Week 20: Monday, Worthless Word

Ezekiel was a priest living in Jerusalem during the first Babylonian

invasion. He was among the first wave of captives taken by the

Babylonians. God commissions Ezekiel to be an alarm. The first part of

the book that bears his name contains accusations against Israel. God’s

people are primarily guilty of idolatry and injustice, and Ezekiel has the

unenviable task of warning them, knowing full well that they will not

listen to him.

Transcript

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Welcome to Hearing God's Stories, a daily devotional on the parables presented by the Jenkins Institute.

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Week twenty, Monday, Worthless Wood. Today's Scripture, Ezekiel chapter fifteen, verses one through three, by Chris McCurley, and this is John Arvin. And the word of the Lord came to me, Son of Man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any wood, the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest? Is wood taken from it to make anything? Do people take a peg from it to hang any vessel on it? Ezekiel was a priest living in Jerusalem during the first Babylonian invasion. He was among the first wave of captives taken by the Babylonians. God commissions Ezekiel to be an alarm. The first part of the book that bears his name contains accusations against Israel. God's people are primarily guilty of idolatry and injustice, and Ezekiel has the unenviable task of warning them, knowing full well that they will not listen to him. A major theme among the prophets of old is that of judgment coupled with hope. Though God's people will suffer for their disobedience, a silver lining remains. One day a remnant will return to Jerusalem. Hope exists because God hasn't abandoned his people, but rather joins them in exile. He isn't giving up on them. He will restore them and give them a new heart. Chapter eleven sets the stage for what follows three sections of judgment judgment on Israel, chapters twelve through twenty four, judgment on the surrounding nations, chapters twenty five through thirty two, and judgment on Jerusalem, chapter thirty three. The theme of judgment then gives way to the hope that is foreshadowed in chapter eleven, as chapters thirty four through forty eight detail the hope for Israel, the hope for the nations, and finally the hope for all creation. So chapter fifteen is situated within the judgment portion of Ezekiel's message. He begins with the question How is the wood of the vine better than any wood? Throughout the Old Testament, the vine represents Israel, but what's interesting is that whenever we see this vine imagery in reference to God's people, it's always used in a negative sense. Israel was not the vine that God intended for them to be. The value of any vine is found in its productivity, and the vine of Israel was not fulfilling its God intended purpose. Today I will seek to be a productive vine by living for God and striving to be like Jesus.

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