Ezekiel 17

Introduction

I think we’re beginning to see a pattern in Ezekiel, because although the Lord’s message about Jerusalem in those days was a message of judgment, the Lord also includes a message of hope and salvation. It was a message of judgment, because as we saw last week, the people of Jerusalem were like the woman in the story which the Lord told. Do you remember? When the woman in the story — who represents Jerusalem — was born, her parents did not cut her umbilical cord or wash her or care for her in anyway. In fact, instead of caring for her, they abandoned her, throwing her into an open field where they left her to die. But the Lord found her and enabled her to live and to flourish so that she grew and became a woman. And then the Lord passed by and saw that she was now ready for marriage. And so, he married her and cared for her and dressed her in fine clothes and he placed a crown on her head so that she became a queen. And by means of this story, the Lord was saying that he chose Jerusalem and he caused the city and those who lived in it to prosper. In the days of Solomon, people came from all over the world to see her magnificent buildings and they were amazed at her wealth. There was so much gold in those days, that silver was regarded as almost worthless. And they owed their prosperity to the Lord who had blessed them.

But then in the story, the woman — who represents Jerusalem — became a prostitute. In fact she was worse than a prostitute, because no one had to solicit her, because she went after other men and would give herself to them without charge. And this part of the story was about how, instead of loving the Lord, the people of Jerusalem loved and worshipped false gods and idols. They were guilty of spiritual adultery and they forsook the Lord. And when they were in trouble, instead of trusting in the Lord to deliver them, they turned to the pagan nations around them. Instead of trusting in the Lord’s unfailing love, they trusted in foreign nations and their foreign gods. And so, because of their spiritual adultery, the Lord was angry with them and he was going to bring down on them what their sins deserved. He was going to cover them with the shame of defeat when he sent the nations against Jerusalem to destroy it.

And so, the Lord’s message about Jerusalem in those days was a message of judgment. It was a message of destruction and doom. But at the end of last week’s chapter, the Lord included a message of salvation and hope, because the Lord went on to talk about Jerusalem being restored along with Sodom and Samaria, who symbolised the Gentiles nations. A day was coming when the Lord was going to restore them. He was speaking about what was going to happen after Christ’s death and resurrection, when the Lord Jesus commanded the apostles to go and make disciples of all nations. Salvation is no longer for the Jews only, but it’s for Gentiles too. It’s for everyone who trusts in Christ the Saviour.

And then the Lord went on to speak about a new, everlasting covenant which he was going to establish with his people. So, his people broke the old covenant, which the Lord made with them in the days of Moses at Mount Sinai. But the Lord was going to make a new covenant with them. And he says more about this covenant in the book of Jeremiah, where he said that according to the terms of the new covenant, he will remember our sins no more. He will remember our sins no more, because this new covenant was put into effect by the death of Christ on the cross, when he gave up his life to pay for our sins completely and forever. And since Christ has paid for our sins completely and forever, then God will not hold them against us. And so, even though we too have been unfaithful to the Lord our God, nevertheless we are not destroyed, because Christ our Saviour died to make atonement for our sins. That means he paid the ransom to deliver us from the punishment we deserve; and through faith in him our sin and guilt is washed away and we are cleansed from all that is not right. And God will remember our sins no more.

And so, at the end of a chapter which was about the sins of the people of Jerusalem and the judgment that would fall on them, the Lord spoke about restoration and about a new covenant and about atonement and about salvation. And one day, when Christ comes again in glory and with power, we’ll be presented before him as his holy bride; and we’ll be perfectly holy and perfectly happy for ever and for ever.

This is what our God does: he speaks of judgment, but he also speaks of salvation. And this is because he is merciful and gracious and he’s slow to anger and he’s abounding in steadfast love. He does not always chide, nor will he keep his anger for ever. He doesn’t deal with us according to our sins and he doesn’t repay us according to our iniquities. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. He removes them from us, because Christ our Saviour has paid for them with his life. And so, even though we deserve to be condemned and punished, we are not condemned, but pardoned. And we have peace with God and we can look forward to coming into his presence one day.

And since this is what our God is like, then it’s no surprise to find the same pattern in today’s chapter. In today’s chapter the Lord tells another story to describe what King Zedekiah did and to describe what God did to him in judgment. But the chapter ends with a message of hope and salvation, because the chapter ends with the promise of a new king to come.

