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Glorious Destiny Israel Might Have Had
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Their behavior gave opportunity to misinterpret the character of God
and the laws of His kingdom.
With a father’s heart, God patiently set their sins before His
people and waited for them to acknowledge their wrongs. He sent
prophets and messengers to urge His claim, but instead of welcoming
them, the people treated these men of wisdom and spiritual power
as enemies. God sent still other messengers, but they too were hated
and persecuted.
The withdrawal of God’s favor during the Exile led many to
repent, yet after they returned to the Land of Promise the Jewish
people repeated the mistakes of former generations and brought
themselves into political conflict with surrounding nations. The
prophets whom God sent to correct their evils, they received with
suspicion and scorn. So from century to century, the keepers of the
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vineyard added to their guilt.
Israel despised the choice vine that the divine Gardener planted
on the hills of Palestine, and they finally threw it over the vineyard
wall. The Gardener removed it and planted it again, but on the other
side of the wall and in such a manner that the stock was no longer
visible. The branches hung over the wall, and grafts might be joined
to it, but God placed the stem itself where human power could not
harm it.
Of special value to God’s church today—the keepers of His
vineyard—are the messages given through the prophets. They clearly
reveal His love for the lost race and His plan for their salvation. The
story of Israel’s call, their successes and failures, their restoration
to God’s favor, their rejection of the Master of the vineyard, and
a remnant’s carrying out of His plan—this has been the theme of
God’s messengers to His church throughout the centuries that have
passed.
The Master of the vineyard is now gathering from among all
nations and peoples the precious fruits for which He has been waiting
so long. Soon He will come for them, and in that glad day His eternal
purpose will finally be fulfilled. “Israel shall blossom and bud, and
fill the face of the world with fruit.”
Isaiah 27:6
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