Judg 9:13 | KingComments | STEP | The next one is the vine. When the vine, or the wine, is mentioned in the Bible, it represents joy, gladness. We read this in , where wine is said to “cheer God and men”. This thought is expressed in Psalm 104: “And wine which makes man’s heart glad” ( ). Israel is compared to a vineyard ( ). God wanted a people with whom He could experience joy and gladness: “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah His delightful plant” ( ). Unfortunately, it must follow: “Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress” ( ). Israel did not bring Him the joy He counted on and did everything for. The Lord Jesus tells in John 15, where He is seen as the true vine ( ), how we can bear fruit to the glorification and joy of the Father. In a word, what He says comes down to obedience. He says it this way: “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and [that] your joy may be made full” ( ). In the life of a ‘vine brother’ obedience becomes visible with as a sequence joy for the Father and for himself. He does not want to change the obedience to God and the joy it gives him for a position of dominion over the people of God. In the meetings of the church the joy can also be emphasized too much. This can happen as a reaction to the gloominess that sometimes prevails in the meetings. That gloominess is not good. There can be joy about everything God has given us. It is about a balance between, on the one hand, the awareness of who we are by nature and that the Lord Jesus had to suffer for this and, on the other hand, the great gratitude and joy for what the Lord Jesus did and the results in which we may share. In practice, emphasizing joy too much blurs real joy into having a ‘good’ feeling, and distances oneself further and further from what really makes the heart of God happy. The latter is what it is all about. The heart of God is made happy by everything we tell Him about the Lord Jesus, about His work on the cross, and how He has glorified God in everything. The heart of God rejoices in everything He sees in our lives from the Lord Jesus, from the obedient and devotional life of His Son.

‏ Judges 9:13

The Vine

The next one is the vine. When the vine, or the wine, is mentioned in the Bible, it represents joy, gladness. We read this in Jdg 9:13, where wine is said to “cheer God and men”. This thought is expressed in Psalm 104: “And wine which makes man’s heart glad” (Psa 104:15a). Israel is compared to a vineyard (Isa 5:1-7). God wanted a people with whom He could experience joy and gladness: “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah His delightful plant” (Isa 5:7a). Unfortunately, it must follow: “Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress” (Isa 5:7b). Israel did not bring Him the joy He counted on and did everything for.

The Lord Jesus tells in John 15, where He is seen as the true vine (Jn 15:1), how we can bear fruit to the glorification and joy of the Father. In a word, what He says comes down to obedience. He says it this way: “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and [that] your joy may be made full” (Jn 15:10-11).

In the life of a ‘vine brother’ obedience becomes visible with as a sequence joy for the Father and for himself. He does not want to change the obedience to God and the joy it gives him for a position of dominion over the people of God. In the meetings of the church the joy can also be emphasized too much. This can happen as a reaction to the gloominess that sometimes prevails in the meetings. That gloominess is not good. There can be joy about everything God has given us.

It is about a balance between, on the one hand, the awareness of who we are by nature and that the Lord Jesus had to suffer for this and, on the other hand, the great gratitude and joy for what the Lord Jesus did and the results in which we may share. In practice, emphasizing joy too much blurs real joy into having a ‘good’ feeling, and distances oneself further and further from what really makes the heart of God happy.

The latter is what it is all about. The heart of God is made happy by everything we tell Him about the Lord Jesus, about His work on the cross, and how He has glorified God in everything. The heart of God rejoices in everything He sees in our lives from the Lord Jesus, from the obedient and devotional life of His Son.