In this short chapter, Yahweh calls the people of Jerusalem a useless vine. The only real use a grapevine has to produce grapes. If the people of Jerusalem are a “useless vine” then it means they aren’t producing fruit.
If a vine doesn’t make grapes then you can’t do much else with it except make a decorative wreath.
The wood isn’t strong enough to be made into anything useful and it’s not a practical source of fuel for fire. But into the fire it will go anyway. And this short message sounds an awful lot like another chapter 15…
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.”
John 15:1-6 NLT
Here’s something to ponder…
It’s the same speaker in both chapters.
The Word of the LORD has never changed. He was seeking fruit from His people in Ezekiel’s time and when He walked the earth in the sandals of Jesus. 🍇
“When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”
John 15:8 NLT
If you’d like to meditate more on how to be a useful (fruit-bearing) vine, one of my favorite devotional books is Abide In Christ by Andrew Murray. It’s about a century old and it’s in the public domain. You can buy the ebook for $3.00 or less on most ebook platforms. Or, you can read it or listen to it online for free:
To The Reader 