The Winepress

The Winepress

The Bible uses many images to describe Jesus’ great battles and victories. The prophet Isaiah used the image of a winepress. After the grapes were harvested, they were placed in a winepress where pressure was applied to extract the juice from the fruit. Isaiah writes in Ch. 63:3, “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes.” There was a tremendous battle! Every day, Jesus had a day of vengeance against all the enemies in the flesh of David, and in this winepress they were destroyed one by one until the entire work was completed.

Now we are in our winepress. We can’t say that we don’t have anyone with us in this battle. We receive tremendous support in the brotherhood—through the preaching of the gospel, by good examples, and through all encouragement to that which is good. But nonetheless, we too, like Jesus, must tread alone. No one else can jump into our winepress and fight the battle in our place. This is important to understand. As a result, my demands and expectations on others also disappear. I have to fight my own battle. It is the same in our service of others, including those who are nearest and dearest to us. We can and must strengthen the others in their battles, but we cannot fight the battle for them.

It is a vast land, with tremendous possibilities, that we are to take possession of, but for that to happen, many “children of Anak” must be overcome in our winepress. That’s why it is vital that we don’t remain in the same place, struggling with the same thing, year after year. We must win a complete victory and take new land! We need to move around in the winepress, and take up the fight in matters that may have been neglected. By trampling there, victory and good fruit will come, even in these areas.

The result of this battle, in our winepress, is this good cup, which we bless. 1 Cor. 10:16. It really does bring a blessing. It is the result of having persevered faithfully in our situations and having lived a hidden life with God. By persevering in the same battle that Jesus waged and with the same attitude that He had, we have come to something completely new.

Praise be to Him who was faithful in His winepress, even though no one was with Him. There, He opened a way for us so that we have the hope of attaining the same victory.