Topical Bible: The Vine: Frequently Made Unfruitful As a Punishment

◄ The Vine: Frequently Made Unfruitful As a Punishment ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical literature, the vine is a significant symbol often representing the people of Israel or the spiritual state of God's chosen ones. The imagery of the vine is used extensively throughout the Scriptures to convey messages of blessing, judgment, and the consequences of disobedience. One recurring theme is the vine being made unfruitful as a form of divine punishment.

Symbolism of the Vine

The vine is a powerful symbol in the Bible, representing abundance, prosperity, and the blessings of God. In the Old Testament, Israel is frequently depicted as a vine or vineyard planted and tended by God. This imagery underscores the special relationship between God and His people, highlighting their dependence on Him for sustenance and growth.

Unfruitfulness as Punishment

The concept of the vine becoming unfruitful is often associated with divine judgment and punishment for the people's unfaithfulness and disobedience. This theme is evident in several passages where God expresses His disappointment with Israel's failure to produce the fruits of righteousness.

1. Isaiah 5:1-7: In the "Song of the Vineyard," God laments over Israel, His cherished vineyard, which has failed to yield good grapes despite His careful cultivation. Instead, it produces wild grapes, symbolizing injustice and unrighteousness. As a result, God declares His intention to remove its hedge, allowing it to be trampled and laid waste: "I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there" (Isaiah 5:6).

2. Jeremiah 2:21: The prophet Jeremiah echoes this theme, portraying Israel as a choice vine that has turned degenerate: "I had planted you as a choice vine from the very best seed. How then could you turn yourself before Me into a wild vine?" . This transformation from a fruitful vine to a wild one signifies Israel's spiritual decline and the resulting judgment.

3. Ezekiel 15:1-8: Ezekiel presents a parable of the vine, emphasizing its worthlessness when it fails to produce fruit. The wood of the vine is not useful for any work, and when it is burned, it becomes even less valuable. This imagery serves as a metaphor for Jerusalem's impending destruction due to its unfaithfulness: "I will set My face against them. Although they have come out of the fire, the fire will yet consume them" (Ezekiel 15:7).

4. Hosea 10:1-2: Hosea describes Israel as an empty vine that brings forth fruit for itself, indicating self-indulgence and idolatry. The prophet warns of the consequences: "Their heart is deceitful; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones" (Hosea 10:2).

New Testament References

The theme of unfruitfulness as a form of punishment extends into the New Testament, where Jesus uses the imagery of the vine to teach about spiritual fruitfulness and judgment.

1. Matthew 21:33-46: In the Parable of the Tenants, Jesus recounts the account of a landowner who plants a vineyard and leases it to tenants. When the tenants fail to produce fruit and mistreat the landowner's servants, the vineyard is taken from them and given to others. This parable serves as a warning to the religious leaders of Israel about the consequences of their unfaithfulness.

2. John 15:1-6: Jesus declares Himself the true vine, and His followers as the branches. He emphasizes the necessity of abiding in Him to bear fruit. Those who do not remain in Him are likened to branches that wither and are thrown into the fire: "If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned" (John 15:6).

The biblical motif of the vine being made unfruitful as a punishment serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of faithfulness and obedience to God. It underscores the consequences of spiritual barrenness and the necessity of remaining connected to the source of life and blessing.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 8:13
I will surely consume them, said the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hosea 2:12
And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she has said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Joel 1:7,12
He has laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he has made it clean bore, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Haggai 2:19
Is the seed yet in the barn? yes, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, has not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Sermons on Selected Lessons of the Gospels.
... than that of nature, [482]255; frequently mentioned in ... 421 sq.; chosen by Christ
as He made them, not ... of, preached by wicked preachers, like vine among thorns ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of.htm

Christian Behavior
... so doth the bramble the nature of the vine. ... second creation, and God's foreordination
be made frustrate ... Also touching worsphip, we find how frequently men have ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/christian behavior.htm

Ancient Chaldaea
... artifice to men, and they were frequently represented with a ... apple, almond, walnut,
apricot, pistachio, vine, with the ... similar to the others, being made up of ...
/.../chapter iancient chaldaea.htm

part i
... "Without Him was not anything made that was made." [53 ... sin, and return to the road
that leads to life, shown by Me; either bear the punishment, corresponding to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/calvin/my life in christ/part i.htm

A Treatise of the Fear of God;
... Holy One, before whom all sin must incur the intensity of punishment; and the ... of
election to life eternal; for the most precious promises are made to God's ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a treatise of the fear.htm

part ii
... Saviour; He Himself bore the punishment for us ... watchfulness, labours, unceasing prayer,
have made both their ... who are full now, and frequently look neglectfully ...
//christianbookshelf.org/calvin/my life in christ/part ii.htm

The Pilgrim's Progress
... wise, them greet; Render them not reviling for revile; But if they frown, I prithee
on them smile; Perhaps 'tis nature, or some ill report, Has made them thus ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the pilgrims progress.htm