Isaiah 7: 21-25

 

²¹ Now in that day a man may keep alive a heifer and a pair of sheep;
²² and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey.
²³ And it will come about in that day, that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become briars and thorns.
²⁴ People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns. ²⁵ As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.

In a day in America in which no issue is pricklier than the state of the economy, it is not surprising to see that it has been a hot topic since, oh, probably forever! Does God leave an imprint on a nation's economy? Today's verses closing out Isaiah, Chapter 7, certainly tell us so.

"And [because of the desolation brought on by the invaders] in that day, a man will [be so poor that he will] keep alive only a young milk cow and two sheep."

--Verse 21, Amplified Bible

Judah's primary economy in the days of Isaiah had been agricultural. Crops were grown in the lush, fertile lands. We recall "The Parable of the Vineyard" today, from Isaiah, Chapter 5, as we remember the nation's perfect conditions for the growing of grapes. A middle eastern "breadbasket," as well, if you will. But with the political and, ultimately, spiritual mistakes made by the nation, God would force a change of conditions.

"'So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard:
I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed;
I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground. I will lay it waste....For ten acres of vineyard will yield only one bath of wine, and a homer of seed will yield but an ephah of grain.'"

--Isaiah 5: 5, 6 and 10 (excerpts)

Judah's beautiful landscape would change from vineyards and farms to "briars and thorns." (vs. 23) Vines that used to be "valued at a thousand shekels of silver"--a year's rent, says commentator Matthew Henry--would now be trampled by "pasturing oxen and...sheep." (vs. 25) And, not great "pasturization" at that! It's the dregs from the once-overflowing Starbucks' cup. The crumbs in the plastic tray of Oreos that your kids should have thrown out instead of put back in the pantry. It's not even quite back-to-basics.

That cow and two sheep per remaining household in Judah needed to meet the needs of the whole household, which could have included not only children but extended family and servants of the has-been farm. Even in these times of desperation and desolation, God provided for those remaining, allowing the animals to produce enough milk for living:

"And because of the abundance of milk that they will give, he will eat butter and curds, for [only] butter and curds and [wild] honey [no vegetables] shall everyone eat who is left in the land [these products provided from the extensive pastures and the plentiful wild flowers upon which the bees depend]."

--Verse 22, Amplified Bible

I pulled out the Amplified Bible's version because of its expansion on what these pasture lands looked like. Note the reference to "bees." Last week, we revisited that bees were common to Assyria and are metaphorically mentioned in the Bible relating to the Assyrian Empire. The bees came at God's whistle to stake out positions in the ledges, cliffs and thorn bushes (Isaiah 7:19).

"The bees constructed their honeycomb and deposited their honey in holes in the ground; under rocks or in crevices between the rocks. They do the same today.... The Syrian bee is an especially hardy type and a good honey producer. It is carried to Europe and America for breeding purposes."

--International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

In the midst of "bee-dlam," there was honey.

Besides the product, the tools for commerce also had to change with the land. The hoe (vs. 25)--more specifically, a weeding hoe or 'mattock,' as used in some translations--would be exchanged for "bows and arrows." (vs. 24) The tidy farmers had to become hunters, as there were no fields of crops to tend but plenty of wilderness upon which wild animals would graze. Matthew Henry takes the wild nature of things a step further:

"The whole land having become briers and thorns, the grounds that men used to come to with sickles and pruning-hooks to gather in the fruits they shall now come to with arrows and bows, to hunt for wild beasts in the thickets, or to defend themselves from the robbers that lurk in the bushes, seeking for prey, or to kill the serpents and venomous beasts that are hid there. This denotes a very sad change of the face of that pleasant land. But what melancholy change is there which sin will not make with a people?"

 --Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

Always love how deep Matthew Henry makes me think! Do we see what happens when we allow the sin in our lives to take over? I know I personally understand the feeling of being in a wilderness, letting anxiety and loss of control be my "bows and arrows." Foolishness to be there, I know, especially when I have been witness to those times of joy and spiritual prosperity. Not that there won't be trouble and tough times. But do I want my heart to become as King Ahaz's--lost to asking for a sign, or accepting and trusting the Word of God for my own situation?

