Everybody likes a good song. Think of the greatest songs of this century. Some of you remember the bee gees, the Beatles, and Simon and Garfunkel. Others remember journey, scorpions, queen, and the one hit wonder bands of the 80’s, still others remember the pop stars of the 90s. The music of our time shapes us for better or for worse. Poems, lyrics, and art are memorable. And what does God do when he wants his people to remember something. He uses song.
Today we have a song before us. It’s a love song.
The song sings about God giving the absolute best environment for his people to flourish. He even asks in verse 4, “What more is there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” He does everything he can possibly do, he provides the best soil, the best vine, the most protective surroundings. Literally God does everything! This is his possession. But after everything, all this vineyard bears is wild grapes.
In verse 7 we see the overall summary of the fruit, “For the Vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, and outcry!” Notice the word “behold!” It’s a cry of surprise! He looked for one thing and it bears the exact opposite! And what are these wild grapes? They they are described in 6 woes. And then the destruction of the vineyard is described in verse 13-17 and 24 -30
Woes against his people.
Consumerism
We have the first one in verse 8, “Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the mists of the land.” Sound familiar? Consumerism is not a new thing. It’s ancient.
Consumerism says sin is not our biggest problem, and God our greatest need. Lack is our biggest problem, and stuff our greatest need. God won’t make us as happy as stuff. In the consumer story, creation exists for our amusement and satisfaction. We don’t have enough—enough money, enough devices, enough experiences, enough entertainment. This cultural god has invited all to come and offer your lives formaterial prosperity, comfort, and security. And this “salvation story” has deeply shapes our world today.
More and MORE! Never enough. And what does it leave you? Empty. Verse 9, “The LORD of Hosts has sworn in my hearing: Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful homes without inhabitant. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath. These houses stand empty! We see this…. Work. Work. Work. Buy. Buy. Buy. More houses, more cars. More vacations. MORE. You know whey we always need more? Because we were made for the infinte. But when wet try to fill the infinite with the finite stuff – we suffer.
And what suffers? Relationship with God and with others. You have worshipped money and sacrificed people. Marriages become cold, children lack a father or mother. And we grow older, and we work harder, but the hole and dissatisfaction become more. The massive house feels all the emptier. It reminds me of an old song that a music star sang before his death. It goes like this.
What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
You can have it all my empire of dirt! The gods of this world will let you down every time. As proverbs says 15:16, “Better to be poor and fear the Lord than to be rich and in trouble.”
Jesus instead of grabbing Gave it all up. Jesus is the answer to our consumerism – he is enough. He is our answer to our seeking after pleasure and entertainment because he satisfies.
Entertainment and pleasure
Look at the second woe verse 11 and 12, Woe to those who rise early in the morning. That they may run after strong drink, who tarry late in the evening as wine inflames them. They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hand. Can you hear it. Working for the drink. Working for the weekend. When you want to have a good time, when you want to really enjoy yourself – you need a drink. Drink and music – and dancing. That is life! Now God has nothing against those three – but he does when that is what we worship. This is about trying to seek our ultimate in creation. Ultimate pleasure, ultimate satisfaction. Do you live for the weekend or for God?
Do you know why you pursue pleasure – because you were made to find eternal pleasure in him. But rather then finding it in him we fill the infinite hole with the finite, and it leaves us utterly empty.
As one theologian said,
…humans take the pleasures which our [God] has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He has forbidden. (In this way we empty them of the pleasures they were meant to give.)
An ever-increasing craving for and ever diminishing pleasure is the formula... To get a man's soul and give him nothing in return - that is what really gladdens [the heart of Satan and his devils].”
Party all weekend, and Sunday is for sleeping it off, and going to church if you can. These are the people that brag about how much alcohol they can hold – as the third woe in verse 22 says, “Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant me in mixing strong drink.” But do you see how empty this is? How small. Look at what I am good at! Drinking! If these are the heroes of Gods covenant people then all is lost – especially in the light of all he had done for them.
Jesus instead of living for pleasure – was willing to suffer to bring us joy, and true rest!
Exchanging the truth for a lie.
