5:1
Let us look back at the situation. God has told of the disastrous state of the nation, of its sinfulness. Then we have had the promises in the previous chapter of glory of the Lord filling the nation. How can these two things be squared? God loves Israel. This is something that we must remember. People can come up with theories about how the church has replaced Israel, or is the true Israel, and it is true that we shae in all the benefits and promises of Israel. But God loves the nation of Israel. We must remember this, but we must also remember that God is fully aware of Israel’s sinfulness, and in this song we have a further description of that sin. Israel was God’s vineyard, and was placed on a fertile hill. Fruitfulness should have been straightforward. She had all the laws of God, she should have known what was good and what was not good.
5:2
God cared for the vineyard. He cleared it of stones, He planted choice vines. He built a watchtower. This probably refers to the prophets. God sent numerous prophets to tell the nation when they strayed from His ways. God cared for the vineyard and expected it to yield good grapes. Instead it yielded wild grapes, ie sinfulness. Christian parents can often be distraught when one of their offspring goes away from the Lord, getting involved in all sorts of evil behaviour. There can be guilt, thinking if only we had been better parents our child would not have strayed from the Lord. God cared for Israel, yet Israel strayed, and in a big way. We are all imperfect parents, but each person, including our children, is responsible for their own behaviour. Good upbringing does not guarantee a good result. It obviously helps, but there is no guarantee. We should also remember that the story if Israel is not over yet. One day they will acknowledge the one they have pierced.
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