In Ezekiel 15-16, we find two allegories that teach Jerusalem’s ripeness for judgment. In this chapter, we read that Jerusalem is a useless wood of a wild vine, and Israel has no superiority over the nations to save it from destruction.
Using three allegories, God foretells Judah’s imminent destruction. The first allegory shows Judah as a useless vine to be burned. The second is a vitriolic attack against Judah’s unfaithfulness, portraying Judah as an adulterous wife, worse than her two sisters, Israel and Edom, and less moral than a prostitute. The third allegory, using two eagles and a vine, calls specific attention to the personal ruin of King Zedekiah.
The metaphor of Israel being God’s vine is shown in many places in the Bible, Isaiah 5:1-30 / Jeremiah 2:21-30 / Hosea 10:1 / Psalms 80:8-19.
Bruce, in his commentary, says the following.
‘These Old Testament references are reflected in the New Testament, where Jesus Christ our Lord appears as ‘The True Vine,’ that is, ‘The True Israel of God’, John 15:1-8.’
Alexander, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This parable implies that the exiles had asked about God’s consistency. They understood that they were his chosen people, his chosen vine. How could he destroy them? They had been through the fire of two invasions and deportations by the Babylonians, but each time they had endured and sprouted up again.’
Note that the emphasis of the example is on the wood rather than the fruit. He is not asking what use is the vine, but what use is the wood of the vine, Ezekiel 15:1-2. Nothing is made from it, not even a peg to hang a jug or picture on, Ezekiel 15:3.
Feinberg, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Because the vine is crooked, it cannot be used for building. Because it burns so rapidly, it is of little value as fuel. Because it is soft, it cannot be employed where anything needs to hang on it.’
The fire consuming both ends, and the middle signifies that it is totally burned, Ezekiel 15:4. It is useless before it is burned, so how much more useless will it be after it has been burned, Ezekiel 15:4-5.
This is now applied to Jerusalem, she is the wood of the vine, Ezekiel 15:6. The inhabitants of Jerusalem will be put through the fire, which speaks of judgement and destruction.
Block, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Yahweh is the one who throws the wood into the fire, and the wood represents their own compatriots, the residents of Jerusalem.’
In Ezekiel 15:7, we see that some have escaped from the fire, and yet they will be put through the fire. This is probably referring to the 597 B.C. fire from which they had escaped.
The present inhabitants of Jerusalem had come through that, but they are being told there is going to be a 586 B.C. fire which they will not escape from, Ezekiel 15:8.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Even though some of them had escaped complete destruction, they were still not bearing fruit and would end up completely burned, John 15:6 / Hebrews 12:28-29. This would happen when the Chaldeans destroyed the city and deported the rest of the Judahites in 586 B.C. 2 Chronicles 36:10 / Joshua 6:24 / Joshua 8:19 / Joshua 11:11.’