Ezekiel 15:1-8

We all want to feel useful and like to think that we are an important part of something.  Uselessness is one of the worst feelings that any of us can ever have.  The children of Israel were chosen by God for the special purpose of blessing all the families of the Earth.  God chose them and separated them for that special purpose.  However, because of their rebellion and sin God looks upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and simply calls them useless.  When men refuse to trust and obey God they fail to glorify God and fulfill the purpose for which they have been created.  The only way we can truly be useful is by living for and promoting the glory of God.

JERUSALEM WAS USELESS BEFORE JUDGMENT: The inhabitants of Jerusalem are compared to a vine in the woods.  The vine can wrap around trees and prevent their growth just as Israel had become a stumbling block to the nations.  The wood of the vine cannot be used to make furniture of build a house or even be made into a peg.  The vine does not produce any fruit and only harms those trees that are useful.  It is hard to imagine God saying this about His chosen people but that is the true consequence of sin.  Our lives become useless when overcome by sinfulness and idolatry.


JERUSALEM WILL BE USELESS AFTER JUDGMENT: The only thing that can be done with the vine is it can be taken down, cast into the fire and burned to produce a little bit of heat.  Once the fire has consumed the vine, there is absolutely nothing left that is of any use at all.  God is about to judge the nation of Israel and the inhabitants of the land.  He will judge them with all kinds of judgment but the city of Jerusalem, in particular, will be burned with fire.  That which is already useless will become even less useless and without hope of restoration.  This is the result of faithlessness.  God has plans to restore the nation of Israel, but those who were destroyed in judgment are forever lost and their only use is that of an illustration of God’s wrath.  They serve as a severe warning to all who rebel against the Lord.

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