Ezekiel 15

Ezekiel 15:2

VISION OF THE VINEChapter 15 is the parable of the vine that would not bear fruit. The vine is one of the figures of the nation Israel. In Isaiah 5 the vine set before us is the nation Israel. We do not need to speculate about that because Isaiah said, “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel…” (Isa_5:7). God makes a very interesting application here. Just what is the purpose of a vine? The Lord Jesus also used the vine as a picture of believers today in John 15. He said, by the way, that Israel was no longer a vine, but “I am the true [genuine] vine …” (Joh_15:1). The Lord Jesus was not talking about salvation in that chapter. Again, I ask you: What is the purpose of a vine?

It is to do one thingbear fruitnothing else. What God is saying here in Ezekiel is that you do not go to the furniture store and ask for a Louis XIV bedroom set made of grapevine wood! The salesman would look at you in amazement and say, “We do not have anything made of grapevine wood. It’s not good for anything like that. It’s just good for bearing fruit.” Furthermore, God says, if a vine will not bear fruit, the only thing it is good for is burning. In John, the Lord Jesus said that if a believer does not bear fruit, you do not lose your salvation, but you are removed from the place of fruit bearing.

God sets men aside in many, many ways if they do not bear fruit. The Lord Jesus said, “Herein, is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit …” (Joh_15:8). The people of Israel were not bearing fruit, and God said, “There is nothing left for me to do but to burn Jerusalem.” That is the reason He did itthe people were supposed to represent God, and they had failed to do it. If you have been given great privilege as a Christian today, then you have a great responsibility. Have you ever thought of that poor fellow in Africa or China or Russia who has not had the privilege of hearing the Word of God? We who have heard His Word have a great responsibility. God wants us to be bearing fruit today.