel their election. God’s promise to Abraham—to bless and multiply—still stands, rooted in His unchanging nature. The Talmudic perspective echoes this, seeing judgment as a step toward restoration, a pruning to bring new growth.

This is where God’s faithfulness shines. He doesn’t give up on His people. He has a plan to redeem and renew, and that plan centers on Yeshua, the Messiah.

Yeshua, the True Vine

In John 15:1–5, Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” Where Israel produced wild grapes, Yeshua is the perfect vine, bearing the fruit of righteousness through His obedience, even to the cross. Scholar Gene Getz points out that Yeshua fulfills God’s call to righteousness, becoming the source of life for all who abide in Him. Through Yeshua, the blessing promised to Abraham extends to all nations—Jew and Gentile alike. He doesn’t replace Israel; He restores what was broken, grafting us into God’s covenant promises, as we saw in Romans 11:17–24 in our first sermon.

Think about that, church. Yeshua takes the failure of the vineyard and turns it into fruitfulness. He’s the anchor that holds us fast, like we talked about in Hebrews 6 in a previous sermon. When we abide in Him, we produce fruit that glorifies God—love, justice, humility.

Application: Pursuing Righteousness

So, what do we do with this, saints? First, examine your fruit. Are you producing justice and righteousness, or are there wild grapes in your life—pride, anger, or chasing the world’s idols? Let’s invite the Holy Spirit to show us where we’ve strayed and repent, just as God called Judah to do in Isaiah 1.

Second, trust in Yeshua, the true vine. Our righteousness doesn’t come from trying harder but from staying connected to Him. John 15:5 says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Spend time in prayer, dive into His Word, obey His leading, and He’ll produce His fruit in you.

Third, pray for Israel’s restoration. God’s promises to Israel haven’t expired. Romans 11 calls us to stand with God’s chosen people, praying for their return to the Messiah and the fulfillment of His plan, just as we saw in Isaiah 2’s vision of all nations streaming to Zion.

Finally, live with confident humility. As we learned in Ephesians 3, God’s grace empowers us to bear fruit for His glory, not ours. Like the Israelites crossing the Jordan in Joshua 4, we’re stepping into God’s promises, trusting He’ll fight our battles, as Psalm 144:1 assures us.

Conclusion

Saints, Isaiah’s vineyard is a warning and a promise. Israel’s failure reminds us of our own weakness, but God’s faithfulness points us to Yeshua, the true vine who makes us fruitful. Let’s pursue righteousness by abiding in Him. Let’s pray for Israel’s restoration, trusting God’s promises never fail. And let’s anchor ourselves in the One who holds all things together, as Colossians 1:17 reminds us.

Will you take that step today? Will you trust Yeshua to produce His fruit in you? Let’s pray and ask Him to make us a vineyard that bears fruit for His glory.

Benediction

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24–26, NKJV)