Ezekiel 15  This short chapter is a tragic picture of an unfaithful nation.  The Lord has used the picture of a vine for Israel before.  He planted it.  He nurtured it.  It was meant to bear much fruit.. good fruit that would bless the whole earth!  But, without fruit, the branches were useless and the vine was dying.  Here the Lord declares that the wood of the vine itself is completely worthless.  It has been cut off and thrown into a fire.  It is charred and ruined.  It cannot even be used to make a peg that you could hang a cup on.. it is too weak. It doesn't even make useful firewood.

What a picture of Israel... a nation that should have been great and holy and prosperous.  A nation who belonged to God and had every opportunity to abound with goodness.. with greatness.  But, it failed.  It could not be faithful to the Lord God who made it.  And, so it goes with every nation.. every city, and every person.  We each have every opportunity to belong to the Lord, our Maker.
We are given every promise and every resource in Him.. that we might be fruitful and abundant.
But, we fail to act faithfully.  And when we fail, we become charred by the fire.. useless to do anything that the Lord wants us to do.

Chapter 16 is also a picture of this.. specific to Jerusalem .  Here the Lord uses the illustration of a woman.  When He first sees her, she is a newborn, still covered with blood and with the umbilical cord still attached. She has been thrown into a field to die,  despised, but the Lord calls for her to live.  Then, He sees her again as a young woman, ready to marry.  But, she is still naked and dirty.  He takes her, cleans her, clothes her, marries her, and provides for her.. so that she is like a queen.  She is beautiful and royal!  She gains fame for her great beauty.. " for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you".  

"But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your fame and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by who might be willing."  Unfaithful is a mild word for what she did... . Not only did she commit adultery, but she became addicted to her idolatry.  She was worse than a prostitute.. not collecting a fee, but bribing others to come to her!   Every idol that she could find, she wanted.  She took all that God had provided her and used it to worship a false idol.  What a graphic picture of the sins of Israel!

This is how God views sin.. all sin, unfaithfulness.. harlotry.  We have been created for Him alone.  He has provided for our every need.  He has rescued us from death and clothed us with His own garments.  He loves us perfectly.  Yet, we spurn that love and care and provision.  We trust in ourselves and not Him.  We lust for the attention of the world and give our lives to the idols of fame, riches, or whatever sin that comes along...  And we wonder why God sends judgements upon the earth!

Thank the Lord that He is faithful to His Word.  He does not forget His covenants.  He forgives our sins.  He restores us to His side.  In Christ, we are made whole and complete.  We are cleansed by His blood and made pure and holy by His Spirit.  Oh what amazing grace!

Father in heaven,  I will praise You for You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and full of love!
You will restore Your beautiful city of Jerusalem and You will bring us all into the glory of Your Presence one day soon.  Thank You for showing us Your great love.  Help us to be faithful to You always, to not grow weary of heart. Fill us with Your power from above, that we might be blameless and holy in Your sight, through Christ our Lord.  Amen and amen!