15 And the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any wood, the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest? 3 Is wood taken from it to make anything? Do people take a peg from it to hang any vessel on it? 4 Behold, it is given to the fire for fuel. When the fire has consumed both ends of it, and the middle of it is charred, is it useful for anything? 5 Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything! 6 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 7 And I will set my face against them. Though they escape from the fire, the fire shall yet consume them, and you will know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them. 8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have acted faithlessly, declares the Lord God.”
The metaphor of the vine, used in these verses, is a very common one in Scripture, (cf Psalm 80:8-13; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 2:21; Hosea 10:1; Matthew 21:33-41; John 15), and the imagery is uniform throughout, whether on the lips of the prophets or on the lips of our Lord Himself. The vine, bringing forth its appointed fruit, was among the most precious of the earth's provisions, but when it failed to do so, it was utterly worthless for anything except firewood. This is the point made in 2 and 3. You can take wood from the oak tree and make furniture with it, but you cannot even make a peg with the wood of the vine to hang anything on. The point that Ezekiel is making is that the fact that Israel did not yield the fruit expected of her meant there was no other function for her to perform in the world; when she failed here, she failed in everything. Israel had failed in her only true and proper function, and in the only real reason for her existence. Her calling was to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and when she failed to be this, she was ready for being cast off. As long as ever she was prepared to be this, her existence was secured, and her prosperity guaranteed, but inasmuch and insofar as she failed to bear this fruit, she lost the only justification for her continued existence. This is as true of the Church and of individuals among God's people as it was with Israel. If we fail in our appointed tasks, God will see to it we will not succeed in any other. This is why backsliders are often such useless and feckless members of society. God spoils them for anything else, except fruit-bearing. This is a very sobering thought but it is the lesson that the metaphor of the vine teaches us. There are no alternative functions for those called of God, and if we fail in those appointed for us we cannot be used for anything else.