What does Isaiah 27:4 mean?
This song of the vineyard (Isaiah 27:2–3) opens with the best news imaginable: The Lord's wrath against His people Israel has been completely satisfied. It is over, resolved, and put away. The Lord now abundantly provides for His people in every possible way. This is the future of God's relationship with His people when He reigns as king on the earth.This was not the pattern of Israel's history. Isaiah's previous vineyard song (Isaiah 5:1–7) expressed something dire. Israel lived in unfaithfulness to the Lord, breaking their covenant with Him. He poured out His wrath on them: removing His protection and withholding what they needed to thrive (Judges 2:16–19). In Isaiah's time, that took the form of the Assyrian invaders. Eventually, it also included conquest under Babylon.
So, what changed? Did Israel finally succeed in being fully and continually faithful to the Lord so that His wrath just went away? Not at all. Israel continued to sin against the Lord, as every human person does. We all deserve to experience the consequences of provoking God's anger with our sin (Romans 6:23).
Yet, the Lord's wrath has been satisfied by Jesus, Who endured it (Hebrews 12:2) on behalf of all who receive God's grace and forgiveness through faith in Christ (Ephesians 1:7). Paul put it this way:
"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life" (Romans 5:8–10).
Although Israel has experienced His wrath, the Lord still passionately loves His people. He is eager to defend them. He expresses this by describing how He would—and will—respond to the enemies that grow within the "vineyard" itself. These are not invaders, however. The Lord has already brought justice and peace to the earth at this future time. Israel's enemies are all defeated. They live in peace with the Lord as their king. Yet even in that peace, some will rebel against God (Revelation 20:7–10).
Isaiah 27:2–6 describes the restoration and redemption of Israel in the end times by the Lord. Isaiah pictures Israel in song as a pleasant vineyard tended and fully provided for. Her fruit will fill the world. God prefers that those within this vineyard who still oppose Him would repent, rather than being destroyed.
This passage often uses the phrase "in that day" referring to the end times when the Lord reigns on earth as king. Then, the Israelites will be fully restored. Their "fruit" will fill the world. The nations God used as tools to judge His people will themselves be judged, but much more harshly. Defeats will happen in the meantime, but the Lord will only measure out enough discipline to trigger Israel's repentance. There will be no compassion for those who refuse to repent. He will bring all His people home to worship Him in Jerusalem in the end.
