God's Fierce Protection of His People Seen As A Vineyard (Isaiah 27:2-6).
In contrast to that mighty Serpent are the afflicted people of God, and with such an Enemy they certainly need special protection. God's people have previously been seen as a vineyard, but one that was rejected because it only produced useless grapes (Isaiah 5:1-7). Now, however, God's renewed people, His remnant, are seen as ‘a vineyard of wine' (or ‘of delight' in some MS), no longer fruitless but fruitful, a vineyard that He will fiercely protect.
Before considering it further we should note a translation problem. In the first phrase, regularly translated as, ‘In that day, a vineyard of wine, sing to it', the verb translated ‘sing' usually means ‘to afflict, to humble, oneself'. Thus it should more literally be translated, “In that day, as a vineyard of wine, afflict it (or ‘humble it')”, or, “in that day afflict for her the vineyard of wine.” In view of what follows (which is the cause of the alternative translation) we may see it as signifying the difference between Yahweh smiting the Monster to its death, while only afflicting the vineyard of His people for their good, and at the same time watching over it.
Analysis.
a In that day, a vineyard of wine, sing to it. “I Yahweh do keep it, I will water it every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day” (Isaiah 27:2-3)
b Fury is not in me. Would that the briars and thorns were against me in battle, I would march on them, I would burn them up together (Isaiah 27:4).
b Or let him take hold of my protection (strength, stronghold), that he may make peace with me. Let him make peace with me (Isaiah 27:5).
a In days to come will Jacob take root, Israel will blossom and bud, and they will fill the face of the world with fruit (Isaiah 27:6).
In ‘a' Yahweh's vineyard is kept and watered and watched over so that it might be fruitful, and in the parallel the way that Jacob/Israel will become fruitful is described. In ‘b' He is ready to protect His vine from any enemies, and in the parallel He calls on the enemies to seek His protection and make peace with Him.
‘In that day, a vineyard of wine, sing to it.
I Yahweh do keep it,
I will water it every moment,
Lest any hurt it,
I will keep it night and day.
Fury is not in me,
Would that the briars and thorns were against me in battle,
I would march on them,
I would burn them up together,
Or let him take hold of my protection (strength, stronghold),
That he may make peace with me.
Let him make peace with me.'
‘In that day' here again looks from Isaiah's viewpoint to the future when God intervenes in world affairs, but not necessarily the end future. As we have seen earlier the prophets looked ahead to the future seeing it as one whole. They saw what God was going to do, but they were not informed of the time scale. Indeed had they been their message would have lost something of its imminence as a message for their day. So ‘in that day' refers to a future ‘day' when God acts. But the phrase has a much wider meaning from our viewpoint, for looking back in history we see that God has intervened and acted over what seems to us, with our limited conceptions, a long period, beginning when Jesus Christ came and proclaimed that the Kingly Rule of God had arrived, (seen by the Apostles as ‘the last times' or equivalent - 1 Peter 1:20; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 1:2; 1 Peter 1:20; 1Pe 4:7; 2 Peter 3:3; 2 Peter 1 John 1:18), and continuing through until His purposes are complete. All is part of ‘that day'. Indeed its length of time puzzled Peter until he recognised that with God a day was as a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8).
‘A vineyard of wine!' It is the time when God's vineyard begins to produce good wine, watched over and tended by Yahweh. No longer a vineyard producing wizened grapes (compare Isaiah 5:1-7) but one producing good fruit. This producing of good fruit was what would be urged by John the Baptiser (Matthew 3:8; Matthew 3:10), followed by Jesus Himself (Matthew 7:16-20; Matthew 13; Luke 6:43-44). The time of fruitfulness had arrived. It points to the new fruitful Israel which would result from the presence of the King, Immanuel.
‘I, Yahweh, do keep it, I will water it every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.' God's continual and constant, yes, even daily, care over His true people is here declared. He will tend them, and keep them, and water them, and watch over them night and day. They will be totally safe and well cared for in His hands. It is a picture of constant watch and tending that should be a comfort to each one of us, parallel to Jesus description of Himself as the good shepherd watching over His sheep. Jesus almost certainly had this passage in mind when He expanded on the idea in John 15:1-6 where He spoke of Himself as the true vine with His people as the branches, and His Father as the Carer, tending, watching, caring, pruning, so as to produce fruitful branches (while casting the unfruitful into the fire).
‘Fury is not in me. Would that the briars and thorns were against me in battle, I would march on them, I would burn them up together.' God assures His people that then He will no longer be angry towards them. That anger would have been assuaged. This assumes some kind of propitiation, and we discover later that it was provided by Him Who was the propitiation for our sins (Isaiah 53:4; Isaiah 53:10; Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10; compare Isaiah 1:18). That in the end is why His anger was turned way from His true people.
Indeed God's love for His true people is now such that He longs to fight the briars and thorns on their behalf, for, He assures Isaiah that were the briars and thorns to seek to do battle with the vines He would march on them and burn them up. The briars and thorns represent the world peoples, with their pressures producing the cares of this world; with their enticements producing, the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things; and with their persecution causing suffering and affliction.
‘Or let him take hold of my protection (strength, stronghold), that he may make peace with me. Let him make peace with me.' But the offer is still open to individual ‘briars' in that world to make their peace with God. As with Moab in Isaiah 16:4-5 they may come to Him and become one with His people. Then He would be their stronghold too, and instead of battling with them, would offer them peace. In the last two phrases the emphasis in the first phrase is on ‘with me', the emphasis in the second is on ‘peace'. There is peace for all if only they will come.
‘In days to come will Jacob take root,
Israel will blossom and bud,
And they will fill the face of the world with fruit.'
This is the fulfilment of the parable. God's whole purpose for His people is that they might, like a vine, take root, blossom and fill the whole world with fruit. They were to be a blessing to the world as God had promised Abraham (Genesis 12:3). Note the need to take root so that we may blossom and bud. The Christian who fails in establishing his roots through seeking God in His word and by prayer, will not be fruitful. Fulfilment of this began in a small way when the Jews were scattered among the nations, and in a bigger way when the (Jewish) Apostles and their helpers went from Jerusalem, through Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth, taking the word of God (Acts 1:8), as Isaiah had earlier prophesied in Isaiah 2:3, allowing it to take root and grow, until the word of God was established throughout the world.