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Daily Devotions

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 
Day 
Day 140

"The vine branch"

Text: Ezekiel 15:2

A HUGE PROBLEM OF PRIDE

The problem of human pride is age-old! The prophets of God were sent to warn Israel and Judah of the grave sin of pride. Ezekiel was also instructed to preach against the sin of pride.

“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
‘Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood,
the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest?'”
Ezekiel 15:1-2

1. Seven things the LORD hates.

“These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.”
Proverbs 6:16-19

a) The first on this list is the sin of “pride”.

b) Israel was guilty of all of these sins!

2. The symbolic Vine.

a) The vine was a common symbol of Israel.

b) It was referred to in Isaiah 5 specifically.

c) Israel had become a foolish and unfruitful vine.

3. Foolish notions

a) The Lord addressed the problem of how Israel compared itself to other trees.

b) God questioned the validity and wisdom of this line of reasoning.

i) The wood of the Vine versus the wood of other trees.

ii) The wood of the cedar, the oak etc were far better than that of the Vine.

c) Israel took pride in being a vine.

i) This was spurious comparison.

ii) This was futile reasoning.

iii) In no way is the wood of the vine superior to the other trees in the forests.