Christ and God's Power to Bring Low or Make Tall
Text Ezekiel 17 Time 15 10 06 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church
We're looking at the prophecy of Ezekiel and we've come to Ezekiel 17. Once again we have a parable or allegory. We've seen Ezekiel speaking plainly and acting out little dramas to impress the truth on the people, now he is giving them parables or allegories - stories with meanings. We have had the parable of the vine in Chapter 15 and the allegory of Israel as an abandoned baby girl brought up by God in Chapter 16. Now we have a picture involving chiefly a vine and two eagles. Once again there is a word of judgement here but once again there is also a word of hope.
We're looking at the prophecy of Ezekiel and we've come to Ezekiel 17. Once again we have a parable or allegory. We've seen Ezekiel speaking plainly and acting out little dramas to impress the truth on the people, now he is giving them parables or allegories - stories with meanings. We have had the parable of the vine in Chapter 15 and the allegory of Israel as an abandoned baby girl brought up by God in Chapter 16. Now we have a picture involving chiefly a vine and two eagles. Once again there is a word of judgement here but once again there is also a word of hope.
The word of hope again comes towards the end – 22-24: where God says I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; ... On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. It will not surprise you to be told that this is a prophecy of Messiah or the Christ. This is one of the things we want to talk about then, but let's begin by getting into our time machine and going back to the time of Ezekiel.
1. Consider the picture God uses here
1. Be thankful that God speaks with variety and in picture language
1. Consider the picture God uses here
1. Be thankful that God speaks with variety and in picture language
The chapter begins The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell the house of Israel a parable. Say to them, This is what the Sovereign LORD says. Hebrews 1 talks about the way God spoke to his people at different times and in different ways over the years. One of the things that will strike you about the Old Testament as you read it is its tremendous variety. God does not confine himself to just one way of communicating the truth. One of the many ways he uses is to give pictures – allegories, parables, similes and metaphors. Jesus himself often used such things. This makes things so much easier for us in so many ways. We can get pictures in our heads and actually see what God is talking about. That's one reason why we can teach the Bible even to very young children. Of course, it's important to get the meaning of what is being said but if we can at least get the pictures, it is a start. This one is fairly easy. The main things you have to think of are a vine – a plant on which grapes are growing and two large eagles.
So our first point is that God is keen to communicate with us. He wants to speak to us and to do so he uses all sorts of ways to reach us. Of course, there has to be content to the message – words, ideas, teaching – but there is a great variety. We too should be willing to be varied in our preaching and in the way we communicate to others. As long as we have biblical content there is a lot we can do.
2. Note the main elements in the picture – the two eagles and the vine
1 The story begins with A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colours. It is no ordinary eagle then. An eagle obviously suggests power. We will identify the power later. The eagle comes first to Lebanon just to the north of Israel. Taking hold of the top of a cedar (the cedar is the symbol of Lebanon – they still have it on their flag today) we are told (4) he broke off its topmost shoot (the king or king and nobles then) and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders. He also (5, 6) took some of the seed of your land (the Promised Land) and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water, and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. (I'm sure you know what the vine stands for!). Its branches turned towards him, (the eagle) but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.
2 Then we read that (7, 8) there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. Another power then. The vine now sent out its roots towards him (the second eagle) from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him (the second eagle again) for water. It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.
2. Note the main elements in the picture – the two eagles and the vine
1 The story begins with A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colours. It is no ordinary eagle then. An eagle obviously suggests power. We will identify the power later. The eagle comes first to Lebanon just to the north of Israel. Taking hold of the top of a cedar (the cedar is the symbol of Lebanon – they still have it on their flag today) we are told (4) he broke off its topmost shoot (the king or king and nobles then) and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders. He also (5, 6) took some of the seed of your land (the Promised Land) and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water, and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. (I'm sure you know what the vine stands for!). Its branches turned towards him, (the eagle) but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.
2 Then we read that (7, 8) there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. Another power then. The vine now sent out its roots towards him (the second eagle) from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him (the second eagle again) for water. It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.
So here is picture language, language we can all understand - a massive bird swoops down and grabs the top of a cedar and some seed from Israel and replants them as a cedar and a leafy vine. There is also a second eagle. The leafy vine reaches out to it for water with its roots and branches. Of course, this all has a meaning which we will come to but always the way to proceed is to get the picture clear first then seek to see its meaning.
