Year 9, Day 141: Ezekiel 15

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Ezekiel 15 is a rather blunt chapter.  God compares the Hebrew people in Jerusalem to a vine in the middle of a forest.  While this might seem like a good thing, especially since Jesus often uses the vine as a symbol of our connection to God, it isn’t a good thing at all.

Like all analogies, context is critical.  God speaks about the vine in a forest.  Next to all the trees, who in their right mind uses a vine to build anything?  Who is going to use the vine for any kind of support.  The only thing, God says, that the vine is good for is for fueling the fire.  It is only good for being consumed.  It is only good for being the object of the wrath of the Lord.  That’s a rather harsh teaching.  God is telling the people of Jerusalem that they are so far away from God that they only thing they can be used for is for being consumed.

There’s more to this, though.  Remember that Ezekiel was a prophet among the exiles.  He wasn’t near Jerusalem or in much contact with the people of Jerusalem.  Therefore, while the people of Jerusalem are the focus of the message, the message is actually for the exiles.  God’s telling the exiles that it is better to be a part of the exile than to be still in Jerusalem.  God is telling the exiles that they have hope because they can be refined.  God will still work with them.  Unlike the rebellious people in Jerusalem, the exiles can still be worked upon.

While this is a bleak message about the people in Jerusalem, this is a message of hope for the people in exile.  God hasn’t abandoned them.  God hasn’t said that they are only good for the fire.  God is still with them and preparing their hearts to be changed.

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