The Tuesday after Septuagesima Sunday
Posted on February 3, 2026 by under
Scripture: Isaiah 5:1-7 (NKJV)
5:1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard:
My Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.
3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
4 “What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?
5 “And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 “I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it.”
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.
Devotion
Our Lord Jesus emphasized this message from the prophet Isaiah. He used it to show that He was indeed the true Christ, the Messiah. The hypocrites hated Him and His authority. Our Lord did nothing wrong; all His works were about love, mercy, grace, and truth. But the hypocrites hated Him because they loved their power and status more than the truth, thus fulfilling the parable.
The Word of God is clear: righteousness is not all about us men and our deeds or status; it is about what the Lord teaches and promises to us! As servants in His kingdom, we are to do the work that He prepares for us according to our vocations, and the fruitful results are His, for His purpose and His glory. Any authority we may have is to be used according to His good will and order, and our glory or approval comes from His pleasure, not from our status. As God makes us His holy and faithful people by His Word and Spirit, we are to cling to Him for our strength, and to give Him thanks and praise for graciously making us His servants in Christ Jesus.
Collect: O Lord, we beseech Thee favorably to hear the prayers of Thy people: that we, who are justly punished for our offenses, may be mercifully delivered by Thy goodness, for the glory of Thy Name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
