Vine - Ezekiel 15

Ezekiel 15:6 "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem."

In this chapter, we understand the vine. It was made to be burned int he fire for fuel. It seems there was no other good use for the vine. Jerusalem is now described as being like the vine, good only to be used for fuel in the fire.

For those who have studied only the New Testament, this statement must seem strange. I, myself, have been trying to reconcile the chapter with New Testament scripture. For in the New Testament, the vine is all important.

John 15:1- "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman."

We know that grapes grow on vines and that wine was / is made from grapes. So it was used for fuel when pulled from the forest and for other purposes when tended. I believe the mystery is that even the vine is can be purposeful in the Father's hands. On the one hand, if the Father decrees, it is used for fuel. On the other hand, if the Father decrees, the vine is used for productive purposes.

Jesus adopted the role of the vine. Perhaps because as the vine in the forest had little respect, so he had little respect on earth, at least from the powers of this world.

v2 "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."

So, we see that bearing good fruit determines the purpose of the vine. One that bears good fruit is nourished and cared for. The branches that do not bear are cut away and burned so that they do not draw nourishment from the good branches that are producing fruit.

In our chapter, Jerusalem has become a branch that bears only bad fruit. What would we do with a fruit tree that never produced anything but rotten fruit or no fruit at all. God owns the trees and so can make these decisions concerning the trees or vines. (A vine is considered a tree in the Bible.)

John 5:5 "I am the vine, (Jesus) , ye are the branches; He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing."

Jerusalem, the capitol of Israel was part of that great nation that the Lord choose as his own. He built the nation and brought into Canaan. It seems much like a man moving from one area to another and taking along a cutting of a prized apple tree or grape vine. He places it in good soil and waits for good fruit.

Jerusalem brought forth bad fruit. Not at first, but the fruit went bad and so, we have this chapter where the vine is cast into the fire.

v8 "And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God."