Isaiah 5:1-3: I will sing to my love—
a song to my lover about his vineyard.
My love had a vineyard
on a fertile hill.
He built a hedge around it, removed its stones,
and planted a vine.
He built a tower in the middle of it
and constructed a winepress.
He waited for it to produce edible grapes,
but it produced sour ones instead.
So now, residents of Jerusalem,
people of Judah,
you decide between me and my vineyard!

So we see the effort that has gone into this, but the result was bad. The result was bad. It did not produce the right result. There is an issue here. Something is wrong. Something is not right.

He is talking about God’s project just not working out well. God is going to take some steps here.

What kind of fruit are we bearing in our lives? What direction are we going? What is this resulting in? Because all this effort—it is like running fast in the wrong direction. It is like Jesus Christ saying there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is destruction. It is like God saying, “I regret that I have made man” in the first instance.

Are we producing the right fruits?

There was no doubt in the mind of this vineyard owner about the result he wanted. All the energy was directed toward arriving at the right result. That can be you too. You could have been putting a lot of energy into something. The Bible says God regretted making man; God regretted putting Saul in the position of king because of what he did, and He pivoted.

So, in a way now, we are seeing a picture of God pivoting: from the old covenant to the new covenant, pivoting to focus on the Gentiles. Making that pivot. Being able to make that pivot, not just throwing up your hands in the air.

So, are you pivoting? And do not just say, “I have wasted my time. I have wasted my time.” You are not the only person who has wasted your time. God Himself said, in a sense, “I have wasted My time.” Look at this story in Isaiah 5. So do not feel that something spectacular and unique has happened to you. It happened “to God,” in this parable, in a form.

You cannot begin to act as if this is some amazing thing that has never happened before in the history of the world. Remember, it says: “A fertile hill; I built a hedge around it; I removed the stones; I planted a vine; I built a tower in the middle of it; and constructed a winepress.” He went all in.

So you might have gone all in on a relationship. This is God going all in, in this parable. He went all in. Why? Because of an expectation. And so, for you also, it is correct for you to have expectations. It is correct for you not to be happy when your expectations are not met—and then to pivot. That is what I am trying to say to you today.

“He built a tower in the middle of it.” There was a lot of investment, a lot of energy. Everybody knew this is what this person has been spending his time on, his energy on, his resources on, and everybody was waiting: “When are you going to give us the wine?” And no, there is none.

It would have been better, humanly speaking, for that effort not to have been made. See where it landed. “He waited for it.” That was wasted time, wasted energy, wasted resources.

I am trying to draw your attention to the fact that this may happen to you. That this has happened to you. And see it like this: it “happened” to God in this parable, so it is not the end of the world.

Just pivot, by God’s grace.

God bless you. See you later.