3. Consider the message Ezekiel is to deliver in light of this picture
3. Consider the message Ezekiel is to deliver in light of this picture
In 9, 10 Ezekiel is told to focus on the vine and to Say to them, This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? The answer is clear All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots. Even if it is transplanted, will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it - wither away in the plot where it grew? Here is a message of doom regarding this vine then.
When I was in school we used to have morning assemblies and sometimes boys would be naughty and so the teacher at the front would point and say 'You boy, get out!' The trouble was that in a hall of 400 children it was not always clear who was being pointed to. Boys with tender consciences would think it must be them but the teacher would say 'No, not you'. Others were rather brazen and it could take a little while before they would get up and go. It got quite comical sometimes. Something similar can happen when we come across warnings like this one in the Bible – and there are plenty of them, especially in the prophets – we can react in one of two ways. We can say either "that surely has nothing to do with me" or "I wonder if that might be a warning for me". By far the safest way to proceed is to assume that the warning has something to say to us. Maybe we are the ones who are not going to thrive, who are going to be uprooted and stripped and wither. May be we are the ones who will wither away and not thrive. Let's at least have the possibility in mind, as difficult as it may seem to take. Is God warning me here?
2. Consider the meaning of the picture and the word of judgement it contains
1. Identify the principle elements in the picture
2. Consider the meaning of the picture and the word of judgement it contains
1. Identify the principle elements in the picture
11, 12 Then the word of the LORD came to me: Say to this rebellious house, Do you not know what these things mean? Say to them: ... If you saw a cartoon with a bald eagle fighting a brown bear over a shamrock you would guess it has something to do with America and Russia arguing over something to do with Ireland. Now we have already guessed that the reference to a vine must be something to do with Israel. The Vine is their emblem. (We already said that the cedar stands for Lebanon). Eagles we have suggested stand for great powers. Think of how various empires, including America today, have used the eagle as an emblem. There are two here and in the explanation the two are explained to be representing Babylon, the super power of the day, and Egypt – not the power it once was but still powerful.
What we read in the Bible has a meaning. It isn't just stories like Peter Pan or Robin Hood. It isn't so much nonsense. Often it is a matter of simply reading carefully in order to find out what it means. The eagles are identified here and it is not hard to work out what the vine stands for. Once we see that the rest should follow.
2. Consider the judgement God brings on his people
What we read in the Bible has a meaning. It isn't just stories like Peter Pan or Robin Hood. It isn't so much nonsense. Often it is a matter of simply reading carefully in order to find out what it means. The eagles are identified here and it is not hard to work out what the vine stands for. Once we see that the rest should follow.
2. Consider the judgement God brings on his people
So it goes on The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon. The King of Babylon at this time was Nebuchadnezzar. The King of Israel mentioned you will discover, if you read through Kings and Chronicles, is a man called Jeconiah who was carried off to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. We then read in verse 13 how Nebuchadnezzar took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. This refers to the way Nebuchadnezzar set up Mattaniah, son of King Josiah, Jeconiah's uncle, as a puppet king in Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar gave him the name Zedekiah. Nebuchadnezzar, we are told, also carried away the leading men of the land, so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. This refers to how people like Ezekiel and others were taken into exile as part of God's judgement through Nebuchadnezzar.
This is a reminder that everything that happens happens because God wills it. Everything going on in North Korea and Iraq and Darfur and Zimbabwe, etc, is happening as part of God's will. Sometimes he uses wicked men to chastise his people and to bring his judgements on them. We ought to keep in mind that we are currently under God's judgement in this country and part of the reason why bad things happen is because of the sins of his people.
3. Consider the way God's people looked for help to men not God and the judgement pronounced
3. Consider the way God's people looked for help to men not God and the judgement pronounced
Instead of humbling himself before God and before King Nebuchadnezzar, what did Zedekiah do? We read (15) But the king rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Instead of turning to God, Zedekiah looks for human help. He looks to Egypt. Will he succeed? Ezekiel asks. Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape? He should know that God hates treaty breaking, covenant breaking. Nebuchadnezzar had given him the name 'The LORD is my righteousness' (that's what Zedekiah means). Why was he not remembering that?