"And see what folly it is to set our hearts upon possessions of lands, be they ever so fruitful, ever so pleasant; if they lie ever so little neglected and uncultivated, or if they be abused by a wasteful careless heir or tenant, or the country be laid waste by war, they will soon become frightful deserts."

--Matthew Henry

"Damascus and Samaria Fall," as we open up Chapter 8 and God's Word through Isaiah is affirmed.... 'Til next Wednesday!

Photo: photoeverywhere.co.uk

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Next week: Isaiah 8: 1-4

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).

Isaiah 5: 6 and 7

⁶ “I will lay it waste;
It will not be pruned or hoed,
But briars and thorns will come up.
I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it.”

⁷ For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel
And the men of Judah His delightful plant.
Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.

Although there is more to come from Chapter 5, the Parable of the Vineyard ends with our last two verses today, Isaiah 5: 6 and 7. In verse 6, Isaiah completes the picture of the vineyard as it will stand under God's providential care--neither pruned nor hoed, and rife with briars and thorns. 

I've just come back from my extended family's yearly trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We always pass by a vineyard, well cared for with its vines staked and its bases clear of weeds. Tiny globules forming off the vine in the hot sun. Not the time to see ripened grapes, but I can sense that the excellent care of the vine and foundational grounding will allow for the best possible fruit at harvest.


Not so the vineyard in the parable, as God says that He will "lay it waste," going so far as to order the clouds "to rain no rain." [I love that phrasing, even though I'm not sure what else God planned for the clouds to rain down.] The point is that God is in charge of this entire effort, and His intentions are purposeful and non-negotiable.

"'Have You completely rejected Judah?

Or have You loathed Zion?

Why have You stricken us so that we are beyond healing?....

Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain?

Or can the heavens grant showers?

Is it not You, O Lord our God?

Therefore we hope in You,

For You are the one who has done all these things.'"

--Jeremiah 14: 19 and 22, excerpts

God gave Jeremiah a prayer for mercy during this time of proposed drought that God shared through Isaiah. The "waste" that was to land upon Judah would certainly appear as a rejection by God. But, this was a nation that, for all intents and purposes, didn't acknowledge that God brought the rains in the first place. Their sin and its consequences would be as the stinging briars left behind in their land, though felt in their hearts all the way to Babylon.

"Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. Those who had escaped from the sword he [Zedekiah] carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia...."

--II Chronicles 36: 19 and 20

Isaiah closes out the parable by explaining what the symbols are: the vineyard being Israel (Israel and Judah), and the men of Judah, "his delightful plant." But, as we know from reading earlier, what God had planned to be a plant of great personal enjoyment and productivity had become a vineyard of stinkin' bad fruit. His care in the staking, pruning and tilling of the perfect soil had been contaminated by worldly bugs, rampant unbridled growth and a resulting yield of sour grapes. This was a vineyard that would face complete devastation, but not at the hand of a God who had run out of grace in His storehouse.

 

"Note, God, in a way of righteous judgment, denies his grace to those that have long received it in vain. The sum of all is that those who would not bring forth good fruit should bring forth none. The curse of barrenness is the punishment of the sin of barrenness, as Mark 11:14 [Christ's cursing of the fig tree]."

--Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

God waited in expectation of fruitfulness, but the wages of sin is death--death to a vineyard! God had given His grace in abundance, but the field of thanksgivings to Him and His Name lay barren. His people had turned against Him and against themselves. [Isaiah 3: 14, "It is you who have devoured the vineyard...."]

"It is very sad with a soul when instead of the grapes of humility, meekness, patience, love, and contempt of the world, which God looks for, there are the wild grapes of pride, passion, discontent, malice, and contempt of God—instead of the grapes of praying and praising, the wild grapes of cursing and swearing, which are a great offence to God."

--Matthew Henry

"Woes for the Wicked," as we leave our parable for an exposition on six judgments facing Judah.... 'Til next Wednesday!

Photo: publicdomainpictures.net

* * *

Next week: Isaiah 5: 8-12

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).