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"Judge... Betwixt Me and My Vineyard," 2 Nephi 15:1-7

2 Nephi 15:1-7

Vs 1 - A parable about "God's mercy and Israel's unresponsiveness,"(see the chapter heading). Israel is described in this verse as being located on a "very fruitful hill."

Vs 2 - God prepares a choice vineyard, attending to every needful element in its preparations to bring forth good grapes. So diligent were His preparations, that He looked expecting grapes, but instead He found wild grapes. Herein is the premise for the remainder of the chapter.

Vs 3 - Jerusalem and the men of Judah are asked to think about this thing and determine if there was anything more that God could have done, in all reality, for his people, that he didn't do, so that they might have brought forth good fruit.

Vs 4 - This verse reinforces verse two where it says the Lord expected to find grapes, good fruit, as a result of His labors. He drives home the point with a question: "What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it?" (See also Jacob 5:49)

Vs. 5 - Here God explains what he will do with his vineyard gone wild: He will remove all protection from it, so that wild beasts can enter in and the walls that were a as defense, will now be made easily passable by the enemy.

Vs. 6 - He continues to explain what he will not do: no digging, no pruning, no weeding, no rain. This last point is a sobering reminder that this is God, who is all-powerful, "I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it."

Vs. 7 - The significance of the parable is revealed in these verse plainly, "For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel, the men of Judah his pleasant plants..." Comparing grapes to wild grapes, Isaiah goes on to explain, "he looked for judgment, and behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry."

These verses are very illustrative of the spiritual causes for apostasy among the house of Israel from long ago. I am impressed at how applicable these verses are to me with a reminder of all that God has done to prepare the way for us to bring forth fruit.

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