LIFE-STUDY OF EZEKIEL
Read and pray: “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
In this context, we need to consider the rights, privileges, and position of the people of Israel.
Chosen of God
Israel was chosen by God, His selected people. As His chosen ones, they were to be separated from the nations and different from them. The principle is the same with Israel in the Old Testament and with the church in the New Testament.
The Vine of God
Israel was not only chosen by God but was also the vine of God. The vine of God is for the fulfillment of His economy. John 15 reveals that Christ is the true vine and that we are the branches. As a whole, Christ and we are one vine for God’s economy.
God grants the vine His rich visitation with the supply of sunlight, air, rain, soil, and many other things that are necessary for the vine to grow and produce something. This vine consists not only of human beings but of human beings mingled with the divine person.
This means that the vine is a combination of the Divine Being with many human beings. Such a vine is for God’s economy and must produce something that can make God happy and cause people to rejoice.
As a people chosen and elected by God, Israel was the vine of God for His economy. Christ with the church is the vine of God today. In the Bible, the vine represents the people of God when they are under His care and in union with Him.
The vine in John 15 is formed by the union of the glorified Christ, the Son of God, and all those who believe in Him and belong to Him. This union results in the flowing of the divine life, and this life becomes the wine that cheers God and man.
Therefore, with the vine, we have four crucial points: God’s care in His grace, the union of God and man, the flowing of the divine life, and the production of wine for the joy of God and man.
In His grace and in His care for us, the believers, God has placed us in Christ (1 Cor. 1:30), and now He is cultivating us so that we may live in union with Christ. He is the vine and we are the branches (John 15:5a). We are in Him, and He is in us. As we are in Him, the divine life flows in fruit-bearing, and the grapes are produced. Eventually, these grapes become wine to cheer God and man (Judg. 9:13).
The Bride of God
Israel was also the bride of God, His complement, for His satisfaction. Considering that the vine is a matter of the flow of life and the manifestation of grace, the woman is a matter of love and satisfaction. God does not want to remain alone but desires to have a bride.
Genesis 2:18 says that it is not good for the man to be alone. In typology, this means that it is not good for Christ, for God, to be alone. Christ desires to have a bride.
According to Ezekiel 16 and 23, Israel was the bride of God in the time of the Old Testament. Today, the church is the bride of Christ for His satisfaction (John 3:29; Rev. 19:7). What will most satisfy God and bring Him the greatest enjoyment will be the church as His bride, His complement.
The Flock of God
The house of Israel was also the flock of God. In the Old Testament, God had a flock on the earth under His care, and this flock was Israel. Today, the church is the flock of God under His care (1 Pet. 5:2).
A Precious Treasure
Moreover, the people of Israel were chosen by Him to be a precious and peculiar treasure (Exo. 19:5). How wonderful was Israel’s position before God! They were His chosen ones, His vine, His bride, His flock, and His treasure. These were the rights, privileges, and position of the people of Israel.
THE CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL
Unfortunately, the actual condition of Israel was very poor. If we read the long record of Ezekiel from chapter two through chapter twenty-four, we may feel as though we are weeping over the lamentable condition of Israel.
A Rebellious House
The people of Israel were chosen by God, but they became rebellious against God. Many times, in these twenty-three chapters, God said that Israel was a rebellious nation, a rebellious house. In 2:3, the Lord said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to the rebellious nations who have rebelled against Me.”
In verses 5 and 6, God referred to them as a “rebellious house,” and in verse 7, He said that “they are rebellious.” They were God’s chosen ones, yet they became rebellious against God.
Briers and Thorns
The people of Israel were the vine of God, but they became briers and thorns (2:6). A vine should produce grapes as fruit to eat and to make wine. Instead of producing grapes, Israel became briers and thorns. They became a plant that wounds and pricks, producing neither fruit nor wine. God’s chosen ones became rebellious, and the vine of God became briers and thorns.
A Prostitute
Furthermore, although the people of Israel were the bride of God, they became a prostitute. They had a “dissolute heart” and “played the harlot after their idols” (6:9). What a miserable situation! In chapters sixteen and twenty-three, God said that His heart was broken because of their dissolute heart. As a loving Husband, God was grieved because His people had become a promiscuous woman.
Scorpions
According to the record in Ezekiel, what happened to Israel as the flock of God? In 2:6, we see that the flock of God became scorpions. As the flock of God, they should have been sheep producing meat to feed people and wool to warm them. However, they became scorpions, and with scorpions there is no production, only stings.
🌿Enjoy more:
Hymn: Praise the Lord - “His All-inclusiveness”
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