Post by Nephi –
Isaiah again repeats his pattern of prophecy, that of apostasy, judgment, and restoration. This time he uses a powerful metaphor of Jehovah as a nurturing husbandman, caring for his crop, Israel.
Jehovah is referred to as “My Well Beloved” and Isaiah illustrates His efforts to raise a covenant people and the way those people have responded and will respond to His care.
Isaiah’s metaphor details how the Well-Beloved invested all the care requisite for an abundant harvest from this vineyard, yet instead of bringing forth sweet grapes, it produced worthless, wild grapes. In frustration the husbandman determined to lay waste to the vineyard by ceasing to take care of it and withdrawing His protection from it.
Consequently the vines would be trampled and ravaged and eventually they would be displaced from their choice location by noxious vegetation even briers and thorns. Isaiah’s lesson is a powerful warning to ancient Israel.
In our words, we see Isaiah saying that if the children of Israel would not respond to the nurturing direction and loving kindness of Jehovah, He would abandon them. allow them to be destroyed, and permit another people to possess their choice land.
Isaiah then chronicles the “wild grapes” and talks about their woe, desolation, captivity and judgment that will be the consequence of their rebellion. Here are a few of the warnings he included in his writings. “Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Wo unto the wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight!” I witnessed this very thing with those with whom I associated in the land of Jerusalem, not to mention my own brothers.
Again, Isaiah includes the prophecy of their destruction. And depending on which time you are referring to (we know Isaiah’s prophecies span many dispensations), this prophecy has been fulfilled a few times already. The Assyrians conquered and deported ten of our twelve tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel 150 or so years ago and they destroyed many of their cities several years later. We know that the Babylonians conquered the southern kingdom of Judah and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple shortly after our family left the land of Jerusalem. I am sure this prophecy will be fulfilled several more times.
These writings of Isaiah are powerful to me. Possibly because I have personally seen them fulfilled and they bear such strong testimony of the power of the prophecies we find in the scriptures.
(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 15:1 – 30)
