Today let’s look at Isaiah chapter 27. From chapter 24 on Isaiah is talking about what will happen at the end of the world on a worldly level. In chapter 25 and 26 he talked about the song of the remnant. Today’s passage, chapter 26, is a continuation. Recorded here is not a song of the remnant, but rather a song that God sings for Israel. This is the song of “A Fruitful Vineyard” (2) Today I would like to talk about three things concerning the recovery of the “Fruitful Vineyard”, (2) Israel.

I. “A Fruitful Vineyard” (Vs. 1-6)
First let’s look at verses 1 to 6. Verse 1 says, “In that day,
the LORD will punish with his sword-
his fierce, great and powerful sword-
Leviathan the gliding serpent,
Leviathan the coiling serpent;
He will slay the monster of the sea.
This content fits with the content of chapter 26 verses 20 and 21. In 26:20 it is talking about God’s people, Israel. To the remnant it is said, ”hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.” (26:20) God’s judgment of wrath is coming. Christ when he came 2.000 years ago came as the Savior. When he comes again at the end of the world he will come as judge. He will judge all those people that don’t believe in the Lord’s salvation. No longer will sin be covered up. Such a time will come. However, God’s people, Christians won’t be like that. Even in the midst of such a terrible judgment of God, God’s salvation and care is there. These words were spoken as a continuation of 26:20 and 21.
“The monster of the sea” (1) is “tan” in Hebrew. In the Old Testament it is translated into many different words. The first time the world appears is in Genesis 1:21. There it is translated as “the great creatures of the world”. Therefore, “tan” are large creatures, monsters. “Leviathan” (1) is one kind of “the great creatures of the world” (Genesis 1:21) In Psalms 74:13 and 14 “the monster in the waters” (Psalms74:13) and “Leviathan” (Psalms 74:13) both appear written as proper nouns. Also in Job 41 it explains what Leviathan is like. In other words, you can’t pull in Leviathan with a fishhook nor put string him with cord. “The mere sight of it is overpowering.” (Job 41:9)
Of course here it is used symbolically. It is symbolical of evil, autocratic powers that oppose God. In the background of the age of Isaiah that was Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt. In other words it was the powers that threatened the people of God, Israel. In the prophecies of the future, the end of the world, it is Satan, the anti-Christ. Behind earth’s tyrants is Satan. Please open your Bibles to Rev. 12:9.
Rev. 12:9
“The great dragon” was “called the devil or Satan” and was also called the “ancient serpent”. (Rev. 12:9) Rev. 13:1 says, “And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.” This is the anti-Christ. Just as the anti-Christ is said to be a beast, he is beastlike. He will say profaning things to God and for 3 and half years will do terrible things. A symbolic number is stamped on his head. That is 666. This is the number of Satan, the number of the anti-Christ. Here it says, “a beast coming out of the sea.” (Rev. 13:1) Many scholars think that he will come from Europe because they think the sea is the Mediterranean Sea, but I think it is dangerous to draw such a conclusion only by this. However, it is certain that this “beast” (Rev. 13:1) is the anti-Christ. In the course of time at the end of the world the devil, Satan, the anti-Christ and such powers that oppose God will run riot. However, the Lord will slay him with “his fierce, great and powerful sword”. (1)
Next, please look at verses 2 to 6. Here is a prophecy written about how Israel will be recovered at the end of the world.
The “fruitful vineyard” of verse 2 is Israel. Before too there was an account of Israel being called a vineyard. That was in chapter 5. Even though God planted good grape shoots in the vineyard their fruit was sour. They weren’t sweet grapes. They were sour. They were poisonous grapes that had spoiled and couldn’t be eaten. They became such grapes. Then God said, “I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed. I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there.” (5:5, 6) He said he would leave it in its ruined state.
However, here is different. Here Israel is “a fruitful vineyard”. (2) The Israelites produce good fruit and God is pleased. Verse 3 and 4 say, “I, the LORD, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it. I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire.” Now there is no judgment. If there is someone who opposes Israel, God will watch over them. “Briers and thorns” (4) are symbolic of judgment. If such things come God will “march against them in battle;” (4) and will “set them all on fire.” (4) Jesus on the cross took upon himself the wrath of God so we are saved. We are no longer the object of God’s wrath. We will never be judged. We no longer need to fear the wrath of God. God perfectly watches over us.
Therefore, what is important is like verse five being reconciled to God. Here it says, “Or else let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me.” Up until then they took care of themselves by making peace

