Isaiah 5:7
For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.
For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts
The term "vineyard" in the Hebrew context often symbolizes God's chosen people, Israel. The "LORD of Hosts" refers to Yahweh, the sovereign God who commands the armies of heaven. This phrase sets the stage for understanding Israel as a cherished and cultivated entity by God, who expects it to bear fruit. The imagery of a vineyard is rich in agricultural symbolism, reflecting the care, protection, and expectations God has for His people.

is the house of Israel
The "house of Israel" signifies the collective nation of Israel, God's covenant people. Historically, Israel was chosen to be a light to the nations, a people set apart to demonstrate God's holiness and love. This phrase emphasizes the identity and responsibility of Israel as God's vineyard, highlighting their unique relationship with Him.

and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight
"Men of Judah" refers specifically to the southern kingdom, which remained after the division of Israel. "The plant of His delight" suggests that Judah held a special place in God's heart, much like a gardener delights in a well-tended plant. This phrase underscores God's personal investment and pleasure in His people, expecting them to flourish in righteousness.

He looked for justice
The Hebrew word for "justice" (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat) conveys a sense of fairness, equity, and moral rightness. God expected His people to embody these qualities, reflecting His character in their societal structures and personal interactions. Justice is a central theme in the prophetic literature, often associated with the covenantal obligations of Israel.

but saw bloodshed
The contrast between "justice" and "bloodshed" (מִשְׂפָּח, mispach) is stark. Instead of fairness and righteousness, God finds violence and oppression. This wordplay in Hebrew highlights the tragic failure of Israel to live up to their calling. Bloodshed represents the breakdown of societal order and the perversion of justice, a direct violation of God's covenant.

for righteousness
"Righteousness" (צְדָקָה, tzedakah) in Hebrew encompasses right relationships, ethical behavior, and adherence to God's laws. It is a standard of living that reflects God's holiness. God anticipated that His people would live righteously, serving as a testament to His transformative power and moral order.

but heard a cry of distress
The "cry of distress" (צְעָקָה, tzeakah) signifies the outcry of those who suffer under injustice and oppression. Instead of the harmonious society God intended, there is turmoil and suffering. This phrase captures the heartache of God as He witnesses the pain and injustice among His people, a direct result of their failure to uphold His standards.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD of Hosts
This title emphasizes God's sovereignty and power over all heavenly armies. It underscores His authority and the expectation of obedience from His people.

2. The Vineyard
Symbolically represents the house of Israel. In ancient times, vineyards were valuable and required careful cultivation, paralleling God's care and expectations for His people.

3. The House of Israel
Refers to the collective people of Israel, God's chosen nation, whom He nurtured and expected to bear fruit in terms of justice and righteousness.

4. The Men of Judah
Specifically highlights the southern kingdom of Judah, emphasizing their role and responsibility in God's plan.

5. Justice and Righteousness
These are the fruits God expected from His people. The Hebrew words "mishpat" (justice) and "tsedaqah" (righteousness) indicate a standard of moral and ethical behavior aligned with God's character.
Teaching Points
God's Expectation of Fruitfulness
Just as God expected Israel to produce justice and righteousness, He expects His people today to live lives that reflect His character.

The Consequences of Unfaithfulness
The failure to meet God's standards leads to judgment. This serves as a warning to remain faithful and obedient.

The Importance of Justice and Righteousness
These are not just Old Testament concepts but are central to the Christian life, as seen in the teachings of Jesus and the apostles.

Self-Examination
Believers are called to examine their lives to ensure they are producing the fruits of justice and righteousness.

God's Patience and Grace
Despite Israel's failure, God's continued work through history shows His patience and desire for repentance and restoration.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of the vineyard help us understand God's relationship with His people?

2. In what ways can we, as modern believers, ensure that we are producing the fruits of justice and righteousness in our communities?

3. How does the parable of the tenants in Matthew 21 relate to the message of Isaiah 5:7?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to align our lives with the standards of justice and righteousness outlined in Scripture?

5. How can we apply the lessons from Israel's failure to our personal and communal spiritual lives today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 1:21-23
This passage also addresses the lack of justice and righteousness in Jerusalem, highlighting the city's moral decline.

Matthew 21:33-46
Jesus' parable of the tenants draws on the vineyard imagery, illustrating Israel's failure to produce fruit and the consequences of rejecting God's messengers.

