The true vine

Israel was familiar with the analogy of a vine. The nation was God’s choice vine. The psalmist wrote that Israel was a vine “out of Egypt.” God “cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land” (Psalm 80:8-9). Hosea wrote that Israel was like a vine in the land of Canaan. God blessed her with much fruit (i.e., prosperity). However, as the nation prospered, Israel attributed its success to false gods instead of the Lord (Hosea 10:1). In the New Testament, Jesus likens the vine to himself. He is the true vine, fulfilling what God had intended for Israel.