Thank you for the Biblical question, “In Isaiah 5:2, what is the function of the tower, and how is it prophetically significant? And might it be related to Isaiah5:8?”
Isaiah the Prophet uses the analogy of a piece of land which the owner possessed and cleared the land of rocks to plant a vineyard. The owner did everything possible to ensured its protection and fruitfulness by building a tower and wine press. This would be a very common understanding that the Jews could understand of a wealthy Jewish land owner.
In Isaiah 5:2, the tower represents for the land owner the place where he can set a watchman to see if any intruder or thief who may try to steal the grapes or invade his property. It would also serve as a place to oversee the location of the workers, the condition of the grapes, and even the storage of the grapes or wine after it was pressed. In times of invasion, it may be used as a hiding place where the tower would serve as a place to protect the family.
As it relates to the LORD God, the parallel analogy is that the LORD God owned a piece of land, the Promised Land. He removed the stones that is the enemies from the land so that the Jewish people can lived in that land, just as a land owner would have to remove the literal stones or clear the land of bushes or trees. The tower may represent Jerusalem, the capitol of the land and the wine press may represent the Temple where the people were to bring their offerings and praises to God. God did everything to the land fertile and to bless his people. God expected a return from the Jewish people, but instead he was rejected by his own people.
The following passages describes God’s intention for his vineyard and the people who lived in it. He says this, “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?
5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. 6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” 7 The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. (NIV).
This must be appalling to the Jews who heard Isaiah’s message. They couldn’t and wouldn’t believe that God would devastate his own land and people. Isaiah cried for repentance and the rulers, priests, and even the people continued in their evil ways.
It is prophetic in the sense that God was warning of an impending invader into the Promised Land and the exile of the Jewish people. The Northern Kingdom went into exile through the Assyrian invasion. Judah didn’t learn from his sister’s lesson of exile so the exile will come upon them through the Babylonian invasion and captivity in 586 BCE.
In regards to Isaiah 5:8, the wealthy land owners began to squeeze out the smaller farmers and took over their land. A small farmer or vineyard grower would not build a tower and may or may not have a winepress. He may bring his grapes to a larger land owner and sell his grapes to them. By cheating the poor of the land, they bought everything up. However, the LORD God declares that they will experience famine instead of blessing for their sinful ways.
The text elaborates the judgment of God upon his people in verses 8- 16,
8 Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.
9 The LORD Almighty has declared in my hearing: “Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions left without occupants. 10 A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath[a] of wine; a homer[b] of seed will yield only an ephah[c] of grain.”
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. 12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets, pipes and timbrels and wine, but they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD no respect for the work of his hands. 13 Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; those of high rank will die of hunger and the common people will be parched with thirst..15 So people will be brought low and everyone humbled, the eyes of the arrogant humbled. 16 But the LORD Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts“ (NIV).
Although Isaiah the Prophet gave this prophetic message, the rulers of Judah ignored and rejected the call to repentance. God gave time for the people to repent. Their refusal brought on the fulfillment of Isaiah and Jeremiah.
If I may give a personal observation, no nation who claims to be under God can escape a downfall if it becomes a wicked nation. God may even used a natural event or an atheistic nation to humble an arrogant nation. If God humbled his own Jewish people, certainly God can humble any nation, including the United States for her sinful ways.
SUMMARY: God expects his people to produce godly fruit by having a godly influence on its community and nation. If his people fail to be that salt and light in this world, the darkness will prevail over that nation and judgment is not too far off.
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