Although verse 1 depicts God as a warrior with a "cruel and great and strong sword", it turns out that He is just driving the snake out of His garden!
Chapter 27 continues, "A pleasant vineyard, sing about it! I, the Lord, am its keeper; every moment I water it. I guard it night and day so that no one can harm it; I have no wrath" (vs. 2-4). God tends His vineyard lovingly and protectively. The vineyard, of course, is actually Israel. And God is giving it everything it needs to flourish and thrive.
There is bad news and good news ahead. The bad news is that the vineyard can resist God's ministrations. "If it gives me thorns and briers, I will march to battle against it. I will burn it up" (vs. 4). God will not tolerate the self-destruction of His vineyard; He will do what He has to do to ensure its success. The other, more positive, path that the vineyard can choose is one of cooperation and peace with its Gardener God: "Or else let it cling to me for protection, let it make peace with me, let it make peace with me" (vs. 5).
God's purposes cannot be thwarted. The prophet reveals that there is good news ahead: "In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots, and fill the whole world with fruit" (vs. 6). I believe we live in an age when this prophecy has come true as the whole world is being filled with the fruit of the ministry of Christ!
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