A Song About Wild Grapes
Scripture: Isaiah 5:1–4 (NKJV)
“My Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill... He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.”
When What Looks Right Isn’t Right
If you’ve ever been to a church potluck, you know the drill. The tables are full of mystery casseroles and crockpots wrapped in foil. You don’t start at the beginning—you do a recon mission first. You find out who made what. If Sister Martha made it, you’re safe. But every once in a while, someone brings something that looks amazing... until you taste it.
It looks right, but it doesn’t taste right.
That’s what Isaiah 5 is about—a vineyard that looked right but had gone sour. A people who looked blessed but had lost the sweetness of righteousness.
God Invested with Intention
Isaiah says God dug, cleared, planted, built, and watched over His vineyard. He did everything right. He prepared the soil, removed the stones, and planted the best vines. Then He built a tower and a winepress as signs of protection and purpose.
God didn’t plant you by accident. Every blessing, every moment of pruning, every bit of pressure…it all has purpose. He’s not a distant ruler shouting instructions from heaven. He’s a hands-on Gardener, shaping your life with care.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” — Psalm 103:2
When He allows pressure, it’s not punishment. It’s preparation. The press reveals what’s been growing in you.
God Expected a Return
After all that work, God expected fruit. Not because He’s demanding, but because He’s purposeful. Everything He pours into you, His Spirit, His Word, His presence, is meant to produce something sweet in return.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” — Galatians 5:22
He’s looking for fruit that reflects His nature: Love where there’s hate. Peace where there’s chaos. Faithfulness when it’s easier to drift.
The problem isn’t that God expects too much—it’s that we often expect too little. We want to be saved, but He wants us to be changed.
When the Fruit Turns Wild
Isaiah uses a strong word for “wild grapes.” It means spoiled or sour. The vines looked good, but the fruit told another story.
“He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.” — Isaiah 5:7
They still gathered, sang, and brought offerings, but something was missing. They had the form of faith but not the fire. The altar was there, but the awe was gone.
Wild grapes grow slowly. A little compromise here. A little pride there. A little tolerance for sin under the banner of “I’m doing my best.” Before long, what was holy becomes habitual. What was fruitful becomes familiar. We’ve all had moments where what came out of us didn’t match Who planted us.
But the story doesn’t end there.
The Keeper Returns
Even when the fruit turns wild, the Vinedresser doesn’t walk away. He still walks through the rows of your life, touching branches you thought were dead, watering ground you gave up on.
Isaiah later sings a new song:
“In that day sing to her, ‘A vineyard of red wine! I, the Lord, keep it; I water it every moment.’” — Isaiah 27:2–3
The first song was about loss. The second was about love that never gave up. Grace walks back into the same field where we failed and starts the song again. The Keeper still believes something beautiful can grow in you. He’s not walking away—He’s walking toward you.
The Song Can Change
At Calvary, Jesus became the True Vine. He took the sourness of sin and turned it into the sweetness of salvation. The Gardener became the Vine. The Keeper became the Sacrifice. He wore the thorns that once grew in our field.
So if your life feels like a vineyard gone wild—if your fruit has turned bitter or your purpose has withered—open the gate again. Let Him dig again. Let Him plant again. Let Him sing again. The song about wild grapes doesn’t have to end in judgment. It can end in joy. Because the Keeper has returned—and He still believes something beautiful can grow in you.