Journal Entry 10 I have learned so much this semester from studying my passage of scripture, Isaiah 5:1-7.

It is commonly referred to as a love song about a vineyard and how the caretaker did everything possible to bring forth the best produce, but rotten grapes were still reaped. The only explanation to this problem was that the vineyard was at fault so it was demolished and laid to waste. The reason Isaiah wrote this passage was to communicate to the people of Judah that they were the vineyard depicted in this parable. If they neglected to turn from their wicked ways of idolatry and worshiping foreign gods then the Lord God would inflict upon them the same punishment that was inflicted upon the vineyard in the passage. He would destroy them and allow them to be deteriorated just as the gates of the vineyard were torn down it was allowed to be consumed by weeds. This passage also held meaning to the people who collected these writings or else they would not have included it into the works of the Old Testament. They most likely included it as a reminder of Gods expectations of His people. He demands that we give Him only the very best of ourselves and He will be satisfied with that. The Lord God has been known to be a jealous God who wants only all of His people, not just bits and pieces. My best guess is that the people who compiled the Old Testament chose to include this passage so that the people of Judah of their Lords jealous nature and that they must give their all to Him. Although this passage was written many thousands of years ago, it still has practical applications in the twenty-first century. Many times, the modern day Church likes to belittle the power of God and make Him out to be merely an overseer of our lives and not directly involved. What these people forget to recognize is that He has the ultimate power over our lives. Isaiah 5:1-7 demonstrates this through the vine keepers destruction of his vineyard. Although God will

love His people no matter how many times they defy Him, He has no problem with putting us in our place when we make a mistake. We cannot let ourselves loose the fear of God that is meant to steer us through our decisions in life. If we keep Gods interests at the forefront of our minds then we will have nothing to worry about in life. This passage has come to hold a special place in my heart through studying it over this past semester. I have learned so much from the parable and from the process it took to gain a comprehensive knowledge of it. Some of the practical knowledge I have gained through studying this scripture passage I have already shared, but there is so much more that I was able to learn from it. One of my favorite parts of my analysis was learning about the connotations surrounding the very fertile ground. The vine keeper took so many things into consideration and sewed his fields with love and care. God pays this kind of special attention to His people because of His deep love for them. Although there is no way for us to fully repay for all the blessings we are given by God, we can still take every moment in our days to praise and thank Him for doing so. A Bible study that I was involved in this semester worked off a similar theme which was on worship. We looked at all of the many ways we can turn our hearts and minds to God in adoration. This Bible study, along with studying this passage, helped me to grow closer in my walk with Christ through showing me why we should worship. It isnt for show or to prove our spiritual walk to others that we turn our attention to God, but to glorify our maker who cares for us and is always looking out for our best interests.