THE VINEYARD

 

I had occasion yesterday to reflect on the sad history of the House of Israel and for the first time, instead of the suffering of the people, I saw the anguish and the sorrow of their King. He who had chosen them to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people witnessed with heaviness of heart their Egyptian slavery, the Assyrian conquest of The Ten Tribes, the Babylonian captivity of the House of Judah, Rome’s sacking of Jerusalem, the diaspora of the Jews, the holocaust, the wars of the nation of Israel…… it all testified of their suffering, the loss of lives and most especially their disobedience that brought upon them their demise from greatness.

One of my favourite ancient prophets is Jeremiah. The theme of his entire book in the Old Testament is ‘backsliding Israel’. The Lord himself gave this name to His covenant people that He once called a holy nation (Jeremiah 2:19; 3:6,8,11,12,14,22; 31:22; 49:4) because they were ‘bent on backsliding from Him’ (Hosea 11:7). Think of the tragedy of that. When Jeremiah importuned the Lord for their forgiveness, he admitted their ‘backslidings were perpetual’ (Jeremiah 5:6; 8:5; 14:7).

The House of Israel has had its share of suffering for their backsliding but this is what affects me the most….the betrayed and rejected Christ watching in the shadows their unfaithfulness to Him who devised their glorious destiny.

If you want to understand the Saviour’s mercy and love for the House of Israel, study the Allegory of the Olive Tree as found in Jacob 5 of the Book of Mormon.  It attests to His suffering caused by the very people He calls His own. I am not talking about the Atonement but His care despite the dejection He must have felt throughout the history of this world.

In the Allegory of the Olive Tree, the Saviour is represented as the Lord of the vineyard who grieves, preserves, labours, watches and tends to His vineyard constantly. His frantic efforts to ensure the divine destiny of the House of Israel, as represented by the olive trees in His vineyard, can be seen through repetitious declarations of His love and long-suffering:

His desire to preserve the vineyard is mentioned in the parable 11 times; at least 15 times the Lord expresses His desire to bring the vineyard and its' harvest 'unto my own self'; 8 times He says 'it grieveth me to lose the trees of my vineyard'; and 3 times He asks with anguish, weeping, 'what could I have done more for my vineyard?' All this despite the backsliding.

This is the promise of the Holy One of Israel that He will never recant: He will be merciful to the House of Israel and He will ‘heal their backsliding’ (Hosea 14:4). Jacob who engraved the Allegory on the golden plates put it well:  "....how merciful is our God unto us, for he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long….. (Jacob 6:4)

We live in the best period of time of this earth. Ancient Israel are the roots and we, the modern Israel, are the branches. We are the ones through whom the promise is being fulfilled. The scattered are being gathered.  We are the posterity of the backsliders but the backsliding stops with us.

We are the strong of the House of Israel and we will spread the truth that will heal. We are the children of the promise. We are the manifestation of His love and His mercy. We are the chosen, we have the royal priesthood upon us. We will ensure our divine destiny so freely given by the Shepherd of Israel who would not see us lost, who rescued our souls never counting the cost……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)