Mishpat & Tsedaqua

 

Isaiah 5:1-7

Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18

Let me sing for my beloved
my love-song concerning his vineyard ^{(Isaiah 5:1)}

Did you know there are more than 11,000 wineries in the United States?  Virginia alone has 278, not counting cideries and meaderies.  For anyone who has visited a winery on a crisp autumn day, sitting outside in the sunshine enjoying a glass of wine and conversation with good friends and thought, “Of, I would love to have a place like this of my own,” the journalist Wes Hagen cautions, “The decision to start a vineyard is a serious one, requiring study, planning, financial resources, dedication and a willingness to get muddy and sulfur-soaked.”

He might also recommend a careful reading of this morning’s first lesson.  Isaiah “sings” a “love song” about his beloved’s vineyard.  In a few brief verses it details the work which went in to creating it, but the wise will read between the lines and realize it is a very demanding project.  In spite of selecting a good location with rich soil, clearing stones, erecting trellises, investing capital in the means into of production, and planting top-quality vines, it all was for not.  The grapes it produced were sour.

Isaiah asks his listeners to ponder what more the owner could have done… nothing… and what he will do after the horrific harvest… tear it all down.  Then he reveals his love song, whether rooted or not in an actual vineyard, is a parable.  The vineyard represents God’s people and the sour grapes stand for the society they have created.  What begins as a love song turns out to be a lament.

The specific complaint levied by Isaiah is a bit of a wordplay in the Hebrew.  The Lord expects from the people mishpat (justice) but finds mispat (bloodshed) and tsedaqua (righteousness) but hears tseaqua (a cry).

When thinking of justice, it is easy to focus on its punitive meaning, like when Superman brings a criminal to justice.  But in the Old Testament mishpat had less to do with making sure lawbreakers get the punishment they deserve than it does with upholding a person’s legal and social entitlements.  In fact, 86% of all the bible’s references to “justice” has more to do with caring for the needy than prosecuting the wicked.

We tend to limit righteousness to individual morality, but the Hebrew understanding is more nuanced, referring to the fulfilment of one person’s obligations to another (something more akin to our expression “doing right” by a person).  It is concerned with being honorable in one’s dealings. 

While we associate the phrase “sour grapes” with poor losers, the bible uses it to describe society’s actions which do not mirror God’s standards.

The biblical concern for justice and righteousness is woven into the Law as God reveals it to Moses.  It is extolled as a virtue in the Wisdom Literature, such as the Book of Proverbs.  And it is used as a societal measuring stick in the Prophetic Writings such as Isaiah’s.  It is most concerned with the way foreigners, prisoners, widows, orphans, and the poor are treated because they are the most vulnerable people in the society and because God takes up the role of being their defender ^{(see Psalm 68:5-6)}.   

The justice God wants to be manifested by the people has at least these four components:

· Personal Generosity ^{(see Proverbs 19:17)}

· Legal Fairness ^{(see Exodus 23:6)}

· Advocacy – arguing for and defending the cause of the needy ^{(see Proverbs 31:8-9)}

· Compassion – basic human kindness ^{(see Isaiah 1:17)}

According to Isaiah, the people of Israel are not acting justly on account of their court rulings, lending practices, exploitation of labor, enacted legislation, the influence of bribes, and a diminished commitment to a social safety net for the poor.  He criticizes the following people in a series of woes:  

· Those who build “house to house” and join “field to field”

· Those who live a lifestyle of revelry

· Those who are deceitful and wicked

· Those who call evil good and good evil

· Those who think they are clever and wise

What is the end result?  The Kingdom falls.  If you look closely you will see our first two readings offer differing interpretations as to why this happens.  Isaiah states unequivocally it comes about as an act of God’s judgment.  The psalmist does not assign blame as he pleads for God to intervene, suggesting perhaps a corrupt culture rots from the inside, thus creating its own demise.  Either way, a theologically bankrupt society will not thrive in the long run; a sour people will not know enduring success.

Isaiah’s words have huge implications for us as we live into the American experiment.  It is not my intent this morning to be political.  I only want to preach what the bible says and to be faithful to the readings assigned by the Lectionary.  Do our elected officials, captains of industry, educators, those who influence public opinion through what they say and write, and spiritual guides guide us toward mishpat and tsedequa or do they do they turn us into sour wine?  You will have to determine this on your own. 

And you will have to assess what it means for you to be generous and fair.  You will have to think strategically about how you will advocate for biblical positions as you understand them.  You will have to be moved with compassion and act with kindness. 

Perhaps all of this makes you uncomfortable.  Well, that is what the prophets of old always do.  They challenge our conventions and call us to reflect.  Are we good enough?  Could we be better?  Are we missing the mark God sets for us?  Are we corrupt to the core?  Do we need to repent and amend our ways, personally and collectively? 

One thing we can all do is join in the psalmist’s prayer and profession of faith:

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; *

  show the light of your countenance,

and we shall be saved. ^{(Psalm 80:18)}