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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1712)
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>E Z E K I E L.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XV.</FONT>
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<P>
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Ezekiel has again and again, in God's name, foretold the utter ruin of
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Jerusalem; but, it should seem, he finds it hard to reconcile himself
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to it, and to acquiesce in the will of God in this severe dispensation;
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and therefore God takes various methods to satisfy him not only that it
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shall be so, but that there is no remedy: it must be so; it is fit that
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it should be so. Here, in this short chapter, he shows him (probably
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with design that he should tell the people) that it was as requisite
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Jerusalem should be destroyed as that the dead and withered branches of
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a vine should be cut off and thrown into the fire.
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I. The similitude is very elegant
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+15:1-5">ver. 1-5</A>),
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but,
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II. The explanation of the similitude is very dreadful,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+15:6-8">ver. 6-8</A>.</P>
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<A NAME="Eze15_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze15_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze15_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze15_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze15_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze15_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze15_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze15_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Jerusalem a Condemned Vine.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 593.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 And the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> came unto me, saying,
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2 Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, <I>or
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than</I> a branch which is among the trees of the forest?
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3 Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will <I>men</I>
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take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
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4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth
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both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet
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for <I>any</I> work?
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5 Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much
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less shall it be meet yet for <I>any</I> work, when the fire hath
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devoured it, and it is burned?
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6 Therefore thus saith the Lord G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT>; As the vine tree among the
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trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so
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will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
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7 And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from
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<I>one</I> fire, and <I>another</I> fire shall devour them; and ye shall
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know that I <I>am</I> the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, when I set my face against them.
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8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have
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committed a trespass, saith the Lord G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT>.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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The prophet, we may suppose, was thinking what a glorious city
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Jerusalem was, above any city in the world; it was the crown and <I>joy
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of the whole earth;</I> and therefore what a pity it was that it should
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be destroyed; it was a noble structure, the city of God, and the city
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of Israel's solemnities. But, if these were the thoughts of his heart,
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God here returns an answer to them by comparing Jerusalem to a vine.
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1. It is true, if a vine be fruitful, it is a most valuable tree, none
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more so; it was one of those that were courted to have dominion over
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the trees, and the fruit of it is such as <I>cheers God and man</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jdg+9:12,13">Judg. ix. 12, 13</A>);
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it <I>makes glad the heart,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+104:15">Ps. civ. 15</A>.
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So Jerusalem was <I>planted a choice and noble vine, wholly a right
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seed</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+2:21">Jer. ii. 21</A>);
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and, if it had brought forth fruit suitable to its character as a holy
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city, it would have been the glory both of God and Israel. It was a
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vine which <I>God's right hand had planted,</I> a <I>branch out of a
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dry ground,</I> which, though its original was mean and despicable, God
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had <I>made strong for himself</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+80:15">Ps. lxxx. 15</A>),
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to be <I>to him for a name and for a praise.</I>
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2. But, if it be not fruitful, it is good for nothing, it is as
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worthless and useless a production of the earth as even thorns and
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briers are: <I>What is the vine-tree,</I> if you take the tree by
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itself, without consideration of the fruit? <I>What is it more than any
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tree,</I> that it should have so much care taken of it and so much cost
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laid out upon it? What is a branch of the vine, though it spread
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<I>more than a branch which is among the trees of the forest,</I> where
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it grows neglected and exposed? Or, as some read it, <I>What is the
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vine more than any tree if the branch of it be as the trees of the
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forest;</I> that is, if it bear no fruit, as forest-trees seldom do,
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being designed for timber-trees, not fruit-trees? Now there are some
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fruit-trees which, if they do not bear, are nevertheless of good use,
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as the wood of them may be made to turn to a good account; but the vine
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is not of this sort: if that do not answer its end as a fruit-tree, it
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is worth nothing as a timber-tree. Observe,</P>
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<P>
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I. How this similitude is expressed here. The wild vine, that <I>is
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among the trees of the forest,</I> or the empty vine (which Israel is
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compared to,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+10:1">Hos. x. 1</A>),
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that bears no more fruit than a forest-tree, is good for nothing; it is
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as useless as a brier, and more so, for that will add some sharpness to
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the thorny hedge, which the vine-branch will not do. He shows,
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1. That it is fit for no use. The <I>wood</I> of it is not <I>taken to
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do any work;</I> one cannot so much as make <I>a pin of it to hand a
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vessel upon,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+15:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>.
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See how variously the gifts of nature are dispensed for the service of
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man. Among the plants, the roots of some, the seeds or fruits of
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others, the leaves of others, and of some the stalks, are most
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serviceable to us; so, among trees, some are strong and not fruitful,
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as the oaks and cedars; others are weak but very fruitful, as the vine,
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which is unsightly, low, and depending, yet of great use. Rachel is
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comely but barren, Leah homely but fruitful.
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2. That therefore it is made use of <I>for fuel;</I> it will serve to
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heat the oven with. Because <I>it is</I> not <I>meet for any work, it
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is cast into the fire,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+15:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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When it is good for nothing else it is useful this way, and answers a
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very needful intention, <I>for fuel</I> is a thing we must have, and to
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burn any thing for fuel which is good for other work is bad husbandry.
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<I>To what purpose is this waste?</I> The unfruitful vine is disposed
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of in the same way with the briers and thorns, which are rejected, and
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<I>whose end is to be burnt,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+6:8">Heb. vi. 8</A>.
