“At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.”
Isaiah 39:1-8 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.39.1-8.KJV
The Great Connection
If you’ve ever been to a vineyard, you know they are not only beautiful, but also fascinating. Imagine rows and rows of grape-bearing vines, rooted on rolling hills—its produce harvested and distributed as table grapes, grape juice, wine, raisins, jellies, jams, and more.
Jesus often used real-life examples to explain spiritual truths and, in John 15, vineyards were at the center of His analogy…
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”
John 15:4 NLT
In the surrounding passages, Jesus makes it clear that He, the Son, is the vine; His Father, God, is the gardener; and we, His people, are the branches—thriving or dying depending on our connection to the source.
You could also think about it this way:
Your phone won’t continue to function if it’s not charged. But when it’s plugged into a charger, which is connected to the ...