Micah 6:8
This verse succinctly summarizes what God requires: to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, echoing the themes of justice and righteousness.
The Difference Between What God Asks and What God GetsR. Tuck Isaiah 5:7
A History of the JewsC. J. Ridgeway.Isaiah 5:1-7
Britain Highly Favoured of GodT. Sims, M. A.Isaiah 5:1-7
God's Expectation of FruitN. Rogers.Isaiah 5:1-7
Great OpportunitiesHomilistIsaiah 5:1-7
Hopes Concerning the VineyardA. B. Davidson, LL. D.Isaiah 5:1-7
Human Life in ParableJoseph Parker, D. D.Isaiah 5:1-7
Life Given for CultureJoseph Parker, D. D.Isaiah 5:1-7
Man Under the Culturing Care of HeavenHomilistIsaiah 5:1-7
Privilege and PenaltyW. Clarkson Isaiah 5:1-7
The Parable of the VineyardE. Johnson Isaiah 5:1-7
The Vineyard SongJ. Iron.Isaiah 5:1-7
Truth to be Presented in Varied FormN. Rogers.Isaiah 5:1-7
Unfruitfulness ReprovedW. Reading, M. A.Isaiah 5:1-7
Who was the SpeakerW. Hay Aitken, M. A.Isaiah 5:1-7
People
Ephah, Isaiah
Places
Jerusalem, Mount Zion
Topics
Almighty, Armies, Behold, Blood, Bloodshed, Blood-shedding, Cries, Cry, Delight, Delightful, Distress, Garden, Hosts, Judah, Judging, Judgment, Justice, Oppression, Plant, Planting, Pleasant, Righteousness, Thus, Upright, Vine-garden, Vineyard, Violence, Waiteth
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 5:7

     1175   God, will of
     1210   God, human descriptions
     4240   garden, natural
     4406   agriculture
     4468   horticulture
     5361   justice, human
     5973   unreliability
     7254   plumb-line
     8122   friendship, with God
     8783   neglect

Isaiah 5:1-7

     1330   God, the provider
     4458   grape
     4538   vineyard
     7021   church, OT anticipations
     8845   unfruitfulness

Isaiah 5:5-7

     5508   ruins

Library
A Prophet's Woes
'Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may he placed alone in the midst of the earth! 9. In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall he desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. 10. Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah. 11. Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Holy Song from Happy Saints
"Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved."--Isaiah 5:1. IT was a prophet who wrote this, a prophet inspired of God. An ordinary believer might suffice to sing, but he counts it no stoop for a prophet, and no waste of his important time, to occupy himself with song. There is no engagement under heaven that is more exalting than praising God, and however great may be the work which is committed to the charge of any of us, we shall always do well if we pause awhile to spend a time in
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 61: 1915

The Well-Beloved's vineyard.
AN ADDRESS TO A LITTLE COMPANY OF BELIEVERS, IN MR. SPURGEON'S OWN ROOM AT MENTONE."My Well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill."--Isaiah v. 1. THE WELL-BELOVED'S VINEYARD. WE recognize at once that Jesus is here. Who but He can be meant by "My Well-beloved"? Here is a word of possession and a word of affection,--He is mine, and my Well-beloved. He is loveliness itself, the most loving and lovable of beings; and we personally love Him with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength:
Charles Hadden Spurgeon—Till He Come

Of Confession and Self-Examination
Of Confession and Self-examination Self-examination should always precede Confession, and in the nature and manner of it should be conformable to the state of the soul: the business of those that are advanced to the degree of which we now treat, is to lay their whole souls open before God, who will not fail to enlighten them, and enable them to see the peculiar nature of their faults. This examination, however, should be peaceful and tranquil, and we should depend on God for the discovery and knowledge
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

God's Last Arrow
'Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them.'--Mark xii. 6. Reference to Isaiah v. There are differences in detail here which need not trouble us. Isaiah's parable is a review of the theocratic history of Israel, and clearly the messengers are the prophets; here Christ speaks of Himself and His own mission to Israel, and goes on to tell of His death as already accomplished. I. The Son who follows and surpasses the servants. (a) Our Lord here places Himself in
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Dishonest Tenants
'And He began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Miracles no Remedy for Unbelief.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke Me? and how long will it be ere they believe Me, for all the signs which I have showed among them?"--Numbers xiv. 11. Nothing, I suppose, is more surprising to us at first reading, than the history of God's chosen people; nay, on second and third reading, and on every reading, till we learn to view it as God views it. It seems strange, indeed, to most persons, that the Israelites should have acted as they did, age after age, in
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Knowledge that God Is, Combined with the Knowledge that He is to be Worshipped.
John iv. 24.--"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." There are two common notions engraven on the hearts of all men by nature,--that God is, and that he must be worshipped, and these two live and die together, they are clear, or blotted together. According as the apprehension of God is clear, and distinct, and more deeply engraven on the soul, so is this notion of man's duty of worshipping God clear and imprinted on the soul, and whenever the actions
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Barren Fig-Tree.
"There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

A Sermon on a Text not Found in the Bible.
MR. JUSTICE GROVES.--"Men go into the Public-house respectable, and come out felons." My text, as you see, my dear readers, is not taken from the Bible. It does not, however, contradict the Scriptures, but is in harmony with some, such as "WOE UNTO HIM THAT GIVETH HIS NEIGHBOUR DRINK." Habakkuk ii. 15; "WOE UNTO THEM THAT RISE UP EARLY IN THE MORNING, THAT THEY MAY FOLLOW STRONG DRINK."--Isaiah v. 11. "TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES LEST AT ANY TIME YOUR HEARTS BE OVERCHARGED WITH SURFEITING AND
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread

