"What More Can I Do?"-God

Isaiah 3-5; Psalm 53; Proverbs 23:1-3

 

Have you ever thought what it would look like for God to be frustrated? Isaiah gives us a taste.

 

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. – Isaiah 5:1-2

 

This is a picture of God getting frustrated. He does everything right:

• Owns a vineyard
• In a fertile location
• Digs up the dirt
• Clears the dirt of stones
• Plants the cleared, fertile dirt with the best grape vines
• Builds a watchtower from which to guard the vines
• Cuts out a winepress, preparing for the ripe grapes

 

And yet His vineyard yields “only bad fruit.” Is this God’s fault?

 

God asks His people to judge the case—to judge themselves:

 

Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? – Isaiah 5:3-4

 

God asks them, “What more do you want? What more can I do?” If they try to give Him an answer, they’re fools. Any answer besides, “You’re right! I want nothing more! You’ve given me everything I need!” would imply—no, declare!—that God’s work on behalf of His people was inadequate, insufficient, not enough.

 

God has done enough for His people. God has done enough for everyone on earth—including Richard Dawkins—that He is justified to expect some thanks and appreciation, and perhaps a little bit of obedience, too. God has done enough to expect good fruit.

 

Father, may we Your people not be so foolish as to blame our shortcomings and sins on You. Your work is good, and You have done enough good work for us. You created us. You sustained us, though we sinned against You. You sent Your only begotten Son to live a righteous life, to suffer, to die, to rise again. There is no more fertile ground than Jesus Christ from which to expect good fruit. Forgive us! Do not destroy us! You are good. You are right. You have done everything we could reasonably expect. Redeem us and restore us—make us bear good fruit!