The scriptures often refer to the House of Israel as a vineyard. We have seen the scattering and gathering of Israel reflected in their pride cycle of obedience and disobedience or simply righteousness and wickedness. Be good, do good. Don't do evil and woe unto you if you call good evil and evil good.
God is not a respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
In Isaiah 5:1-7 the Lord looks down on the vineyard and sees the grapes have gone sour and asks what more could I have done? It has brought forth sour grapes.
In Matthew 13:24-30 another parable states the kingdom of heaven is like a man that sowed good seeds in a field but while the man slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat. Then as the seeds started to grow, the servants saw tares sprouting among the wheat and asked the man, did you not plant good seeds? From whence hath it tares?
The man said, an enemy hath done this. Then the servants asked should we gather up the tares and the man said no, not yet. If you do, you'll pull up the wheat as well. Let them grow together and when it is time for harvest, we will separate the wheat from the tares. We will bind the tares in bundles to burn them and gather the wheat for the barn.
Christ said beware of false prophets and warned of wolves in sheep's clothing that will enter in from among you. These tares will grow with the wheat until the harvest. Then they will be separated and cast into the fire.
There's another parable that compares the scattering and gathering of Israel to an Olive Vineyard. After seeing all the fruit of the vineyard had become corrupt, the Lord of the vineyard again asked what more could I have done? Have I slackened my hand that I did not nourish it? Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?
The servant of the Lord said is it not the loftiness of the vineyard? Have not the branches overcome the roots which are good? The Lord of the vineyard said let's tear it down and cast it into the fire but the servant said, spare it a little longer. Give it one more chance.
We see a similar situation in Israel today. The fruit of the vineyard has become corrupt. In this case both causes are true. An enemy hath done this, an enemy from within. That enemy had power to corrupt the fruit of the vineyard because of their suborn pride and arrogance.
Isaiah once said "this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits."
People don't want to hear the truth. People want to hear lies. If a true prophet comes and declares the truth to them, they will cast him out and declare that he is a false prophet. Yet if a false prophet comes and lies to them, they will not only hail him to be a true prophet but they will pay him well. This is Israel's pride cycle and it applies to all of us today. Mind how ya go.













