Vineyard Isaiah 5

Isaiah 5:4 "What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?"

I don't know anything about grapes except that they need a place to grow and some pruning. I have done some gardening and it is very disappointing when the hard work does not produce a good crop. I remember one year on the farm where we raised cotton and corn. It rained a lot that year at just the wrong time and the cotton rotted in the boles. It was a very costly year and one that hurt us financially for years.

It is no wonder, after the way God has cared for Israel and Judah that He is disappointed when they turned out to be wild grapes instead of tame ones. Here we find Israel compared to a vineyard and Judah the plant.

v7 "For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry."

So He asked the question "What could have been done more..."

There is nothing else to do when the plants have gone bad than to rip them out of the ground and start over with good plants. So, Israel went into captivity.

v13 "Therefore, my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst."

That was how they ended up, here is how they started:

v2 "And he fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it and also made a winepress therein, and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes."

We can see the great disappointment here and even the sadness that judgment must come upon Israel and Judah. Part of the story is in this verse in II Chronicles 28:5 "Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter."

These are the words that Isaiah preached to warn the people to turn from their wicked ways, but they heeded not.

The Woes:

v20 "Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil..."

v21 "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes..."

v22 "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine..."

In the last part of verse 24 we see the conclusion of the matter "...because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel."

The preaching of Isaiah was to warn Israel to turn but they did not turn. It reminds me of those dedicated preachers of our day who sound the warning to America but does America hear?

Psalm 85:4 "Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease."

Joash Repairs Temple II Chronicles 24

II Chronicles 24:2 and 4 "And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. And it came to pass after this that Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD."

The sons of Athaliah v7 have ransacked the House of the LORD. It is in bad need of repair. First Joash puts the matter in the hands of the Levites to collect from the people and do the repairs but that did not work well v6 so they put a chest in the House of the LORD for donations. This money was counted and went directly to the workers who returned the unused portion.

v15 "But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died. v16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house."

Jehoiada is one of the least talked about characters in the Bible who served the LORD well. Perhaps is is because his name is difficult to pronounce. His name is appropriate for it means 'whom Jehovah knows'. II Kings 11:4,9,15.17 He rescued Joash at the peril of his own life when Athaliah took over the kingdom.

Joash was a good king so long as Jehoiada lived. He then turned against God. It seems Joash had no heart for the LORD but relied on Jehoiada for his spiritual well-being. It is a caution to us that we must have a personal relationship of our own with the LORD. We are not so right with the LORD just because we are under the shadow of a powerful spiritual leader. We must know the Savior for ourselves.

v17 "Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. v18 And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers and served groves and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass." See Deut 16:21 Judges 3:7.

A prophet was sent to them to tell them of their sin but they stoned him bringing to mind a statement in the New Testament where the people were told that they had stoned the prophets. Acts 7:52 when Stephen was stoned.

Zechariah the son of Jehoiada. v21 "And they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD."

Syria brought a small band and attacked and defeated Judah as a judgment from God. They carried away the treasures back to Damascus.

Joash died a diseased man at the hand of the servants of Jehoiada. He turned away from the LORD to worship idols. II Kings 12:19-21 also.

Psalm 36:1 "The transgression of the wicked saith, within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes."

Joash turns away from the LORD. Jehoiada dies at 130 years old.

Asa's Last Days II Chronicles 16

II Chronicles 16:1 "In the sixth and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah."

Asa is influencing the whole land, not only Judah but the ten tribes called Israel. Many are going to Jerusalem to be under Asa and true worship according to the law of Moses. Baasha now attempts to stop this migration to Jerusalem. So he built Ramah to try to block their way.

Baasha came to reign over Israel after killing the son of Jeroboam.

v2 "Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, v3 There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father, behold, I have sent thee silver and gold, go break thy league with Bassha king of Israel, that he may depart from me."

In the previous chapter, Asa brought in silver and gold and dedicated it to the LORD. Chapter 15 verse 18. Now he has used those dedicated items to buy a league with the king of Syria to help him. It displeased the LORD.

v7 "And at that time Hanani the seer, came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand."

A seer was a prophet. I think the term seer was picked up in Babylon during the captivity where this book was written.

Something happened to Asa that happens to a lot of people these days. He did something wrong and was rebuked. Instead of humbling himself before God, he became angry at the messenger and I believe the LORD as well. He did not turn from his anger to the day he died. He tossed the prophet in prison and was plagued with war and disease the rest of his days. Remember in a previous study that the LORD delivered Asa from a million man army. I'd put it in the same category as a child going to a stranger for advice after parents have spent their lifetime instructing them.

v12 "And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great; yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.

So Asa died and his son Jehoshahat reigned in his place. I have not studied the burial of Asa but it seems ritualistic to me. v14 "...prepared by the apothecaries' art; and they made a very great burning for him."

Asa did some great things. His ending was a sad one but I believe the LORD will remember that his heart was perfect and that he sought the LORD.

II Thessalonians 2:17 "Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work."

Asa is angry with the prophet of the LORD.