Title: Judgment and Mercy / Isaiah 27:1-6
“In that day the Lord will punish Leviathan the sharp serpent, Leviathan the serpent, with his strong, great and mighty sword, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. I will water it from time to time, and watch it day and night, so that no one harms its teeth. I have no wrath against the vineyard. When briers and thorns fight against me, I will tread on them and gather them and set them on fire. and make peace with me. In the latter days Jacob will be rooted, and Israel will sprout and blossom, and they will fill the earth with their fruit.”
God will always judge those who oppose His people. The prophet Isaiah described the persecuted Church of God as a lovely vineyard. The text shows that the Day of Judgment is coming, when all enemies who harm God's people will be judged.
1. The day will come when the enemies of the church will be judged.
God will kill Satan, but he will defeat it with the sword of the Lord. It is a sturdy, large and strong sword. This shows the omnipotence of God.
Leviathan, the swift snake, Leviathan the serpent, and the dragon in the sea are simply the devil Satan.
Leviathan, the swift serpent, refers to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria in the fast-flowing Tigris River, Leviathan, the serpent, refers to Babylon in the valley of the Euphrates River with many bends, and the dragon in the sea refers to Egypt. Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt were people who were enemies of Israel, and God said that He would kill them with a very strong, large and strong sword. The nations that have resisted God's people from ancient times cannot survive and have no strength to survive.
Leviathan means “wrapped up” and refers to large monsters such as dragons, crocodiles, and whales (Job 26:13). Winding Leviathan means hiding in the woods and then curling up into a winding shape when hiding to attack an enemy. The sea dragon refers to Satan (Psalm 9113, Isaiah 51:9, Revelation 12:7, 9). God's enemies are such atrocious things.
Fleet means aggressiveness, and squiggly means cunning with a lot of scheming lurking on its face. And the dragon of the sea means something that hides deep and is hard to find, that is, disguised as a lion of light. Therefore, it is safe for believers to hide behind the Captain Jesus.
According to Revelation 12:3, the red dragon is about to devour the church. But even these forces will, in due time, appear and destroy God's 'flashing sword' (Deut. 32:41). Because the penalty for sin is death, God will kill Satan who has sinned. On the day Satan is completely conquered, God's people will find peace and be saved.
2. Sing of God's mercy for the church
The vine is precious because it produces grapes. If the vine does not bear fruit, it is a lowly tree that cannot even be used as firewood.
The grape fruit is what pleases God and man (Judges 9:13). Therefore, as grapes, what we must do is to please God and man. Therefore, believers should not be any burden other than the burden of love.
The vineyard needs monitoring and protection, as there are many thieves around the vineyard and animals break the fence. But God is said to be the keeper of the vineyard (John 15:1). God Himself protects and nurtures us and wants us to bear fruit.
Inside and outside the church, there are Satans who undermine the power of the church (Song 2:15). But God is said to be the keeper of the vineyard and protect the church, that is, God's people. It is possible to build a tower to guard the vineyard, but God Himself is the keeper of the vineyard because there are days when the watchman sleeps.
God said that he sometimes waters the vineyard. It means that God will give us life. Because God is our master, he sometimes gives water for the church and watches over it day and night. God protects the church in the night of tribulation and persecution, and in the day of peace and prosperity. The keeper of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.
3. God wants peace with the church
Even if the vineyard displeases the owner, God, the vineyard keeper, does not get angry or destroy it. If you find an enemy brier and thorn in the vineyard, and if it opposes its owner, you can tread on it and burn it. But rather than fighting, God wants the enemies to turn to Him and repent and escape destruction. God longs to make peace with us.
Man is a servant of God. Peace comes when you do the will of your master. It is futile to contend with God. The essence of sin is pride and disobedience.
God sent Jesus Christ into the world to make peace with mankind. Therefore, we must try to forsake our sins and repent of them. Not only do we have to get rid of our self-confidence, but we also need to hold on to God with a thirsty spirit and be totally devoted to Him.
Let me conclude.
For the descendants of the people who depend on God, plants will sprout and flowers will bloom. They are blessed with prosperity such as 'rooting', 'budding', 'flowering', 'fruitfulness', and 'filling the ground'. God will give this blessing to His beloved children. In the name of the Lord, I earnestly pray that you will become a child of God who can bring such blessings to future generations.