“A Blessing is in It.”

“Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all”

(Isaiah 65:8).

Do you see the picture that is drawn before us here? When a gardener is about to cut down a dried up vine, or about to prune away some of its unfruitful branches, the owner of the vineyard passes by and notices a cluster of new grapes on it. When he does, he cries out to the vine dresser, “Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it!”

        It looked worthless. It appeared to be needlessly occupying space. Ugly and dried up, the gardener would have cut it down and would have thought that was the only thing to be done with it. Nothing in the field is uglier than a dried up vine. But the owner saw a blessing in that which appeared to be worthless.

        The Holy Spirit does not leave us there, forcing us to draw out the parallel that is most applicable. He gives us the parallel. Do you see it? — “So will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all.”

Blessing Found

The blessing of God is often found in that which appears to be good for nothing. Have you ever asked yourself, “Why didn’t God destroy Adam and Eve and the entire human race when we fell in the Garden?” Have you ever wondered, “Why God did not destroy the entire nation of Israel, especially in the light of the evil described in the preceding of this chapter? Why do some survive unto this day?” Do you sometimes wonder, “Why the Lord has not yet destroyed this nation and the rest of the world?” We live in such a wicked, perverse, degenerate society that anyone who reads the Bible has to wonder why God has not swept away the entire world in his wrath. Our society is so degenerate that I do not doubt it would make Sodom and Gomorrah blush. If God destroyed those cities, why does he allow us to continue? Here is the answer — “A blessing is in it.” Let me show you what I mean. More importantly, let me show you what this text means.

God’s Elect

God’s elect in this world are the blessing hidden among the nations of the world for which he preserves them. Read 2 Peter 3:9 one more time. — “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

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        The only reason why God does not destroy this world right now is this. — There is yet a remnant according to the election of grace who must be saved. Everything God does in this world is for the elect’s sake. Every benefit of providential mercy that reprobate men enjoy in time is because there lives among them God’s elect, of whom he says, “Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it.” This is not my opinion. This is what God says. — “So will I do for my servants’ sakes.”

        Once Noah (the blessing) was safely in the ark, God destroyed the rest of the world. Once Lot (the blessing) was delivered unto Zoar, God destroyed Sodom. Joshua and Caleb (the blessings) entered into the land of promise, though all those who came out of Egypt with them perished under the wrath of God. The rest of the world exists and is used by God for his elect, the blessing in it (Isa. 43:1-5).

This Age

In Isaiah 65:8 the reference is to this present gospel age, the day in which we are privileged to live and serve our God. It is a prophecy of the fact that there would be few among the Jews in our Lord’s day and today who would be called by the grace of God and brought into a saving union with Christ. Indeed, among the nations of the world, God’s elect are always a remnant, few among many (Matt. 22:14).

The Believer

Certainly, this verse is also a declaration that wherever the blessing of God’s grace is found in a sinner’s heart, it shall not be destroyed. Like new wine in the grape, grace is a new thing in the heart of man. Like new wine, grace is delightful both to God who gives it and to believing sinners who profit by it. Like new wine in the cluster must be pressed out, so all grace must be tried. But the grace of God, once bestowed and wrought, in a sinner’s heart cannot be destroyed (Ecc. 3:14; Rom. 11:29).

Destroy Not

Frequently the object of God’s grace, the blessing of God in the earth, is found in that which we consider worthless. God often gathers jewels for his crown among those who are counted the off-scouring of the earth (1 Cor. 1:26-31). These chosen ones scattered throughout the earth are a people concerning whom the Lord God says, “Destroy them not.” They are his treasure hidden in the field of the world (Matt. 13:44). God the Father says, “Destroy them not,” for he has loved them, chosen them, and found a ransom for them. God the Son says, “Destroy them not,” for he has redeemed them by his blood. God the Holy Spirit says, “Destroy them not,” for he has pledged to regenerate them and make them the willing servants of the Most High.

Don Fortner