Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Ezekiel Chapter 15
Metaphysically Interpreting Ezekiel 15:1-8
15:1And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
15:2Son of man, what is the vine-tree more than any tree,
the vine-branch which is among the trees of the forest?
15:3Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work?
or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
15:4Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel;
the fire hath devoured both the ends of it,
and the midst of it is burned:
is it profitable for any work?
15:5Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work:
how much less, when the fire hath devoured it,
and it is burned,
shall it yet be meet for any work!15:6Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: 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.15:7And I will set my face against them; they shall go forth from the fire, but the fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I set my face against them. 15:8And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord Jehovah.
June 2, 1940: Ezekiel 15:1-6
What truth is implicit in Ezekiel's choice of the vine to point the lesson he desires to teach? Ezekiel calls the vine a tree and compares it as such with the “trees of the forest.” The vine is not a tree but a plant, the stem of which requires support. The flexible stem is fit only for firewood, and the prophet does not mention the delicious fruit that makes the vine worth cultivating. The truth implied in this omission is that man's desire for peace (represented by the “inhabitants of Jerusalem”) is sometimes misdirected and in that way destroyed. Everything should serve the use to which it is best suited.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-28-2014