In case you’ve forgotten who King Zedekiah was, let me remind you that he became king whenever Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. Jehoiachin — the previous king, whose reign lasted only three months — was taken away to Babylon along with the best people in the land, including Ezekiel. And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon made Zedekiah king in his place. But Zedekiah was really only a puppet king, because he was to rule Jerusalem and Judah on behalf of Nebuchadnezzar and he was answerable to Nebuchadnezzar and had to pay tribute to him. However, he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. And so, Nebuchadnezzar sent his army to destroy Jerusalem. Zedekiah and his sons were captured. His sons were killed before his eyes. Then he was blinded and taken away to Babylon where he was never heard of again. Presumably he died there. You can read about it in 2 Kings 24 and 25. And in 2 Chronicles 36, we’re told that, by rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah broke an oath which he had made in the name of the Lord. In those days, when you made an oath, you would say, ‘May my God do such and such to me if I break this oath.’ And since Zedekiah broke the oath he made, then the Lord punished him accordingly.

And that’s what this chapter is about. But in the end of it, the Lord promises to raise up a new and better king for his people. And that new and better king is the Lord Jesus Christ, who rules and reigns in heaven as king over all.

The chapter can be divided into three parts. In verses 1 to 10 we have the story itself. In verses 11 to 21 we have its interpretation. And in verses 22 to 24 the Lord announces the coming of the new and better king.

Verses 1 to 10

So, let’s turn to verses 1 to 10 and to this story which the Lord told. We’re told once again that the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel. And in this word from the Lord, the Lord commanded Ezekiel to set forth an ‘allegory’ and to tell the house of Israel a parable.

Allegory is the word which the NIV translators have used to translate a Hebrew word which really means riddle. Allegory isn’t the best translation, because an allegory is a made-up story which symbolises something true. Think of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress which is a made-up story to teach us about the Christian life in this world. But what we have in today’s chapter is not a made-up story. The Lord is revealing things to Ezekiel that will really happen to Zedekiah and to Jerusalem. But Lord has chosen to reveal these things to Ezekiel by means of a story about eagles and trees.

And so, it’s not really an allegory. But it is a riddle, because the Lord wants the people to think about who the eagles are and who the trees are and what it’s all about. And so, it’s a riddle. The NIV also uses the word parable, because it’s a story which signifies something. On one level it’s a story about eagles and trees. But on another, deeper level, it’s about Zedekiah and the things he did.

The Lord tells Ezekiel to tell this riddle to the house of Israel. You’ll remember that Ezekiel is in exile in Babylon. And so, the Lord is telling him to tell this riddle, not to the people in Jerusalem, but to God’s people who are now in exile.

And in the first part of the story, we’re introduced to this great eagle which has powerful wings and long feathers and full plumage of varied colours. So, this is a magnificent eagle, a great and powerful eagle, with long, colourful feathers. And the eagle came to Lebanon which was famous in those days for its cedar trees. Solomon used cedars from Lebanon to build the temple in Jerusalem. And this great eagle took hold of the top of a cedar tree and broke off the top-most shoot from the tree and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.

So, that’s the first part of the riddle. Who does the eagle represent? Who does the top-most shoot of the tree represent? Where is the land of merchants and city of traders? That’s what we want to know and that’s presumably what the people in Ezekiel’s audience were wondering too. What does this story mean?

In the second part of the story, the eagle took some of the seed of ‘your’ land, the Lord said to the exiles, and put it in fertile soil. So, this is an unusual eagle, because it’s now behaving like a gardener. Amd the eagle planted the seed by abundant water so that it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. And it produced branches and leafy boughs.

That’s the second part of the story and now we’re wondering about the identity of the seed that grew into a vine. Who is it?

In the third part of the story, we’re introduced to a second eagle. This one is also describes as being great with powerful wings and full plumage. But whereas the first eagle flew to Lebanon and took the shoot and planted it and then planted some seed beside abundant water so that is grew, the second eagle really does nothing. It does nothing at all. And yet, the vine is attracted to the second eagle and it sends out its roots and branches to it. The vine had been planted in good soil beside abundant water so that it would grow and bear fruit. In other words, while the first eagle had treated it in the right way, for some reason the vine was now drawn to the second eagle.

So, who is the second eagle? And what does it mean that the vine spread out its roots and branches to it?

And that’s the story in three parts. And it’s concluded with the Lord asking the people if the vine will thrive. Will it flourish? Or will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit and left to wither? And the Lord goes on to say that it will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up. So, it may be planted. But will it thrive? Or will it not wither completely when the hot east wind strikes it?

We can imagine Ezekiel’s audience agreeing that the vine will not thrive and it’s likely that it will be uprooted and left to wither, because instead of being loyal to the first eagle, which planted it, it turned to the second eagle, which did nothing to deserve the vine’s attention. But who are the eagles? Who is the vine? Who is the shoot from the cedar tree? What’s it all about?

Verses 11 to 21

Fortunately we have the story’s interpretation in verses 11 to 21. The Lord does not leave us in the dark, but he explains to us what the story means.

So, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel and according to the word of the Lord, Ezekiel was to ask the people if they know what these things mean. Notice that he now refers to them as ‘this rebellious house’. That’s a reminder that the exiles are in exile because they rebelled against the Lord. Instead of worshipping him, they worshipped false gods. Instead of walking in his ways and doing his will, they broke his laws and commandments. And earlier in the book, the Lord warned Ezekiel that they were hard-hearted and would not listen to him.

And yet, despite their rebellion, and despite their hard hearts, the Lord was still revealing his word to them. He was still speaking to them. He was telling them about his judgment, but he was also telling them about salvation. In other words, speaking to them demonstrates God’s grace and mercy. He hasn’t abandoned the exiles, but he’s still speaking to them in the hope that they will repent and return to him with all their hearts. And despite our sins and shortcomings, God continues to speak to us. And when he speaks to us, he not only speaks of judgment, but he also speaks to us of salvation through faith in his Son who gave up his life for sinners to make peace for us with God.

And so, the Lord speaks to his rebellious people and asks if they understand these things. Presumably they don’t, because the Lord goes on to explain it to them. And he begins by referring to the king of Babylon, who went to Jerusalem and carried off Jerusalem’s king and her nobles and he brought them to Babylon. So, this is the interpretation of the first part of the story. The great eagle, with powerful wings and long feathers and a colourful, full plumage is the king of Babylon. He was a mighty king who had conquered many nations. And he came, not to Lebanon, but to Jerusalem. But since cedars of Lebanon were used to build Jerusalem, it’s understandable why the Lord chose to describe Jerusalem as being Lebanon. And the king of Babylon captured Jehoiachin, who was Jerusalem’s king in those days. And so, Jehoiachin was the top-most shoot in the story.

So, the eagle coming to Lebanon in the story and taking the top-most shoot of a cedar tree represents the king of Babylon taking Jehoiachin captive. And the king of Babylon took Jehoiachin and the nobles of Jerusalem to Babylon, which is the land of merchants in the story.

According to verse 13, the king of Babylon took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. So, the Lord is now explaining the second part of the story, where the eagle took a seed and planted a vine. That represents how the king of Babylon made Zedekiah king in Jerusalem in place of Jehoiachin. And the king of Babylon put Zedekiah under oath. That is, he made him swear an oath of loyalty.

The Lord also says that the king of Babylon carried away the leading men of the city. Think of Daniel and his three friends. Think too of Ezekiel himself. And since the best people had been taken away, then the ones who were left would have to rely on Babylon to help them. And that meant the king and his people would have to keep the treaty they made with Babylon. And that’s signified in the story by the fact that the vine was low. It did not become a tall tree, but remained a low vine, to represent how Zedekiah was under the authority of Babylon.

According to verse 15, Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt. So, this is the third part of the story when the vine sent out its roots and branches to the second eagle. The second eagle stands for the king of Egypt.

The Lord says that Zedekiah relied on Egypt for horses and men to fight against Babylon. But will he succeed? Will he escape? That is, will he get away with breaking the treaty he made under oath with Babylon?

‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord in verse 16, he — that is Zedekiah — will die in Babylon. In other words, he will not get away with what he has done. The Lord goes on to say that Zedekiah despised the oath which he made with Babylon; and he broke the treaty which they made with each other. And that was a serious thing, because Zedekiah made the oath and treaty in the name of the Lord. And so, by breaking the oath, he was dishonouring the name of the Lord and he was making himself liable to God’s wrath and curse.

And so, the Lord announced that Pharaoh and his men will be no help to Zedekiah when the Babylonians attack Jerusalem. And he will not escape, but will die, because he despised the oath he made in the name of the Lord.

And according to verses 19 to 21, although it was Babylon who attacked Jerusalem, the Lord was the one who sent Babylon. The Lord says in verse 20 that he — the Lord — will spread a net for Zedekiah. So, the Lord depicts himself as a hunter who lays a trap for his prey. And Zedekiah is his prey and the Lord will capture him by the hand of the king of Babylon, who will bring Zedekiah to Babylon to execute judgment on him, because he was unfaithful to the Lord. His troops will flee, but they will not escape. Instead they’ll fall by the sword. Any survivors will be scattered.

And so, that’s the story and its interpretation. The first eagle is the king of Babylon. The second eagle is Egypt. Babylon took Jehoiachin away and made a treaty with Zedekiah. But Zedekiah broke the treaty and turned to Egypt. And because Zedekiah broke the oath which he made in the name of the Lord, the Lord was angry with Zedekiah and sent the Babylonians to destroy him and Jerusalem.

Verses 22 to 24

And so, we come to the final part of the passage, where the Lord announced to his rebellious people that a new and better king was coming.

The Lord says in verse 22 that he himself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and will plant it. So, Zedekiah was depicted as a vine, whereas Jehoiachin before him was depicted as a cedar tree. And that’s because Zedekiah was not the true king, because he was appointed by the king of Babylon, whereas Jehoiachin was the true king. And the new and better king will be like Jehoiachin, but only better, because the Lord will plant this new shoot on a high and lofty mountain. So, he will be above everyone else. He will be highly exalted.

