Skip to main content

"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.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Alive in Christ," 2 Nephi 25:21-30

2 Nephi 25:21-31 The premise for these final verses of chapter 25 is found in the end of verse 20 : ...yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved.  Then in verse 21 , Nephi explains that this is the reason that the Lord had promised him that the things which he should write would be preserved and made available to future generations. These verse that follow talk about Nephi's efforts to persuade his children to believe in Christ. He said that he "labored diligently to write, to persuade [his] children, and also [his] brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God;"(See verse 23 ). This same verse then concludes with this defining, doctrinal statement: "For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." Nephi goes on to make a very interesting set of observations, ...

"A Space Between Death and the Resurrection," Alma 40:15-21

Alma 40:15-21 https://www.lds.org/scriptures/tg/resurrection?lang=eng The New Testament, after the Resurrection of Christ, is replete with testimony by the apostles of the reality of that very thing. I took a pause from this study to reflect over in John 6 . At least twice within that passage, the phrase "the resurrection of the just" had been added back into the passage in the Joseph Smith Translation. No man can come unto me, except he doeth the will of my Father who hath sent me. And this is the will of him who hath sent me, that ye receive the Son; for the Father beareth record of him; and he who receiveth the testimony, and doeth the will of him who sent me, I will raise up in the resurrection of the just. ( JST - John 6:44 ) Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up in the resurrection of the just at the last day. ( John 6:54 ) Why, among other doctrines, does the adversary or the world want to suppress...