Ezekiel 15
COMMENTARY:
: 1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying (1697 “word” [dabar] means speech, saying, utterance, a communication that is most often spoken, but can come through other means, matter, or discourse.)
DEVOTION: The Bible is given to communicate from God to human beings that are trying to serve HIM with the help of the Holy Spirit.
To often we try to serve the LORD without really studying what HE has said to us in the Bible. We think we know what God wants of us if we are followers of HIM. We think that the Holy Spirit will just speak to us when we need to learn something of what God expects of us.
However, we find that if we are listening to the LORD, HE speaks through the Bible that HE has given throughout time to help us understand HIM and what HE expects of us.
If we don’t study the Bible we will be at the merry of anyone who says that God told him/her to tell him what he should do in a given situation. This may be true or it may be false. The only way we know for sure is to study the Bible for ourselves with the help of someone who has studied it and is not just looking out for themselves but for other believers to grow in the LORD.
There are tools that help us study the Bible to make sure we are understanding the right way to apply what the verse is saying for us to do.
CHALLENGE: Is the Word of God, the Bible, coming to you on a daily basis to help you mature in the faith of Jesus Christ? It takes time, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and prayer to genuinely understand God’s message for us today.
: 6 THEREFORE thus says 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. (402 “fuel” [’oklah] means food, eating, consuming, destruction, serve as food, meat, or a meal.)
DEVOTION: The LORD uses a lot of object lessons regarding the people of Judah during the ministry of Ezekiel. Here we find that HE is comparing the use of a grapevine and a piece of wood.
A piece of wood can be used for making something. We build houses of wood. We can carve wood into almost any object we would like. We can use wood even in a fire and it will burn for a longer time than a grapevine.
HE uses a piece of wood as something that you can make a in to hang any vessel on. If you would use a grapevine it would fall and break is the implication.
Judah was a grapevine in the eyes of the LORD because they were not able to do any work for the LORD. The LORD has a desire that HIS people work for HIM. They were to worship HIM alone. They were to bring sacrifices to HIM alone. They were to train their children in the worship and service of HIM. All of this was not happening. They were not doing any worthwhile work for HIM.
They were only good to be consumed by a fire to produce some heat but very little. They were going into captivity because of their trespasses against the LORD.
When we claim to be followers of Jesus Christ we are called to service. This service includes work. Our work is to bring glory to God through the use of our gifts in a local church.
Also we are ambassadors for the LORD to our world. We are to witness in the home, on the job and in the neighborhood for HIM. Our person should manifest the fruit of the Spirit to those around us, so that, they will want to know more about the God we serve.
CHALLENGE: We are to be wood available to the LORD and not grapevines that are not able to do the work the LORD wants done in our world.
: 7 And I set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and you shall know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them. (5414 “set” [nathan] means to give, put, deliver, make, appoint, grant, or permit. 7760 “set” [suwm] means to put, place, appoint or make.)
DEVOTION: This verse uses two different Hebrew words for the one word in the verse. The LORD is trying to get across to the children of Israel that they are only good to be placed in the fire of captivity. They have not listened to the LORD. HE has appointed them to a place of captivity. HIS face is against them.
A vine is supposed to produce fruit. It is only good to produce fruit. It cannot be used to make furniture. It is not something that they wanted to make pegs of to hang things on. It was not good even for the fire as it burned so quickly. It was only good for fruit.
The children of Israel were not producing spiritual fruit. They were producing bad fruit. The only thing that the LORD could do is burn the land and start from new plants. Most of us have had a parent make a face at us when we have done something wrong. They have made a face at us to show that we are in trouble. We know that we are in trouble and must prepare for a form of punishment that the conduct requires. We have been sent to our rooms. We have lost privileges. We have been spanked.
The LORD has used up HIS options regarding the behavior of HIS people. HE has to spank them to get their attention. The reason for the captivity was that they might realize that the LORD is Sovereign in the universe and they need to listen to HIS instructions through HIS prophets. When the people learn this lesson the captivity will end.
The LORD uses different methods now to get the attention of those who are HIS followers. There are countries where Christians are put in jail or killed for their beliefs. There are countries where those who hold to the absolutes of Scripture are made fun of because of their belief. These are not necessarily a judgment of God but a consequence of our witness for the LORD.
If it is the chastening of the LORD we will know the difference. HE through the ministry of the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. We will have a deep sorrow over what is happening in our life. We will know that it is because of our sin or trespasses that we have committed.
When we learn the lesson our chastening will end. Are we listening to the LORD? Are we forgetting the past and pressing toward the mark of the high calling of Christ Jesus? Let us produce fruit for the LORD!!!
Object lessons are given for our benefit. We are to learn from the sins of the children of Israel. If we learn we will not have to face the consequences of our actions through a time of suffering.
CHALLENGE: Remember that all suffering is not the chastening of the LORD. Some is for our maturity.
: 8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, says the Lord GOD. (4604 “trespass” [ma‘al] means transgression, falsehood, unfaithful, an act that disregards an agreement or a right, fraud, disloyalty, or infidelity.)
DEVOTION: Making deals with God don’t work. The children of Israel thought that they could keep God’s blessings while they worshiped false gods. HE gives them time to repent but they as a nation refuse to stop worshiping false gods and expect the LORD to continue to bless them because they are HIS people. They were wrong.
We somethings think that same as the children of Israel. We want the LORD’S blessing on our nation and think that He will just give it no matter what we do. HIS longsuffering only lasts so long on any group of people in any nation. If those who claim to follow the LORD start worshiping false gods and pass laws against the God of the Bible and that nation thinks that the ONE TRUE GOD will continue to bless that nation they are wrong.
Israel thought God would not stop blessing them because of all the promises HE had given in the pass. HE was going to save a remnant but the nation as a whole was going to die or go into captivity for their unfaithfulness. This can happen to any nation that disobeys the LORD.
Today we have to be willing to stand up like Ezekiel and tell the truth to those around us who claim Christ that they need to stop being religious and start standing up for the LORD by being obedient even it there is going to be consequences from our friends and our nation.
Believers in Israel were weak. Believers in our time are weak. They want to please people no matter what which means they are not pleasing the LORD. God expects us to be faithful to HIM every day of our life our commitment to HIM. HE knows that we sin but HE doesn’t want us to live in sin. HE wants us to daily confess our sins and stay on the road toward serving HIM.
CHALLENGE: Are we being faithful to the LORD in our actions as individuals? Are we willing to stand up for God in our nations? Only each one of us can answer that question.
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