Parable of the vineyard: It's Theology analyzed (intermediate level)

by koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungbook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

3 January 2010

The first question we need to ask ourselves, is whether there is any grounds for looking at the theology in the parable of the vineyard? The ancient rabbis in the post-Christian era focussed very strongly on the theology of the poem, as one can see in the Targum. They talk about the Shekinah glory of God that was abiding in the temple or sanctuary in Israel. The theological analysis was also considered by Ellen White in her book Patriarch and Prophets (page 18) in the Victorian Age when she also suggested that the image is that of the temple in Israel.

We are reminded by the words of R. de Vaux:

"It is possible to study the Old Testament with all the attitudes and techniques of the modern historian. This is quite legitimate, but no one would pretend for a moment that it is theology.... Theology, however, is the science of faith....As a Christian theologian I accept the OT as the Word of God, the Word of my God, addressed to his chosen people, but destined also for me as their spiritual descendant. The OT contains the revelation of my God....The object of a theology of the OT cannot be restricted...to the definition of the ways in which Israel conceived of its relationship with God and the awareness of Israel that God intervened in history. The theologian, accepting the OT as the Word of God, searches for what God Himself wished to teach, by means of history, to Israel and to ourselves....It is part of the faith of a Christian that this Sacred History does not come to an end in the OT; on the contrary, it only begins there.(1)

Content lends itself to a theological consideration

The singer's part in this parable forms an envelope form(2) around the parable itself.

The singer's prologue in verse 1a is ended by the singer's epilogue in verse 7a-7e. He refers to His beloved in both these verses in the 3rd person singular. Yet, from verses 3a-6e the 1st person is used. The Beloved Himself is speaking. Before something can be said about the theology, an overview of the content is necessary:

v. 1a            Prologue of the singer

v. 1b            I Gardener - His work

v. 2a-e                      - their response

                II Judge

                       Court Proceedings A

v. 2f-d                Investigative Judgement (lamenter)

v. 4a-d

                       Court Proceeding B

v. 5a-d                Executive Judgement (vengeance)

v. 6a-e

v. 7a-e          Epilogue

After the Gardener did His work and their response was negative, He became a Judge that opened a court proceeding A to investigate their behavior [the fruit of their believing relationship to the Gardener] see verse 2f. He became a lamenter since the findings were disturbing (verses 3a-4d). Although B. Duhm, Das Buch Jesaja (Gottingen: Vandenhoed& Ruprecht, 1914), page 33 wants to see the Judge only in verse 5a-d, it is clear that when the investigation started of their behavior, in verses 2f-4d, the Gardener was already Judge. In verse 2f He already looked at their situation.

Contrary to Duhm (1914) we can see the Judge already speaking in the 1st person singular in verse 2f and that is carried on until verse 6e.

The migdal or tower was placed in the Garden by the Divine Gardener in verse 2c. Ellen White and the ancient Rabbis of the Targum saw in this tower a theology of the sanctuary or the temple of God's Shekinah glory. As the poem unfolds, and the imagery changed, one can agree with her and the rabbis here.

1. The Creator Motif in the prologue 1a-2e.

In the section of verses 1b-2e we have the 3rd person singular of the verbal forms in narrative style. Many activities took place on behalf of the trees that were to be planted. The land was not perfect or in a perfect state. Rocks and stones had to be removed. The setting is not the Garden of Eden before Adam was created. The eagerness of God is to communicate with His creatures and thus the preparation of the Garden bears resemblance to the setting up of his Tabernacle service of Atonement in a covenant relationship with Him in the past.

2. There is an Investigative Judgement before the Executive Judgement

After all was set in place and time was provided for it to produce its fruits the Judge came to investigate the harvest. The harvest motif is an eschatological reality in the teachings of Jesus as well. Jesus had Isaiah 5:1-7 in mind in His teachings on the investigative and executive phases of His judgement.

In 3a He calls upon the people of Judea to judge between Him and His vineyard.(4)

This section is in the 1st person singular form of the measures. It is purely observatory, taking notice of anything and evaluating against the common, regular norms provided by the Torah revelation of God through Moses. Their eyes should serve as the jury. The decision making is not placed with the jury, in this case. The decision making is with God and He observes correctly, and what they are seeing is what God already correctly analyzed as such. Their observation will not differ from His. Investigative Judgement in biblical terms, understanding Daniel 8:14 with the 2300 days prophecy correctly using the year-day principle and starting it with the decree in the days of Artaxerxes in 457 BCE, will terminate in 1844 as the year for the heavenly Investigative phase of Christ's Atonement work to start. This is not in Isaiah 5:1-17 explicitly brought out this way, but that there is an investigative judgement preceding the executive judgement is definitely brought out in this text in front of us. We connect it to the theology of Daniel and elsewhere because the Bible is a theological book, meaning that it is God presenting Himself to us in this book. Therefore, we have a right to attach or bring together different books with similar ideas in order to get a better understanding. Modern historical criticism wants to keep all writers of the Bible apart so that the construction of a theology is not possible, only because they are scared of the consequences of such a construction.