treaties with other countries, and by paying tribute. Man’s effort didn’t bring any solution at all. Such humanistic things were of no use at all. The real solution is only Jesus Christ. It is only by Jesus Christ that we can be reconciled with God and can have peace with God.
Acts 4:12
John 14:6
Only Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life”. (John 14:6) It is only through him that we can go before The Father. It is only through Jesus Christ that forgiveness of sin is given and that we can have peace with God. If we don’t have peace with God, then we have uncertainties. We suffer greatly with feelings of guilt and become insecure or restless. We worry that when we die we won’t be able to go to heaven and are fearful of going to hell. If you don’t know that you can go to heaven then dying is very fearful. However, a person that has believed in Jesus Christ and has been reconciled to Him has all of his sin forgiven. There is no need to worry about your sins anymore. Jesus took upon himself on the cross all our sins so by this Jesus we can go with confidence before God. We are no longer the object of God’s wrath. We have become the object of God’s love. We can jump into God’s hands saying, “Abba, Father,” ”Dad”. It is not necessary to be afraid of anything. That is because no one can oppose us. This is the Good news. Therefore, God says, “make peace with me.” (5) What or who are you making peace with? By what or who are you taking care of yourself? The real solution is God. Be reconciled to God. By being reconciled to God, God will keep His eyes on you so that no one can harm you. .
That’s not all. If you look at verse 6, you will see that God blesses such a person. Here it says, “In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit.” “In the days to come” (6) you will bear fruit. To do that you must “take root”. (6) You must “take root” (6) deep in the earth. If so, you “will bud and blossom,” (6) and bear fruit. Not only will you bear fruit, but you will “fill all the world with fruit.” (6) The entire world will be filled with fruit.
Israel was just like this. Until 1948 when the Republic of Israel was established, the area was completely wasteland. It was an empty desert. However, from the early 1900s the Jews who were scattered throughout the world, began to return to the land of their fathers. They budded and blossomed and filled “all the world with fruit.” (6) Today Israel is the most advanced country in agriculture. There high technological farming is done, and they developed the technology to effectively give nourishment and obtain good crops with only a little water. The self-sufficiency ratio for crops is 93%! That is 50 times Japan’s producing power. They have come to the point of exporting lots of produce around the world. The entire world was surprised that since the country was established in 1948 in scarcely 20 years they developed to the point of exporting. Here it says “blossom” (6) and “fruit”. (6) In this case it is just as it says, actual blossoms and “fruit”. (6) Israel ranks fourth in the world for the amount of flower exportation. It ranks third in the world for the amount of fruit exportation. Mainly seedless persimmons called sweetie and Sharon fruits are exported to mainly Europe and around the world. That is how much they are blessed. God always takes care of them. At the end of the world that will be more outstanding. That is because they will make peace with God.
However what we must notice is that patience is necessary. Here it says, “in days to come”. (6) Time is needed to bear fruit. It isn’t immediate. You have to keep waiting. James 5:7 and 8 say, “Be patient, then brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” You have to wait. Farmers know this well. I don’t have that experience so I make mistakes. I can’t wait. I’m not good at waiting. Waiting 3 minutes for a cup of ramen seems long. I want to eat right away. If you pick off the fruit before it blooms, you will make a mistake. Crops take time. You plant the seeds, it buds, blooms, and then you have to wait for good fruit.
Phil. 1:6
When we look at ourselves, we think that even though we believe in Jesus, nothing has changed at all and wonder why we have to live the same life forever. However, “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil 1:6) First the seed is planted and then it takes root. Let’s root strongly. If so, we will bud, and then bloom and then there is fruit. Under the ground let’s take root and above the ground bear fruit. There is an order to things. It takes time. However, when the time comes you will certainly bear fruit. Let’s remember that and have patience and continue to plant seeds. Then they will certainly bear fruit.

II. God disciplines (Vs. 7-11)
That’s not all. If you look at verses 7 to 11 you will see that God punishes. Please look at verse 7. Here it says, “Has the LORD struck her as he struck down those who struck her? Has she been killed as those were killed who killed her?”
This is stating the difference between God’s judgment on the Gentile nation and when God judges Israel as punishment. Assyria and Babylon struck Israel, but when God struck Assyria and Babylon the reason was different. Assyria and Babylon were sentenced to complete destruction. However, Israel was different. Israel was never completely destroyed. A remnant was left. Through these people in the course of time they can recover, and God’s salvation and mercy is poured out. Israel will eternally never be ruined. That is because they are the people of God. Of course the results of sin have to be pruned. However, the purpose of the judgment is not to destruct them, but so that they will be saved. God wants them to repent and be saved so he punishes them.

