27 In that day the Lord will punish [a]Leviathan the fleeing serpent,
With His fierce and great and mighty sword,
Even [b]Leviathan the twisted serpent;
And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.2 In that day,
“A [c]vineyard of wine, sing of it!
3 “I, the Lord, am its keeper;
I water it every moment.
So that no one will [d]damage it,
I guard it night and day.
4 “I have no wrath.
Should [e]someone give Me briars and thorns in battle,
Then I would step on them, I would burn them [f]completely.
5 “Or let him [g]rely on My protection,
Let him make peace with Me,
Let him make peace with Me.”
6 [h]In the days to come Jacob will take root,
Israel will blossom and sprout,
And they will fill the [i]whole world with fruit.
This seems a strange contrast in these verses. First we have Leviathan and a sea dragon (possibly they are the same, but it is unclear). God is going to punish these massive beasts, which we see described in Job (chapter 41). Leviathan is no rattlesnake or viper, but “No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him…”
So then, the point is that no one on earth would dare to fight or attack Leviathan, at least not in their right mind. Yet God is so great and mighty that He alone can judge and punish this beast who “is king over all the sons of pride.”
That same God, awesome and terrible, has a vineyard. It is one that inspires song, and He waters it every moment, guarding it day and night. Well that must be a fine vineyard indeed, right? Well sure, but it isn’t a real vineyard, but rather a picture of God’s chosen people, those who follow in His ways.
Rather than arouse His wrath, with “briars and thorns in battle”, God tells us to rely on His protection, and to make peace with Him. Jesus made it clearer, “I am the true vine, My Father is the vinedresser.” (John 15) and we are the branches. He told His followers (and us) to live/stay in Him, and He would live in us.
When we dwell in His love, we have His protection, His peace, and His joy. When we live a life of briars and thorns, not so much. Cut off those nasty thorns, and instead fill the whole world with fruit. That is, let His love, unconditional and freely given, be shown in your words and deeds. Not so people can talk about how amazing you are (they might still, but that’s not your glory to own), but so that they can glorify God our Father.