And the Lord says that this shoot will produce branches and bear fruit and it will become a splendid cedar. And this represents how Christ will accomplish all he set out to do. His work as king will be fruitful. And therefore his kingdom will grow and grow and grow on the earth. He says that birds of every kind will nest in it and they’ll find shelter in the shade of its branches. That is to say, Christ’s kingdom will be expansive. It will be large. This anticipates the Lord’s parable of how his kingdom is like a mustard seed which begins small, but it will become so large that the birds of the air can perch in its shade. Christ’s kingdom will grow and grow and grow throughout the world.

And in verse 24 the Lord refers to the other trees in the field. These other trees are probably other kingdoms and nations. The people in these kingdoms will come to the realisation that the Lord God Almighty is the sovereign God who raises up and tears down. He exalts and he humbles. He humbled Israel and Judah because of their persistent rebellion and exalted Babylon. But the time will come when he will humble Babylon too. In fact, all the nations of world and the mighty empires come and go. They rise up and they’re exalted for a time. But then they’re brought down low. And the only kingdom which will last is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords and his kingdom is without end and his kingdom will continue to grow until it’s like a splendid cedar.

And so, this part of the passage recalls what we read in Daniel 2 and Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about the great statue made up of different materials. And that great statue stood for the kingdoms of the world. But then a rock appeared and knocked down the statue and smashed it. And the rock grew to become a mountain that filled the earth. And the rock represented Christ and his kingdom which will outlast all the other kingdoms of the world and it will grow and grow until it fills the earth.

And this part of the passage also recalls what we read in Isaiah 11 about a shoot that will come up from the stump of Jesse. So, when Israel is brought low and is as small as a stump, a new shoot will grow and a branch will appear. And the new shoot and branch stands for Christ the King who appeared on the earth when Israel was small and weak and was under the authority of the Roman Empire. And Isaiah said the Lord Jesus will not be like a dry stick, but like a fruitful branch, because he will accomplish what the Lord sent him to do, which is to give eternal life to his people.

Isaiah spoke of the coming king. Daniel spoke of the coming king. And Ezekiel also spoke of the coming king and his kingdom. Christ and his kingdom is like a shoot which God has planted in the world. And Christ’s kingdom will grow and grow and it will spread throughout the world.

How will it grow? It will grow, not by force, the way the Babylonian Empire grew, but by persuasion and through the preaching of the gospel in the power of the Spirit. God uses the preaching of the gospel to convince and convert sinners to a true faith in the Saviour–King. And whoever believes in him is pardoned and accepted and is added as members to his kingdom. And as members of his kingdom, we will live with him and we will reign with him for ever and for ever in the presence of our great God, who made us and who saved us.

Conclusion

God revealed this message to his people who were living in exile and who were surrounded by people who did not believe in the true God. And we too are like them, because we too are surrounded by people who do not believe. And people who do not believe rule over us and they do things and they pass laws which distress us. And perhaps we worry about the future of the church and what will become of us, just as the exiles must have wondered about the future of Jerusalem and God’s people. And so, God’s message to his exiles in Babylon is for us as well as for them. And it’s to reassure us that the Lord our God is in control. The nations of the world are in his hands and he’s able to raise up one and tear down another, because all of them are under his authority and control. And he has appointed his Son as king over all. And Christ the king is building his kingdom on the earth and nothing and no-one can stop him.

And so, we needn’t be afraid of anything in the world, because the nations are in the hands of our Mighty God; and Christ our King is building his church on the earth and he’s extending his kingdom. And he will continue to do so until he comes again to overthrow all his enemies who did not believe and to bring his believing people into the new creation where we will reign with him in the new and better world to come. And that’s why we must trust in Christ the Saviour–King, because everyone who trusts in him will live and reign with him for ever and for ever.

And when we worry about our own weakness and the weakness of the church, all we need to do is believe what the Lord says right at the end of today’s chapter. Take a look at the last words, where the Lord says to us: ‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’ It’s as if the Lord has written his signature at the bottom of his promise about the coming king. He’s signed his promise to confirm that it is true and he will do what he has said. And when we’re troubled by the state of the world and by the weakness of the church, we need to remember God’s signature and keep believing that he will do what he said he will do. And so, he will convert the nations through the preaching of the gospel; and he will extend Christ’s kingdom in all the world. Christ’s kingdom will become like a splendid cedar and will fill the earth. The Lord has spoken and he will do it.

And so, we must keep believing that he will do what he says he will do. And we should obey Christ our King in our daily lives and, by the way we live, make clear to the people around us that Christ is the true king over all.