Ezek
15:1-2 (ESV) And the word of the Lord came to me: 2 "Son of man, how does the wood of the
vine surpass any wood, the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest?
NOTE: God answers
his question to Ezekiel in a series of rhetorical comparisons. The bottom-line
is that the wood of the vine is in no way superior to the wood of a tree. It's
best use is fuel for a fire. The wood of a tree can also be used for fuel, but
wood from a tree has many other, better uses. God then draws the conclusion of
the imagery; Israel is like the wood of a vine. The only use for Israel is as
fuel for a fire to consume them so that people will know God is the Lord of
all. Why? Because the Israelites are his special people. They have failed to
follow him. To ignore their disobedience, despite all the blessings God has
given, would suggest that there is no God. They just stumbled on their good
fortune, since their activities and beliefs do not seem to have any
consequences. This is the message of the Old Covenant. The New Covenant does
not contain quid pro quo physical blessings. But our beliefs need to be backed
up by actions. We cannot just love with words, but must love in deeds and actions,
else our beliefs are hollow. And in the same way, we have no use then. And we
are in danger of making irrevocable decisions that can affect our physical
life. That is the message of Hebrews. Our salvation is secure, but we are not
free from discipline (Hebrews, especially Heb 12).
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