So here is the verdict (16-18) As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke. Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives. He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape. Despite the advice of Jeremiah and other good men this young man was determined to rebel but it all came to nothing as predicted here. In 589 BC Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem and then plundered it. Zedekiah tried to escape but was captured.
So here is the verdict (16-18) As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke. Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives. He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape. Despite the advice of Jeremiah and other good men this young man was determined to rebel but it all came to nothing as predicted here. In 589 BC Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem and then plundered it. Zedekiah tried to escape but was captured.
So often when we're in trouble our instinct is to look to men rather than to God. We think the answer is in them but the answer is always rather in God and we must always look to him. Don't make the mistake Zedekiah made. He looked to Egypt and it got him nowhere. Look rather to God for his mercy. We may need to be humbled but he will hear us if we cry to him.
4. Hear this word of judgement on oath breakers
4. Hear this word of judgement on oath breakers
19-21 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will bring down on his head my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke. I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgement upon him there because he was unfaithful to me. All his fleeing troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken. After letting him see his own children die, the cruel Babylonians blinded him and took him to Babylon where he lived out his days, as stated here. To break your promise is never right. Zedekiah's behaviour was inexcusable and he was made to suffer the consequences.
What will happen to you if you are unfaithful – to your wife, your business partner, your creditors, the people you work for, your customers, your fellow believers, your friends? We must be honest and upright whatever it costs. God hates anything else and will judge covenant breakers. We must be holy and if we are not then there will be judgement.
3. Look to Christ the low, dry Tree that will grow tall and strong
3. Look to Christ the low, dry Tree that will grow tall and strong
So again it is the tale of human folly and the judgement of God. It is a comfort to know that things don't just happen in a random way but are all part of God's plan but again it is a message of warning and judgement. It all seems rather bleak then but just at the end there is another word of hope, a word that takes us forward all the way to the time of the coming of Messiah. So
1. Consider what God says he is going to do
1. Consider what God says he is going to do
22, 23a This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it. This time it is not an eagle – not a power, not even a superpower – but God himself. He is the one who now takes a shoot from the very top of a cedar, the one who takes that tender sprig and plants it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel he plants it.
Here we have a clear reference to the coming of Messiah, the Christ. Nebuchadnezzar and those who have followed him can do a lot, under God, but God himself has his own plans. He has sent Messiah to this earth – a tender sprig – a mere man he is and yet somehow he is God come to us in the flesh. Of the line of David he has now been exalted in Israel and has completed the work God had fro him to do. Do you see the connections?
2. Consider the glorious future envisaged for his Messiah
2. Consider the glorious future envisaged for his Messiah
It goes on, it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. That last phrase is one that Jesus himself takes up when he describes the growth of the kingdom of God. It starts like a grain of mustard seed but becomes a great tree like this one.
Again isn't that what we have seen happen? There were just 12 disciples at the beginning. Say 500 trusted in him when he ascended into heaven. And then the Spirit was poured out and 3000 believed on the Day of Pentecost. Then the gospel went out from Jerusalem to all Judea and into Samaria and to the ends of the earth. It has come to this land and to many, many nations all over the world. Thousands and millions have come to trust in the Lord. I want to urge you once again, if you have never come to find shelter under his shade to do so today. If you are joined to him you can bear fruit to God's glory. Outside him you can do nothing. Don't look to the so called powers of human ability but look to him. He alone can make a difference.
3. Learn the lesson set out so clearly here
3. Learn the lesson set out so clearly here
The final verse sums things up All the trees of the field will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it. God, on the one hand, is able to bring down the tall tree and dry up the green tree. Some are so proud, so full of themselves. They think that they need nothing. But God can bring them low – he will.
Are you proud? Are you full of self? Realise that God can bring you low in moment. He raises up and he brings down as he will. Humble yourself before him.
On the other hand he is also able make the low tree grow tall and make the dry tree flourish. Are you a nobody, a nothing: Do you see how weak and lowly you are? Are you poor in spirit? Then there is hope for you. It is people like that that God uses. O cry to him to show you mercy and to use you in his service today.
On the other hand he is also able make the low tree grow tall and make the dry tree flourish. Are you a nobody, a nothing: Do you see how weak and lowly you are? Are you poor in spirit? Then there is hope for you. It is people like that that God uses. O cry to him to show you mercy and to use you in his service today.
