EZEKIEL LESSON 15
We will begin this lesson in Ezekiel 15:1 "And the word of the
LORD came unto me, saying,"
This is a new vision.
Ezekiel 15:2 "Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any
tree, [or than] a branch which is among the trees of the forest?"
The "vine tree", here, is speaking of Israel. They had been
thought of as being the vine, and God was the Branch. Jesus is spoken
of as the "BRANCH", in the next verse. Zechariah 6:12 "And speak unto
him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man
whose name [is] The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and
he shall build the temple of the LORD:" The trees in the forest, here,
are spoken of the unsaved world. That tree is good for nothing, but to
be destroyed. The "vine tree" is more than the worldly tree, only
when they are attached to the BRANCH. Their attachment to God made
Israel different.
Ezekiel 15:3 "Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will
[men] take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?"
Trees that were cut down for wood to burn, were not trees for
God's use. The vine would not make wood for burning, or even wood to
make a peg. The vine was to produce fruit. In the case of Israel,
here, they were not doing God's work. They had lost connection with
the BRANCH. They had broken relationship with God.
Ezekiel 15:4 "Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire
devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it
meet for [any] work?"
The vine {Israel} had been good for nothing, but to burn in the
fire. God allowed this vine to be burned severely. God sent fire into
Jerusalem, and into all the land. Only a remnant had been saved. This
is asking the question, can this severely burned vine, come back and
produce for God?
Ezekiel 15:5 "Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work:
how much less shall it be meet yet for [any] work, when the fire hath
devoured it, and it is burned?"
Before it was burned, the vine had not produced, because it had
detached itself from the BRANCH. The vine is of no use to anyone, not
even itself, when it does not draw its strength from the BRANCH {God}.
God had not cut them off and abandoned them. They had detached
themselves from Him. If they were not living for God when they were
all together whole, how could the remaining vine, live for God and
accomplish His desire for them?
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."
This vine, detached was no more than a piece of wood to burn. God
has no more respect for them than He does for the heathen world. God
sends fire upon His people and Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the home of
the temple, where God's presence was with the people. They separated
themselves from God. He would no longer dwell with them.
Ezekiel 15:7 "And I will set my face against them; they shall go
out from [one] fire, and [another] fire shall devour them; and ye
shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I set my face against them."
This destructive fire comes from God. He will turn from them, as
they have turned from Him. God is a consuming Fire. His fire destroys
all sin that He looks upon. This time, the sin is in His own people.
God's chastisement was upon them. He would not spare. They may run,
but there is no hiding from God. God's chastisement leaves no doubt
with anyone that He is the LORD.
Ezekiel 15:8 "And I will make the land desolate, because they
have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD."
This trespass is not just a single sin. They have chosen the
false gods of the world over the One True God. God makes them
desolate, because of their total rejection of Him.
The message in this is so important for us to understand. A
simple way of saying this would be to say, that without God, I can do
nothing. With God as my strength, I can do all things. Philippians
4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Look, with me, at some Scriptures in the very Words of Jesus,
which explain how important it is for us to draw our strength from
Him. John 15:4 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except
ye abide in me." John 15:6 "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth
as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them]
into the fire, and they are burned." John 15:7 "If ye abide in me,
and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be
done unto you." John 15:10 "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide
in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in
his love."
The most important thing in our lives, other than our initial
salvation, is to walk every day, drawing our strength from God. John
8:12 "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the
world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have
the light of life." I John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is
in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Ezekiel 15 Questions
1. Who is the "vine tree" in verse 2?
2. Who is the "BRANCH"?
3. Quote Zechariah chapter 6 verse 12.
4. When is the "vine tree" more than the worldly tree?
5. Who are the trees in the forest, in verse 2, speaking of?
6. How was the vine different from the world tree?
7. Israel had lost relationship with the ___________.
8. When the vine loses contact with the Branch, what is it good for?
9. Who had been saved in the burning?
10. Can the severely burned vine come back and produce for God?
11. Why had the whole vine not produced for God?
12. What will God do to the inhabitants of Jerusalem?
13. What had been special about Jerusalem?
14. What does God's chastisement of fire accomplish?
15. What was the trespass?
16. The author believes what is a simple way of stating the lesson we
can receive from this?
17. Quote John chapter 15 verse 4.
18. What wonderful promise does Jesus make to believers in John
chapter 15 verse 7?
19. What is the most important thing in our lives other than receiving
salvation?
20. Quote John chapter 8 verse 12.
Home