3. There is an Executive Judgement after the Investigative Judgement

In verses 5a-6e the Judge enters His second phase of the Court Proceedings. It is the punitive aspect of the court. The investigative aspects of the Court Proceedings are over. The verdict was established and recognized by those jury members called upon to see it, and now the next phase was about to begin. This second phase meant that the Judge had to indicate what He is about to do about this rejection of His revelation, rejection of His Atonement to save humanity and their careless actions that did not bear the fruits that fits conversion and a life of faith.

It is clear that the implications of verse 4a-d are that nothing more could have been done, than what He already did. It is in the 1st person singular form of the verbs.

Now the Creator of the Garden wants to Terminate it. Creator becomes Terminator. The nature of the destruction is so ultimate, that all the genre suggestions that commentators on this poem has suggested in the past, is not relevant. The destruction is so ultimate, final, enhanced that it almost share the common field of God's Vengeance.

As Leupold says:

"The description of the destruction that will be resorted to is carried several steps further, making the reader feel that there were certain very important issues at stake that called for the ultimate of abandonment and destruction".(4)

Some commentaries try to see it simply as a disillusioned farmer speaking here but the old German Commentator B. Duhm reminded us:

"It is no human, that is speaking, it is Yahweh".

4. The Interpreter in the Epilogue of verse 7a-e reveals that God still have a remnant

This is the remarkable good news amid the bad. That God has a remnant in every generation. It reads "For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel" ki krm yhwh sb'wt byt ysr'l.

Despite what ethnic Israel tried to say of their covenant relationship based on blood connection to the Jewish nation, the Biblical picture is different: it is based upon a covenant relationship with the Almighty, respecting His laws, respecting His Word, believing in Him totally and living for Him totally, regardless of which nations, tongues, countries or blood they are. See for example the book of Ruth. There are many examples to be listed.

William Shea did an excellent study on the Investigative Judgement Motif in the Old Testament and Daniel published in 1982. I have his personal endorsed copy dated 13th of November 1984 at Helderberg College (see W. H. Shea, Selected Studies on Prophetic Interpretation Vol. I in DARCOM [Washingtom DC: Review and Herald, 1982]). In this research he looked at the heavenly and earthly processes of Investigative Judgements in the books of Numbers and also in the book of Daniel (heavenly).

Our example here, may serve as a template of the Investigative Judgement that was to start in 1844 given to Israel in the time of Isaiah as a kind of overview outlining the results that will happen in eschatology and in the apocalyptic period as a results of the fruits of their behavior in this believing relationship with the Covenant God and Gardener.

Endnotes:

1. R. de Vaux, "Reflections on Pentateuchal Criticism" in Bible and the Ancient Near East (1972): 56, 57, 59 and 60.

2. D. N. Freedman and C. E. Hyland, "Psalm 29: A Structural Analysis," Harvard Theological Review 66, pages 237-256 at footnote 242.

3. B. Duhm, Das Buch Jesaja (Gottingen: Vandenhoed& Ruprecht, 1914), page 33 where he says "jetzt nicht mehr Kläger[Klager], sondern Richter".

4. H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Isaiah Vol. I chapter 1-39 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1972), 110 where he states: ". . . are asked. . . to pass Judgement on the merits of the case".

5. Ibid., page 111.

6. Duhm op. cit. page 33 "Diese letzen Satz . . . kommen mit der zweite hälfte von 6a die schweren Rhytmen donnernder prophetische Rede . . . es ist kein Mensch, der das spricht, es ist Jahwe!"  

Singer

Prologue                1a I will alas sing for My beloved

                            1b a song of My beloved to His vineyard:

Gardener

Narrative                1c A vineyard was there to My beloved

                           1d on a hill among fertility.

                            2a And He dug it up and cleared it of stones

                            2b and planted it with the choicest vines.

                            2c and He built a tower in its center

                            2d and also cut out a winepress in it.

                            2e And He expected it to make good grapes,

Judge         Court Proceedings A: Investigative Judgement

                            2f but it produced only bad fruit.

                            3a And now dwellers in Jerusalem

                            3b and men of Judah,

                            3c judge alas between Me

                            3d and between My vineyard.

                            4a What could be done more to My vineyard

                            4b and not have I done in it?

                            4c Why when I expected it to make good grapes

                            4d and it made bad ones?

Judge         Court Proceedings B: Executive Judgement

                            5a And now I will tell you, alas,

                            5b what I will do to My vineyard:

                            5c I will take away its hedge, and it will be to destruction;

                                                                         [it will be destined to destruction]

                            5d break down its wall, and it will be unto trampling.

                            6a I will make it a wasteland,

                            6b not shall it be pruned

                            6c and not shall it be cultivated,

                            6d and not shall come up briers and thorns.

                            6e and upon the clouds I will command from making rain to rain over it

Epilogue 

7a For the vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel,

7b and the men of Judah are the garden of His delight.

7c And He waited to judgement

7d and look, bloodshed

7e [and He waited] to righteousness

7f and look, distress.