Religion Pleasant to the Religious.
"O taste and see how gracious the Lord is; blessed is the man that trusteth in Him."--Psalm xxxiv. 8. You see by these words what love Almighty God has towards us, and what claims He has upon our love. He is the Most High, and All-Holy. He inhabiteth eternity: we are but worms compared with Him. He would not be less happy though He had never created us; He would not be less happy though we were all blotted out again from creation. But He is the God of love; He brought us all into existence,
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

"For to be Carnally Minded is Death; but to be Spiritually Minded is Life and Peace. "
Rom. viii. 6.--"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." It is true, this time is short, and so short that scarce can similitudes or comparisons be had to shadow it out unto us. It is a dream, a moment, a vapour, a flood, a flower, and whatsoever can be more fading or perishing; and therefore it is not in itself very considerable, yet in another respect it is of all things the most precious, and worthy of the deepest attention and most serious consideration;
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet
We shall now, in conclusion, give a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet. After an introduction in vi. 1, 2, where the mountains serve only to give greater solemnity to the scene (in the fundamental passages Deut. xxxii. 1, and in Is. 1, 2, "heaven and earth" are mentioned for the same purposes, inasmuch as they are the most venerable parts of creation; "contend with the mountains" by taking them in and applying to [Pg 522] them as hearers), the prophet reminds the people of
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Eleventh Day. The Holy one of Israel.
I am the Lord that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. I the Lord which make you holy, am holy.'--Lev. xi. 45, xxi. 8. 'I am the Lord Thy God, the Holy One of Israel, Thy Saviour. Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.'--Isa. xliii. 3, 14, 15. In the book of Exodus we found God making provision for the Holiness of His people. In the holy
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Letter Xlviii to Magister Walter De Chaumont.
To Magister [75] Walter de Chaumont. He exhorts him to flee from the world, advising him to prefer the cause and the interests of his soul to those of parents. MY DEAR WALTER, I often grieve my heart about you whenever the most pleasant remembrance of you comes back to me, seeing how you consume in vain occupations the flower of your youth, the sharpness of your intellect, the store of your learning and skill, and also, what is more excellent in a Christian than all of these gifts, the pure and innocent
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

In Reply to the Questions as to his Authority, Jesus Gives the Third Great Group of Parables.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) Subdivision C. Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen. ^A Matt. XXI. 33-46; ^B Mark XII. 1-12; ^C Luke XX. 9-19. ^b 1 And he began to speak unto them ^c the people [not the rulers] ^b in parables. { ^c this parable:} ^a 33 Hear another parable: There was a man that was a householder [this party represents God], who planted a vineyard [this represents the Hebrew nationality], and set a hedge about it, and digged a ^b pit for the ^a winepress in it
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Third Day in Pasion-Week - the Last Series of Parables: to the Pharisees and to the People - on the Way to Jerusalem: the Parable
(ST. Matt. xix. 30, xx. 16; St. Matt. xxi. 28-32; St. Mark xii. 1-12; St. Luke xx. 9-19; St. Matt. xxii. 1-14.) ALTHOUGH it may not be possible to mark their exact succession, it will be convenient here to group together the last series of Parables. Most, if not all of them, were spoken on that third day in Passion week: the first four to a more general audience; the last three (to be treated in another chapter) to the disciples, when, on the evening of that third day, on the Mount of Olives, [5286]
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Of Orders.
Of this sacrament the Church of Christ knows nothing; it was invented by the church of the Pope. It not only has no promise of grace, anywhere declared, but not a word is said about it in the whole of the New Testament. Now it is ridiculous to set up as a sacrament of God that which can nowhere be proved to have been instituted by God. Not that I consider that a rite practised for so many ages is to be condemned; but I would not have human inventions established in sacred things, nor should it be
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah
"And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall come forth unto Me (one) [Pg 480] to be Ruler in Israel; and His goings forth are the times of old, the days of eternity." The close connection of this verse with what immediately precedes (Caspari is wrong in considering iv. 9-14 as an episode) is evident, not only from the [Hebrew: v] copulative, and from the analogy of the near relation of the announcement of salvation to the prophecy of disaster
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

An Analysis of Augustin's Writings against the Donatists.
The object of this chapter is to present a rudimentary outline and summary of all that Augustin penned or spoke against those traditional North African Christians whom he was pleased to regard as schismatics. It will be arranged, so far as may be, in chronological order, following the dates suggested by the Benedictine edition. The necessary brevity precludes anything but a very meagre treatment of so considerable a theme. The writer takes no responsibility for the ecclesiological tenets of the
St. Augustine—writings in connection with the donatist controversy.

The Gateway into the Kingdom.
"Except a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (John iii. 3.) There is no portion of the Word of God, perhaps, with which we are more familiar than this passage. I suppose if I were to ask those in any audience if they believed that Jesus Christ taught the doctrine of the New Birth, nine tenths of them would say: "Yes, I believe He did." Now if the words of this text are true they embody one of the most solemn questions that can come before us. We can afford to be deceived about
Dwight L. Moody—The Way to God and How to Find It

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