What Kind of Grapes Does God Find in My Vineyard?---Day 249 Through the Bible

                                                 "So He expected it to bring forth good grapes."
Isaiah 5:1-6:13

God likens Israel to a vineyard--"the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel".
"He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry for help" (v.7).
We manage to live in ways God never intended--ways that limit His blessings on what we do:
"Woe to those who join house to house; they add field to field, till there is no place where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!"  Verse 9: "Truly many houses shall be desolate, great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant". (Unfortunately, we have recently witnessed this very thing happen in our country as many beautiful homes now stand empty.)  (But what about me?  What does God look for in my life and what does he actually find?  Does He find justice and righteousness?)

God also pronounces, "Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may follow intoxicating drink". They party with music and wine in their celebrations, "But they do not regard the work of the Lord, nor consider the operation of His hands.  Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge" (v. 11-13).  Verse 18, 20: "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as with a cart rope (what a visual!); . . .Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness . ..bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"  Verse 22, "Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, who justify the wicked for a bribe and take away justice from the righteous man".  Chapter 5 finishes with a description of the army that will carry away Israel "and no one will deliver.  In that day they will roar against them like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and sorrow; and the light is darkened by the clouds" (v. 29-30).

In chapter 6, Isaiah "saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple".  His encounter with the Almighty changed Isaiah's life.  "You will never deal effectively with your sin without first realizing who God is.  When you study His Word and begin to grasp His holiness, a deep reverence for Him grows in your heart" (Dr. Stanley).  (Am I growing in reverence for God?)

Psalm 105:23-36
The Psalmist recounts God's hand in the events that Israel experienced in Egypt. (Do I recognize God's hand in my life?)

Proverbs 24:28-29
A warning against "bearing false witness" against your neighbor---using your lips for deception, and seeking to pay back in return. (Do my lips speak deception?  Do I seek revenge?)

I Corinthians 15:29-58
Paul asks if there is no resurrection, then why not "eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"  He warns them to "Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God.  I speak to your shame".  (Do I prove all things and hold fast that which is good (I Thessalonians 5:21?)

Concerning the resurrection, Paul says that when you sow seed it does not come back up; the seed dies and a new plant is generated. He differentiates the flesh of men, animals, fish, and birds. (According to this passage animals are not "people in fur coats" as some suggest.)  "The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption."  He elaborates: It is sown in dishonor--raised in glory, sown in weakness--raised in power, sown a natural body--raised a spiritual body.  "And as we have borne the image of the man of dust (Adam), we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man (Jesus)".  Because there is a resurrection from the dead Paul says this: "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord"!  (What kind of fruit is in my vineyard?)

Godly Direction--Day 17 Through the Bible

                                          Roan Mountain is located in nearby Mitchell County
                                        and offers Nature Trails, picnic areas, spectacular views,
                                                 as well as never ending photo opportunities.

January 17
I would like to pose a question to begin today's blog. Are we acknowledging God in our decisions? And, if so, to what extent?
One of my favorite Scriptures is found in Proverbs 3:6, and we can see the principles found in this verse  played out in today's study. This verse says, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths". There will no doubt come a time in our lives when we recognize a need for God's help and direction. It could be when a doctor tells us there is nothing else he can do for us, or we might be facing financial ruin, old age, the loss of our spouse, an unexpected loss of a loved one, the loss of our eyesight, or facing consequences of bad decisions. There is no end to scenarios where we may need God's help and direction either at present or in the future.
Jacob endured Laban's deceitful tactics for twenty years. To Jacob's credit, he did what was right and was faithful in conducting himself with integrity and honesty toward his father-in-law. Jacob acknowledged God. Finally, God told Jacob He had seen what was happening and that it was time for Jacob to leave and return to his own family. Without God's involvement at this point in Jacob's life, Jacob may not have left this trying situation.
The fact that Jacob had a relationship with God and that God was involved in his life, opened the door for God to direct his path. God assured Jacob he would be with him, just as He assures us He will never leave us nor forsake us (Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5).
In chapter 34 of Genesis, our study brings us to an example where God was not acknowledged and Simeon and Levi (Jacob's sons) took matters into their own hands. They did what they thought was right and hatched a deceitful plot, making themselves murderers and bringing reproach on Jacob's family. While it is true their sister was mistreated, vengeance belonged to God, and would have been better served had it been left to Him. Not only did they not seek God's direction, they failed to even bring the situation before their father, Jacob. (Sometimes in reading Scripture, we tend to think that because it is in the Bible, God sanctioned it.  The account of Dinah and her brothers’ act of revenge is merely an account of events and says nothing about God directing them to the actions they chose.)
Acknowledging God (period) is the first step in coming to the realization that God's Word is truth. Once we get into His Word, we then discover the fact that vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19), along with many other truths. We are overstepping our bounds whenever we seek vengeance. We are leaving ourselves to our own devices and leaning to our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) when we do not acknowledge God.
In the final verses of our daily reading in Matthew, I found it interesting that Jesus also made a decision to leave a situation. Once again, acknowledging God and His plan played a part in this decision. Jesus was God in the flesh and He knew it was not time for Him to die. Therefore, when the Pharisees began seeking a way to destroy Him, "Jesus withdrew from there" (Matthew 12:15).
Acknowledging God in all our ways gives us an advantage. We can avoid experiencing the failure and adverse consequences that may come from doing it our way. He can help us to see clearly what it is that we need to leave behind (perhaps it is a vengeful spirit). God has insight that we do not have access to unless we first have access to Him. He loves us so much He "fixed" the sin thing that separates us from Him. He sent His Son Jesus to die in our place so that we can enjoy a relationship with God for eternity! Our part is to believe in Him so that we might not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).