Tending the Vineyard?

“Let me sing for my beloved
    my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
    on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones,
    and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
    and hewed out a wine vat in it;
and he looked for it to yield grapes,
    but it yielded wild grapes.

And now, O… men,
judge between me and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard,
    that I have not done in it?
When I looked for it to yield grapes,
    why did it yield wild grapes?

And now I will tell you
    what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
    and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
    and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste;
    it shall not be pruned or hoed,
    and briers and thorns shall grow up;
I will also command the clouds
    that they rain no rain upon it.

“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, an outcry!

“Woe to those who rise early in the morning,
    that they may run after strong drink,
who tarry late into 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 hands.

“Therefore my people go into exile
    for lack of knowledge;
their honored men go hungry,
    and their multitude is parched with thirst.” Isaiah 5:1-7,11-13

Fertile slope, cleared of stones, planted with choice vines, protected, vat ready. Untended, ignored, misused, wasted, wild and tasteless. The described handling of God’s vineyard highlights the stark contrast between God and man, generous bounty and careless waste, love and selfishness. What God prepares and intends for His children is easily abused by people who regard only themselves.

We have much abundance in our lives that goes unrecognized, unappreciated, unused. The gift of space and opportunity, hours and days before us to choose how to invest and make fruitful. Health and senses to enjoy the topography and textures and rigors, the beauty and color and music of the world around us. Hands to tend soil of relationships, to manage tasks, to love on others. Minds to process thought, make smart decisions, solve problems. Consciences to confirm what is good and convict of the bad. People who enrich character, capacity, experience, and the human heart. The capacity to worship that swells and nourishes the soul.

The Lord has made ready for us our places to seek His wisdom and produce God-honoring crop. Home, workplace, community, church: many and varied are His vineyards. He’s provided empty vats, awaiting good wine. How seriously do we take our responsibility to turn good yield? (Isaiah 33:6; Mark 4:14-20; Luke 6:38)

How are we maintaining spiritual fertility? What foreign stones have accumulated that prevent healthy roots, relationships, and flourishing? How well do we tend to justice, righteousness, kindness? Where do we need pruning to make the most of God’s provision?

Lord, make my life a pleasant planting of Your grace and bounty, to Your glory.