GOD’S GOODNESS TO THE CHURCH
Isaiah 27:2-3. In that day sing ye unto her, &c. [1084]
[1084] Cowles only follows Alexander in the rendering of these verses. Birks translates: “In that day sing ye unto her. A vineyard of choice wine!” &c. Cheyne: “In that day—a pleasant vineyard—sing ye of it. I Jehovah, its keeper—moment by moment I water it; lest any should invade it, by night and by day I keep it.” Kay: “Sing ye unto her.”
The Church a vineyard: a spot set apart: weeds taken out; choice trees planted; supplied with means; fruitful of “red wine,” the best (Proverbs 31:31).
I. GOD’S CARE OF HIS CHURCH.
1. It is constant, “night and day.”
2. It is all-sufficient. “I, the Lord, do keep it”—what Omniscience and Omnipotence guards, none can hurt.
II. GOD’S MINISTRY TO THE CHURCH. Not only does He guard it from external assault, He ministers to its internal necessities. “I will water it.” God’s influence upon His Church is—
1. Adapted to its wants. The vine needs moisture.
2. It is a continued blessing. “Every moment.”
3. It is followed by blessed results: Growth, fragrance, beauty, fruitfulness.
Application.—
1. How secure is the true Church of God (H. E. I., 1246–1251; 2449).
2. How important to belong to it.
3. How great are its obligations to God.
4. How zealous we ought to be for its extension.—British and Foreign Pulpit, i. 74, 75.
THE SONG TO THE VINEYARD
Isaiah 27:2-3. In that day sing ye unto her, &c.
There are different opinions as to what is meant by “leviathan, that crooked serpent,” and “the dragon that is in the sea” (Isaiah 27:1), whether the same power is signified by different names, &c.
(1.) On a point concerning which learned and able men cannot see eye to eye, it would be presumptuous in me to give an opinion.
(2.) If we cannot feel certain as to the literal meaning, the spiritual is plain.
(3.) Neither of the expositions affects the substance of the prophecy. A great deliverance is spoken of, to be accomplished by the destruction of the enemies of the Church, and the Lord gives a command to comfort His people. There is in our text a command and a promise.
I. THE COMMAND.
1. “Sing ye unto her.” It is taken for granted that the spiritual condition of the Church is pleasing to God, but that the feeling of His people is in a low state. Sometimes the Lord directs His servant to reprimand them: “Show unto my people their transgression.” A Church may need comfort while some of its members deserve correction. Possibly the faulty members are the cause of discomfort to the Church, and render it desirable that she should be comforted. It is so in the family. We comfort the family when a member of it has transgressed. The fact that one member needs correction causes the others to need consolation. In some cases, it requires much wisdom to decide whether an encouragement or a reproof should be given. We have seen the rod used when a kind word would have been more suitable; and some are singing songs while it would be more appropriate to sound an alarm. There is need for rightly dividing the Word of truth. “A word in its season,” &c.
Possibly the accurate expositor will ask who is commanded to sing. Is it the prophets, or the priests, or the choir of the Temple? This is a poetical book, and sometimes it calls on the heavens, the mountains, and the trees of the field to sing. In this respect I would rather let the command of the text remain undecided, and say to everybody and everything, “Sing unto her!”
2. What shall be sung to this vineyard? Remind her in this song that she is “the vineyard of the Lord of hosts.” The Old Testament is full of references to a vineyard, to vines, and to wine. The reason for this is, that the Bible is an Eastern book. A vineyard supposes—
(1.) Separation. Not the superiority of its soil to that of the surrounding country makes the vineyard, but its separation. It is not because the saints are by nature better than others that they are God’s vineyard, but because they are set apart by Him. The idea of separation as regards the Church is made conspicuous in every age. The saints, the disciples, constitute the flock and the vineyard of the Old Testament, the Church of the New. When I speak of a separated Church, of course I do not allude to any sect, but to the Church in general. There are hypocrites in the Churches, but none in the Church. It is in the world, but not of the world. The soul is in the body, but not of the body. “Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:7). Ceremonials cannot plant the vine; there are necessarily ordinances, but circumcision could not make the Jews a godly people, and there were thousands of ungodly people partaking every year of the Passover. A change of heart, a change in the condition of the soul, constitutes the planting in the vineyard; not a ceremonial separation, but a change of mind; not the affixing of the stamp of a sect, but the impartation of the image of God (H. E. I. 1171–1183).
II. THE PROMISE.
A large and comprehensive one. It includes—
1. Care. “I the Lord do keep it.” With regard to a vineyard, there is a special meaning in the word “keep.” The vine requires great care. There is much work for the knife. From the pruning of the vine by the vinedresser, there is much valuable instruction to be gained. We learn that what appear to be grievous losses may secure great gains (H. E. I. 63, 104, 126). Oh, this pruning, how painful it often is! But it is not done because the Owner of the vineyard delights in it; it proves His love. See Jochebed taking an ark of bulrushes, putting the child Moses in it, and then laying it amidst the perils of the Nile: not because she hated him! No; love was at the bottom of it all, though it appeared otherwise. It behoves the pulpit still to assure God’s people of His care for them.
2. Provision. “I will water it.” There was necessity for watering the vineyard constantly. This was done by means of trenches conveying the water to the roots of the plants. For this purpose rain-water was carefully stored in cisterns; dew was also of great service. The means of grace are somewhat like watercourses. We are dry enough and withered in appearance, but what would we be without the means of grace? What is the dew? The noiseless influences of the Holy Spirit. We will compare revivals to showers; they are not with us, like the watercourses, always. I do not know whether the natural vineyards must have water without intermission; but the vineyard of the Lord of hosts requires it “every moment,” and here is His promise to supply the need.
3. Safety. “Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.” It shall be protected from the blighting frost, from thieves and spoilers, from “the boar out of the wood,” from “the little foxes that spoil the vines.” “I the Lord do keep it.” He will not only give His angels charge concerning it, though He will do that. “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him.” That shall be done, and more! “For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about her, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” All things are in the hand of God, and under His control they shall co-operate for her safety. It is not surprising that Moses, as he surveyed Israel from the top of Mount Nebo, should say, “Happy art thou, O Israel! who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help? The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” In dwelling near God there is safety. Israel was always flourishing when with God. The safety of God’s people means more than being kept together and saved from destruction: “Lest any hurt it!” How excellent are the promises of God!—Gweithiau Rhyddieithol, pp. 48–51, by the late William Ambrose of Port Madoc, translated from the Welsh by the Rev. T. Johns, of Llanelly.