Our house came with a grapevine.
In D'Varim, just after the famous Shema verse, there is a snippet of what the Promised Land will be like. It's not only land but it is filled with good things.
"When YHWH your God has brought you into the land he swore to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz'chak, and Ya'akov that he would give you--cities great and prosperous, which you didn't build; houses full of all sorts of good things, which you didn't fill; water cisterns dug out, which you didn't dig; vineyards and olive trees, which you didn't plant--and you have eaten your fill; then be careful not to forget YHWH, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves." -D'Varim 6:10-12
YHWH did not take the Israelites out of Egypt only to commission them to build the Promised Land. He could have put them back to work--building homes and cities, planting trees and vineyards, and digging out wells--but He did not. He had already filled the Promised Land. He gave them abundant good things.
This promise is continually fulfilled. There are grapes in my yard and I did not put them there. Once a year there is an abundance of grapes. We eat them fresh. I give some away. I make juice. It is joyous.
Someone planted my grapevine. This promise of YHWH was fulfilled because someone invested herself planting a grapevine. We can invest ourselves so that others see promises fulfilled in their lives. That idea is empowering and intriguing at once.
The above photo is but a fraction of our grape harvest so I am off to make 'wine' (it's actually just grape juice) for Passover. What are your thoughts on this? How has YHWH provided for you with something you didn't plant?
