Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 Fruitful Christian Living

Isaiah 5:1-7

Verse 7- The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines He delighted in. And He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
 

The title of Isaiah chapter 5 is given as “The song of the vineyard”. It resembles the Song of Solomon but here it ends as a lament. Lord Himself is the Beloved who planted the vineyard and took care of it. Verse 7 identifies the nation of Israel as the vineyard and people of Judah are the vines He delighted in. In the book of Genesis, we see God called Abraham out of his father’s house to go to a place which He is going to show him. Abraham believed God and started his journey not knowing his destination. God blessed him and promised to make him a great nation. The nation of Israel is the descendants of Abraham through Jacob. The entire Old Testament is the story of Israel, their rise and fall. Through them God send the Redeemer to the world to save the fallen human race. Jesus was born in the tribe of Judah.

Jerusalem temple was the pride of the Israelites. They forgot God but continued to take pride in their rituals. When we look back into history, we see that in AD 70, Jerusalem temple was destroyed and the people of Israel were scattered to the four corners of the world as a fulfillment of Jesus’ prophesy. Even the Romans changed the name of the land to Palestine. For about 1878 years Israel was not on the map. God is a promise keeper. Miraculously on May 14, 1948 the nation of Israel reborn as it was prophesied in Isaiah 66.The world acknowledged Israel as a nation.

Church is not a replacement for Israel. It is entirely a different entity, called out by God to be His bride. We Christians are called to bear good fruit. We can do that by abiding in Christ, the   true Vine. Israel’s story is for our edification and admonition. It is high time for Christians to be fruitful. The time is coming when the Vineyard Owner will come for the harvest. We must prepare to meet our God

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to be rooted in you and to bear much fruit. Amen
Thought for the day: Am I really prepared to meet my God?

Chacko Varughese   
Epiphany Mar Thoma Church, New York

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