You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it. You prepared room for it, and caused it to take deep root, and it filled the land. (Psalm 80:9)
There are many instances in Scripture where Israel is compared to a vine. Isaiah devotes many passages to this allegory, as do the prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Here, the psalmist refers to Israel as a vine that the Lord uprooted from Egypt in order to plant them in better soil — that is, Canaan. Once there, like a choice vine, the people began to take root and thrive. Spring-boarding from this idea, Jewish commentators identify different ways Israel’s purpose is revealed in the life of a healthy vine.
For example, though the vine is alive and producing fruit, it is supported by posts of dead wood. Likewise, God’s people have inherited promise and purpose from men like Abraham, though he has long been dead. As it is written, “Those who are of faith are sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). Secondly, when the vine is healthy and productive, the fruit produced is of great value and serves an important purpose. Messiah alluded to this when He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit. … By this My Father is glorified” (John 15:5, 8).
Unfortunately, not all these comparisons are good; for instance, in Isaiah it is written, “The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression” (Isaiah 5:7). And so it is that if the vine fails to thrive on one piece of ground, the farmer will uproot it and plant it elsewhere. Likewise, when Israel rebelled against God and “brought forth wild grapes” (Isaiah 5:2), He uprooted them from the Land of Promise and planted them among the nations.
Yet even when His people have resisted His Will and His Word, even when they have been exiled to foreign lands, He has never let them die out completely. As a good vinedresser, He prunes the vine and removes the unproductive wood but always with an eye on bringing forth life and fruitfulness. So, when we feel that He is pruning us and cutting away everything that is “dead,” even if we feel that He is uprooting us, do not distress — He knows what He is doing. He is preparing room for us to grow and enabling us to bring forth abundant fruit.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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