Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.12UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.12UNLIKELY
Fear
0.13UNLIKELY
Joy
0.59LIKELY
Sadness
0.47UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.55LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.61LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.95LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.82LIKELY
Extraversion
0.21UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.58LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.68LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Intro - So we pick up tonight in our study of Isaiah in Chapter 5.
But before we do, it might be good to review some of what we have learned.
We remember that Isaiah prophesied from about 740 BC to about 680 BC, before the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar.
He ministered under the Reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and probably Manasseh.
We can read about this time period in , and .
In the time of Isaiah, Israel was a little nation often caught in the middle of the wars between three superpowers: Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon.
As Isaiah's ministry began, there was a national crisis in the northern nation of Israel.
The superpower of Assyria was about to engulf the nation of Israel.
During the span of his ministry as a prophet, the southern nation of Judah was faced with repeated threats from the larger surrounding nations.
Isaiah is sometimes referred to as the fifth gospel as it is quoted more than any other OT book.
Also remember that like the bible which has 66 books, Isaiah has 66 chapters.
Also the OT has 39 books and like the OT the first division of Isaiah is 39 chapters.
lso
These first five chapters are believed to be relating to the time of King Uzziah’s reign.
So tonight we pick up in and here he begins with a prophesy about God’s vineyard.
read 1 - 2
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.
Here Isaiah begins to lay out a story of expectation regarding a certain vineyard.
The story is about a vineyard that had many advantages.
It belonged to a loving person (my Well-beloved).
It was planted on a very fruitful hill.
The ground was carefully prepared (dug it up and cleared out its stones).
It was planted with good stock (planted it with the choicest vine).
It was protected (a tower in its midst).
Provision was made for the fruit to be processed (made a winepress in it).
When he mentions wild grapes he may be talking about a plant called “wolfsbane”.
According to one commentator : "We are dealing here with something worse than unfruitfulness.
The New Testament also speaks of a faith that brings forth fruit, but the fruit is dead works, which pollute the air like a cadaver.
The wolfsbane, or wild vine (), does bear beautiful berries, but they are bitter, foul-smelling and poisonous in nature.
This is a precise description of the self-willed and false religion of the unfaithful covenant people."
(Bultema)
You might remember that Jesus used the allegory of the Vineyard in - 19.
"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?"
As in the case of Israel here God has given them His very best and gotten no real fruit.
Think about us as Christ Followers, He has given His own Son, His very best, and what is our fruit like.
"O you that profess to be his people, what more could Christ have done for you?
What more could the Holy Spirit have done?
What richer promises, what wiser precepts, what kinder providences, what more gracious patience?"
(Spurgeon)
You might remember that Jesus used the allegory of the Vineyard in , and
9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.
10 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.
But the vinedressers beat him and sent himaway empty-handed.
11 Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.
12 And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do?
I will send my beloved son.
Probably they will respect him when they see him.’
14 But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’
15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.”
And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”
17 Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone’ ?
18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
19 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.
He continues with His judgement.
"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, a cry for help.
He say something interesting here.
What do you suppose “taking away its hedge” means?
First what is a hedge, what does it do?
Hebrew is mĕsuwkah - a hedge made of briars and thorns.
mĕsuwkah
φραγμός phragmós, frag-mos'; from G5420; a fence, or inclosing barrier (literally or figuratively):—hedge (+ round about), partition.
So a hedge figuratively is a wall of protection.
It reminds us of Job.
Look at
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”
9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?
You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
As a christian we enjoy God’s hedge of protection and what a sense of peace that gives me to know that God is protecting me!
When David sinned, he prayed in take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
When Joshua and the men of Israel were defeated at Ai they recognized if God’s protection was not with them, they were toast.
What was God’s hedge for Israel in the wilderness?
Cloud by day, fire by night.
Ultimately he is saying that I’m going to treat you like you are not mine.
No care no pruning no water.
Paul speaks to this issue in regard to church discipline in .
In a limited sense, God has given the responsibility of "taking away hedges" to the church.
When a Christian is stubbornly unrepentant, it may be the job of the church to "turn them over" to Satan, so they will feel the pain of their sin and repent (; ).
The church does this by putting such ones outside the spiritual protection found among God's people.
Isaiah now continues with a series of “woes” against Israel.
Woe to those who join house to house; they add field to field, till there is no place where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!
In my hearing the LORD of hosts said, "Truly, many houses shall be desolate, great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.
For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield one ephah."
It seems the idea of the big metropolis is not one that God favors.
In my observation it seems that the big problems radiate from the big cities.
The rural areas seem to be more peaceful.
Is 5:
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9