And when one is confronted in church about sin, what is the first temptation? To avoid, to blame shift? To even say it’s normal and good. But God calls that out as well, as the fourth woe “Woe to those who call evil, good, and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. We see this happening in the world around us! Not only is sin accepted, but it is also promoted! As a good thing! Not only is an LGBTQI+ lifestyle, or abortion accepted – it is celebrated! Not only is getting drunk accepted it is celebrated.
This is the covenant people of God. Dear church God loves his church – remember how this chapter started this is his beloved vineyard. How do we react to his watering? To his protection? To his care?
These are the people who can confidently talk themselves out of anything, as the 5th woe says, “Woe to those who are “wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight.” Rather than humbly repent and turn – they get themselves out of every situation. Rather than ask for forgiveness, they shift the blame. Again, with each one of these we see the opposite example in Jesus. Who was silent as a lamb led to the slaughter, whose wisdom was foolishness in the eyes of the world.
Lies to cover it all up!
These people have a rope tied to their sin – in other words they don’t want to let the sin go, as the 6th woe in verse 18 makes clear, “Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehoods, who draw sin as with cart ropes.” They are dragging their sins along through a web of lies – and then they still want to see the Lord’s work! Our life becomes a web of lies because we try to cover the sin, but still, we think God has to bless us! It is subtle. First we say “It is not such a big deal.” Then we say, “Everyone does it!” Finally we say, “You naïve and old fashioned if you don’t do it”
He is the answer to the cart of sin that we carry around with our web of lies – because he died for them – we can be honest about them.
O that the holy Spirit would reveal to us the true state of our hearts always in the light of his word – so that we may turn to him and be healed.
Results.
The result of their sin – is found in verse 13-17 and 24-30. Both of these sections basically echo each other – and the second expands and emphasizes the first. God removes the boundary around the vineyard as he makes clear in verse 5, and he will make it a waste.
We read in verse 13, “Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude will die of thirst.” Isaiah says, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” What is this rich food? It is the word of God! My people go into exile for lack of knowledge. Let me ask you – are you hungry and dying in your faith? Come to Jesus as he shows himself in his word. Just like a lack of food and drink leads to starvation and death, so a lack of spiritual food and drink leads to starvation and spiritual exile. The beginning of the end of the church is when it is no longer deeply rooted in the love of God has it is displayed, explained, and revealed in the Word of God. The beginning of the end is a turning away from the word.
The ultimate reaping of sin is death. The party is over. as verse 14, “Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude will go down, the revelers and he who exalts in her.” They wanted more, but at the end only one appetite is filled.
Where righteousness grows, life flourishes, where God is deserted, death becomes prevalent. As people consume sin, death consumes people. We see this, and what does God do? He humbles them. Death is one of the most humbling things. We all die the same. No matter how rich no matter how powerful. We die with nothing. No power. No money. Everything is stripped, and our weakness, and need is seen for what it is. Absolute. It is the great humbler – the great dose of reality. The one thing that forces us to come to terms with our insignificance before the creator.
It is Gods justice for our sin. And it leaves the covenant people empty. Small. Read verse 17, Where there once was family, laughter, now its lambs grazing, and strangers wandering.
And they are devoured as dry stubble, there is no substance to them. They are no longer watered, they are no longer fertilized, their roots are rotten, and they go up like dust. Why? They rejected him who loved them – so he rejected them. Look at the climax of verse 25 b, “For all this his hand has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.” This leads to him calling for the nations far away to devour his people as a lion devours prey (V. 29).
And what do we see? V 30, “Behold darkness, and distress; and the light is darkened by its cloud.”
Wow! Death. Exile. Burning. Darkness. Who can stand? Who will stand in the way of this anger? JESUS! That is who! He bore our death for sin! The fires of Gods wrath consumed him! No as v. 25 says, “He did not hold back his anger, and his hand was stretched out to the bitter end. He went into exile from the presence of the Father. He carried every judgement this people got and more! So that he might stand in the breach against our enemies!
Do you see that he planted you, watered you, protects you, and even more then that – lives in you! Its his life that he has given!
Belville Jesus is the vine of the LORD! You are the branches! He has watered you, nurtures you, fertilizes you, through his life-giving Spirit. He has given you live! Do not reject it. As Hebrews 2 says, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
Amen.