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And what care is taken of it then? If a piece of solid timber be
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kindled, somebody perhaps may snatch it <I>as a brand out of the
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burning,</I> and say, "It is a pity to burn it, for it may be put to
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some better use;" but if the branch of a vine be on fire, and, as
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usual, both the ends of it and the middle be kindled together, nobody
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goes about to save it. <I>When it was whole it was meet for no work,
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much less when the fire has devoured it</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+15:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>);
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even the ashes of it are not worth saving.</P>
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<P>
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II. How this similitude is applied to Jerusalem.
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1. That holy city had become unprofitable and good for nothing. It had
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been as <I>the vine-tree among the trees of the</I> vineyard, abounding
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in the fruits of righteousness to the glory of God. When religion
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flourished there, and the pure worship of God was kept up, many a
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joyful vintage was then gathered in from it; and, while it continued
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so, God made a hedge about it; it was his <I>pleasant plant</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+5:7">Isa. v. 7</A>);
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he <I>watered it every moment</I> and <I>kept it night and day</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+27:3">Isa. xxvii. 3</A>);
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but it had now become <I>the degenerate plant of a strange vine,</I> of
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a wild vine (such as we read of
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+4:39">2 Kings iv. 39</A>),
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<I>a vine-tree among the trees of the wild grapes</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+5:4">Isa. v. 4</A>),
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which are not only of no use, but are nauseous and noxious
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+32:32">Deut. xxxii. 32</A>),
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<I>their grapes are grapes of gall, and their clusters are bitter.</I>
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It is explained
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+15:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>):
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"<I>They have trespassed a trespass,</I> that is, they have
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treacherously prevaricated with God and perfidiously apostatized from
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him;" for so the word signifies. Note, Professors of religion, if they
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do not live up to their profession, but contradict it, if they
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degenerate and depart from it, are the most unprofitable creatures in
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the world, like the <I>salt</I> that has <I>lost its savour</I> and is
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thenceforth <I>good for nothing,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+9:50">Mark ix. 50</A>.
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Other nations were famed for valour or politics, some for war, others
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for trade, and retained their credit; but the Jewish nation, being
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famous as a holy people, when they lost their holiness, and became
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wicked, were thenceforth <I>good for nothing;</I> with that they lost
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all their credit and usefulness, and became the most base and
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despicable people under the sun, <I>trodden under foot of the
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Gentiles.</I> Daniel, and other pious Jews, were of great use in their
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generation; but the idolatrous Jews then, and the unbelieving Jews now
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since the preaching of the gospel, have been, and are, of no common
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service, not fit <I>for any work.</I>
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2. Being so, it is <I>given to the fire for fuel,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+15:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
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Note, Those who are not fruitful to the glory of God's grace will be
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fuel to the fire of his wrath; and thus, if they give not honour to
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him, he will <I>get himself honour upon them,</I> honour that will
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shine brightly in that flaming fire by which impenitent sinners will be
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for ever consumed. He will not be a loser at last by any of his
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creatures. <I>The Lord has made all things for himself,</I> yea,
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<I>even the wicked,</I> that would not otherwise be for him, <I>for the
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day of evil</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+16:4">Prov. xvi. 4</A>);
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and in those who would not glorify him as <I>the God to whom</I> duty
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<I>belongs</I> he will be glorified as <I>the God to whom vengeance
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belongs.</I> The fire of God's wrath had before <I>devoured both the
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ends of</I> the Jewish nation
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+15:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>),
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Samaria and the cities of Judah; and now Jerusalem, that was <I>the
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midst of it,</I> was thrown <I>into the fire,</I> to be <I>burnt</I>
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too, for <I>it is meet for no work;</I> it will not be wrought upon, by
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any of the methods God has taken, to be serviceable to him. <I>The
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inhabitants of Jerusalem</I> were like a vine-branch, rotten and
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awkward; and therefore
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+15:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>),
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"<I>I will set my face against them,</I> to thwart all their counsels,"
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as they set their faces against God, to contradict his word and defeat
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all his designs. It is decreed; the consumption is determined: <I>I
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will make the land</I> quite <I>desolate,</I> and therefore, when they
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<I>go out from one fire, another fire shall devour them</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+15:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>);
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the end of one judgment shall be the beginning of another, and their
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escape from one only a reprieve till another comes; they shall go from
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misery in their own country to misery in Babylon. Those who kept out
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of the way of the sword perished by famine or pestilence. When one
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descent of the Chaldean forces upon them was over, and they thought,
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<I>Surely the bitterness of death is past,</I> yet soon after they
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returned again with double violence, till they had made a full end.
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Thus <I>they shall know that I am the Lord,</I> a God of almighty
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power, <I>when I set my face against them.</I> Note, God shows himself
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to be <I>the Lord,</I> by perfecting the destruction of his implacable
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enemies as well as the deliverances of his obedient people. Those whom
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God <I>sets his face,</I> though they may come out of one trouble
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little hurt, will fall into another; though they <I>come out of the
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pit,</I> they will be <I>taken in the snare</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+24:18">Isa. xxiv. 18</A>);
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though they escape <I>the sword of Hazael,</I> they will fall by that
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of Jehu
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+19:17">1 Kings xix. 17</A>);
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for <I>evil pursues sinners.</I> Nay, though <I>they go out from the
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fire</I> of temporal judgments, and seem to die in peace, yet there is
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an everlasting fire that will <I>devour them;</I> for, <I>when God
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judges,</I> first or last <I>he will overcome,</I> and he will be
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<I>known by the judgments which he executes.</I> See
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+3:10,Joh+15:6">Matt. iii. 10; John xv. 6</A>.</P>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1712)
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