God said to the church in Laodicea, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.” (Rev. 3:19) The Lord rebukes and disciplines those whom he loves. According to Hebrews if we are not scolded and disciplined then we “are illegitimate children and not true sons.” (Hebrews 12:8) “The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” (Hebrews 12:6)
The author, Kenzaboro Oe is famous for writing novels of great insight. It is said that he was able to write such novels because of his son’s cerebral paralysis. People refer to the child who can’t do anything by himself and say he is the father’s lifetime luggage. However, Oe says that if he hadn’t had a child that he had to take care of he wouldn’t have been able to become such a writer. While taking care of the child, he is able to understand and see what the deep hurts of man’s heart are. His son caused his heart to ache which was a blessing because it deepened his insight. The Lord rebukes and disciplines those whom he loves. Don’t simply say that this is a curse or a blessing. If you look from God’s eyes, from the eyes of faith, you will see value in things that you couldn’t see before.
How Israel was punished is specified in verse 8. It says, “By warfare and exile you contend with her-with his fierce blast he drives her out, as on a day the east wind blows.” “The east wind” (8) refers to Assyria and Babylon. Israel was attacked by Assyria and exiled by Babylon. Also it refers to Israel being scattered throughout the entire world by Rome. They sought idols rather that the real God so God drove them out of the Promised Land. That was for them an experience of hard suffering. However it wasn’t a judgment of completely wiping them out, but rather of punishment to lead them to properly repent of their sin and return to the Lord. It was so that they would obtain the Lord’s salvation and the Lord’s atonement.
The result is in verse 9. “By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones to be like limestone crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing.” (9) “He makes all the altar stones to be like limestone crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing” (9) means to repent from the bottom of their hearts. Up until now because of the idols they lived a completely unproductive life. They had no fruit at all. God will remove the sin of those who repent from the bottom of their heart, and from the bottom of their heart start over again. Such people’s sin will be forgiven and they can begin a completely new life.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (II Cor. 5:17)
We can begin a new life in Christ. People who have been controlled by idols can start over again too. Just like Israel by the mercy of God was forgiven of her sin, God will do the same thing for your life. You can become Israel. The name Israel means

a person controlled by God. If you repent and believe in Jesus Christ you can become Israel. A heart that is degenerated by sin, is filled with the Holy Spirit by God’s Spirit. For that purpose God uses punishment.
Verses 10 and 11 describe what Israel was like when she was devastated by Assyria and Babylon. “The fortified city” (10) will stand “desolate, an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the desert; there the calves graze, there they lie down; they stip its branches bare. When its twigs are dry, they are broken off and women come and make fires with them. For this is a people without understanding; so their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.”

III. God will restore Israel (Vs. 12,13)
However, it must be remembered that this is just to punish Israel. When they return to God as a result of the punishment God will restore them. This is written in verses 12 and 13. “In that day the LORD will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered up one by one. And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.”
“From the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt” (12) refers to the area from Assyria to Egypt. This was the territory of David when he ruled Judah. This expression refers to the ideal boundaries. Before God promised Abraham , “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.” (Genesis 15:18) God will restore the territory, and all of the Israelites will be gathered. Not one person will be overlooked. Just like when the left over grain is gathered, God will gather his people one by one who are scattered among the nations and bring them to Jerusalem.
That’s not all. “In that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.” (13) This refers to the Jews who are scattered in this area. At the same time it refers to those who are perishing in Assyria and Egypt. In other words, not only Israel, but among such Gentile people there will be people who will turn to the Lord and will praise the Lord with Israel. Please look at 19:24 and 25. There is says, “In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.’” This Word of God is being fulfilled. “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.” (19:25) Such people too will make peace with Israel and will receive God’s blessing. How great a scale will be God’s blessing!

This hope of recovery is also promised to us. Now in the midst of reality we can’t see even an ounce of hope, and frequently groan, and at times suffer. However, in the course of time to God’s people, Christians this kind of recovery and blessings will come. For us our life in this world is important, but the eternal things on ahead are more important. We need to make the kingdom of God as our ultimate hope. By having that hope, now we can live strongly. We need to believe the promise that when the time comes we will bear fruit and let’s strongly “take root”. (6) In the course of time we “will bud and blossom.” (6) Therefore, let’s “take root” (6) under the ground and above the ground bear fruit. That is our faith.