Commentary - Isaiah 27:2-6

Bird's-eye view

This short passage in Isaiah is a glorious gospel song, a hymn of the redeemed. It stands in stark contrast to the surrounding context of judgment upon Leviathan and the desolate city. Here, the Spirit of God shifts the key from the minor chords of judgment to the major chords of grace, protection, and boundless fruitfulness. The central image is that of a vineyard, a common biblical metaphor for the people of God. But this is not the failed vineyard of Isaiah 5, which brought forth wild grapes and was trampled down. This is a new vineyard, a "vineyard of delight," personally and perpetually tended by Yahweh Himself. The song is a promise of divine keeping, a declaration of peace, and a prophecy of global gospel triumph. It is a picture of the New Covenant church, secure in God's care, cleansed of her enemies, and destined to fill the entire world with the fruit of salvation.

God declares Himself the keeper, the watchman, the vinedresser. His wrath, which is a holy and terrible reality for His enemies, is declared to be absent from His relationship with His people. He deals with the briars and thorns not by abandoning the vineyard, but by marching through them and burning them up. This is a picture of sanctification and purification. The passage culminates in an invitation and a promise: the only way to escape the consuming fire is to lay hold of God's strength and make peace with Him. And the result of this peace is not a meager existence, but a worldwide harvest. Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom, and the fruit will fill the face of the earth. This is a robustly postmillennial promise, a vision of the victory of the gospel in history.

Outline

Context In Isaiah

This passage is part of what is sometimes called Isaiah's "Little Apocalypse" (chapters 24-27). This section describes a worldwide judgment on the "city of chaos" (representing the rebellious world system) and the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom. Chapter 27 begins with the judgment of Leviathan, the crooked serpent, a symbol of God's cosmic enemies. Immediately following this picture of cosmic warfare and destruction, the tone shifts dramatically with our text. "In that day" points to the time of God's decisive action, the day of salvation. After the dragon is slain, the vineyard can flourish. This song, therefore, is the response of the redeemed to God's great acts of judgment and salvation. It is the positive counterpart to the destruction of the world's city; while that city is laid waste, God's own city, His people, is cultivated into a fruitful garden that will cover the globe.

Key Issues

The Tended Vineyard

The controlling metaphor here is the vineyard, which every Israelite would immediately recognize as a symbol for the nation of Israel. In Isaiah 5, the prophet sang a song of God's vineyard that He had planted on a fertile hill, clearing the stones and building a watchtower. But it yielded only wild, stinking grapes. The result was judgment: God removed its hedge, broke down its wall, and it was trampled and overgrown with briars and thorns. That was the story of Old Covenant Israel's failure.

But here in chapter 27, "in that day", the day of the Messiah, a new song is sung. This is not the same sad song. This is a song about a "vineyard of delight." The Hebrew can also be translated "a vineyard of wine." The problem is solved. Where there were once worthless grapes, there is now good wine. What made the difference? The difference is the Vinedresser. The focus here is entirely on Yahweh's gracious, constant, and effective work. This is a picture of the New Covenant, where God does not simply give His people a law and then stand back to see if they will keep it. He comes to personally tend the vineyard, to water it, to guard it, and to ensure its fruitfulness. This is the church of Jesus Christ, the true Israel, tended by the Father Himself.

Verse by Verse Commentary

2 In that day, “A vineyard of delight, sing of it!

The prophet is commanded to sing about this vineyard. This is a public proclamation, a joyful announcement. The subject of the song is not the vineyard's intrinsic qualities, but rather what God has made it. He calls it a "vineyard of delight," or a vineyard of good wine. It is a place that brings pleasure to its owner. This is a radical reversal from the "wild grapes" of Isaiah 5. This is a picture of the church after the cross, the redeemed people of God in whom He delights because they are in His beloved Son. We are to sing about this. Our worship ought to be characterized by this kind of joyful celebration of what God has done for us and made us in Christ.

