What is the meaning of Ezekiel 15:3? Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? “Can wood be taken from it to make something useful?” (Ezekiel 15:3a) • Ezekiel has just likened Jerusalem to a vine (Ezekiel 15:2), the same image God used for Israel in Isaiah 5:1-7 and Psalm 80:8-16. A vine’s great value lies in its grapes, not its wood. • Here the Lord asks whether the vine’s wood could be fashioned into anything substantial—like a beam, board, or piece of furniture. The obvious answer is no. Vine wood is thin, twisted, and brittle; it cannot support weight or serve structural purposes. • The question exposes Judah’s spiritual condition. Called to bear fruit for God among the nations (Isaiah 27:6), the people had instead produced “wild grapes” (Isaiah 5:4). Without fruit, they were left with only their “wood,” and even that proved useless. • Jesus echoes this principle: “Apart from Me you can do nothing… such branches are thrown away and wither” (John 15:5-6). Fruitlessness leads to worthlessness, and worthlessness leads to judgment. Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang utensils? “Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang utensils?” (Ezekiel 15:3b) • The Lord shifts from large projects to the simplest household need—a peg. In ancient homes even a peg had to bear weight; yet vine wood cannot safely hold a pot or cloak. • Isaiah 22:23-25 pictures a sturdy “peg in a firm place” that finally gives way, symbolizing leaders who fail. Ezekiel’s image is starker: the vine could never serve as a peg in the first place. • Judah’s false confidence rested on temple rituals and national identity (Jeremiah 7:4), but they lacked true righteousness and therefore could not support even the lightest spiritual duty. • Within the chapter the next verse states, “It is thrown into the fire for fuel” (Ezekiel 15:4). Without fruit and without structural worth, the only destiny left is burning—anticipating Jerusalem’s fall in 586 BC. summary Ezekiel 15:3 employs two everyday questions to reveal Judah’s uselessness apart from God. Vine wood cannot become a beam, a board, or even a modest peg, so a fruitless vine has no purpose but the fire. In the same way, a people or a believer who refuses to bear the fruit of obedience offers nothing sturdy or lasting to the Lord. The literal truth of this proverb stands: God expects fruit, and when it is absent, judgment follows—yet His purpose is always to lead His people back to fruitful fellowship in Him. |
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