3 I, Yahweh, am its keeper; I water it every moment. Lest anyone damage it, I keep it night and day.

Here God Himself speaks, taking up the song. He declares His own role with the emphatic "I, Yahweh." He is the keeper, the guardian, the watchman. The failure of the first vineyard was the failure of the vines, but God here takes full responsibility for the success of the new one. His care is meticulous and constant. He waters it "every moment." This is not a weekly chore; it is a perpetual outpouring of grace, the living water of the Holy Spirit. His protection is just as constant. He keeps it "night and day." The dangers are real; predators and pests are always a threat. But God's vigilance never wavers. He is the keeper of Israel who neither slumbers nor sleeps. The security of the church does not depend on our watchfulness, but on His.

4 I have no wrath. Who would ever give Me briars and thorns in the battle? I would step on them, I would burn them completely.

This is a stunning declaration. The God whose wrath burns against sin and rebellion says that in relation to His vineyard, "I have no wrath." This does not mean God has ceased to be holy. It means that for those within this vineyard, His wrath has been propitiated. It was satisfied in the death of His Son. Therefore, His posture toward His people is one of grace, not fury. But what about the sin that still remains? What about the briars and thorns that spring up even in this redeemed community? God's response is not to curse the whole vineyard as He did in Isaiah 5. Instead, He declares war on the weeds themselves. He asks a rhetorical question: who would dare bring briars and thorns to challenge me? He says He would march right through them and burn them up. This is a picture of God's purifying work, His fatherly discipline, and His sanctifying judgment within the church. He deals with sin not by destroying His people, but by destroying the sin among His people.

5 Or let him rely on My strong defense, Let him make peace with Me, Let him make peace with Me.”

This verse presents the alternative to being a briar destined for the fire. The pronoun "him" refers to the enemy, the one who would bring the briars and thorns. But by extension, it is a gospel invitation to any and all who stand outside, under the threat of judgment. There are two options: face God in battle as a worthless thorn, or take refuge in Him. The only way to be safe from God is to be safe in God. "Let him rely on My strong defense" is literally "let him take hold of my stronghold." The very fortress of God's power, which is a terror to His enemies, becomes a refuge for those who flee to it. And how does one do that? "Let him make peace with Me." The repetition is for emphasis and earnestness. God is pleading with sinners to be reconciled to Him. Peace is possible, not because God overlooks sin, but because He has provided the basis for peace through the sacrifice of His Son. This is the heart of the gospel call.

6 In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and bud, And they will fill the whole world with produce.

The song concludes with a glorious, globe-encompassing promise. The result of God's keeping and the sinner's peace is not mere survival, but explosive, worldwide growth. "Jacob," the supplanter, the earthly man, will finally "take root." The instability of the patriarch will be replaced by the deep-rooted stability of God's covenant people. "Israel," the one who strives with God and prevails, will "blossom and bud." The nation will burst forth in life and beauty. And the fruit of this is not for their own consumption. "They will fill the whole world with produce." This is the Great Commission in seed form. The vineyard of God, which is the Church of Jesus Christ, is destined to grow until its fruit fills the entire earth. This is not a picture of a tiny, huddled remnant at the end of history, but a triumphant, global kingdom, bringing the fruit of the gospel, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, to every nation.

Application

This passage is a powerful tonic for a discouraged church. We live in a time when the world looks like a wasteland, and the church often feels small and besieged. But this song reminds us where our security and our hope lie. Our security is not in our own strength or faithfulness, but in the fact that Yahweh Himself is our keeper. He waters us every moment. He guards us night and day. When we are faithless, He remains faithful.

We must also take to heart the declaration, "I have no wrath." For the believer in Jesus Christ, the wrath of God is a past-tense reality. It was exhausted at the cross. We should not live in cowering fear, but in the joyful confidence of adopted sons. This does not mean we treat sin lightly. God's posture toward the briars and thorns in our lives and in our churches is one of holy hostility. He is committed to burning them up. We should therefore join Him in this war, actively mortifying our sin and encouraging discipline and purity in the body. We should be eager for the refining fire.

Finally, we must lift our eyes and believe the promise. The destiny of the gospel is not retreat, but world conquest. Jacob will take root. Israel will blossom. The produce of the kingdom will fill the earth. This is not a pipe dream; it is the blood-bought promise of Almighty God. Therefore, we should labor, we should plant, we should water, and we should sing, knowing that our God is the keeper of the vineyard, and He will not fail to bring in His harvest.