Look to the Lion of Judah, the True Vine
Text Ezekiel 19 Time 05 11 06 Place Childs Hill Baptist ChurchWe come this week to the last of the visions in the second cycle of visions in the prophecy of Ezekiel. The first cycle is in Chapters 1-7 and the second in Chapters 8-19. The first set of visions began in the fourth month on the fifth day of what was Ezekiel's thirtieth year and the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin and the second set began just over a year later In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day.Now these visions are quite varied in their presentation. Ezekiel has amazing visions of God's glory; he warns the people sternly; under God he engages in drawn out symbolic acts before the people. He is able to see things happening elsewhere and sees the glory depart from the Temple. At other times he speaks plainly or he uses parables. Then here in Chapter 19 he sings. He sings a sad song – a lament, something appropriate for a funeral. He is told by God (1) Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel. Once again he uses picture language. First he speaks about a lioness and her cubs and then of a vine in a vineyard. In some ways it is not difficult to grasp what he is saying but we do need to do two things if the chapter is going to be of any use to us. Let's ask two questions first then to help us.
1. What is the background history here?
1. What is the background history here?
The background to the period is set out very clearly in Kings and Chronicles so we can fairly easily see what Ezekiel is alluding to here. The people of that time would certainly have followed. As we've said before, once you know the references, it is pretty easy to see the point. So if today I talk about a man who talks to his plants and wants to be the defender of faiths travelling with the woman who would be queen to the land of jasmine and the deodar cedar, where the earthquake took place – you know that I am referring to Prince Charles's recent trip to Pakistan with his wife Camilla. In a similar way it is relatively easy to work out who is the lioness here with the strong lion cubs and the fruitful vine that is burned up.
2. What use is this chapter to us today?
2. What use is this chapter to us today?
We don't simply want to know about history, of course. We are concerned to know what this passage has to say to us today. What does it show us about Christ and about being a Christian? How does it help us to think about serving the Lord in our own day? You see, there is no direct reference (I believe) to Christ in this passage so how can we learn about him from it? Sometimes the way we learn about Christ in the Bible, strangely, is by seeing what is not said. Before the days of TV many people went for entertainment to what was called the music hall. A variety of artists (singers, comedians, novelty acts, etc) would perform. There was a woman in the days of music hall called Mari Lloyd. These were the days of strict censorship and every now and again Mari Lloyd would be in trouble because of something she was alleged to have said. She was never prosecuted, however, as whenever they investigated they would find that although she could be very suggestive, she never actually said anything that was prohibited. Her technique was to suggest things to people's minds without saying anything explicit. Now in a similar way, although this passage says nothing directly about Christ, a Christian cannot help thinking of Christ because of the things that are found here. This is especially so when we think of the fact that the Messiah or Christ is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And when we read here of a branch of the vine being fit for a ruler's sceptre we are again pointed to Christ.
So with that background I want to say three things to you.
1. Realise that though individuals may be lionised they all fail in the end1. Consider the rise and fall of Jehoahaz described here
So with that background I want to say three things to you.
1. Realise that though individuals may be lionised they all fail in the end1. Consider the rise and fall of Jehoahaz described here
Ezekiel's lament begins by saying (2) What a lioness was your mother among the lions! She lay down among the young lions and reared her cubs. This is no doubt a reference to Hamutal. Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah was from Libnah and she was the mother of two kings. First, of Jehoahaz II. 3 She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he devoured men. Lion cubs are quite cuddly creatures but they soon grow up and are strong, fierce animals that can rip a human being apart. In a similar way, Jehoahaz grew powerful and when he was 23 years old he became the King of Israel. But he abused his power to promote idolatry. The word 'to lionise' means to celebrate a person, assigning great importance to him. That is how it was in Israel regarding Jehoahaz.
But (4) The nations heard about him, and he was trapped in their pit. They led him with hooks to the land of Egypt. Pharaoh Necho captured him and carried him off to imprisonment in Egypt. Jehoahaz died down in Egypt. He had not been king for more than three months. Some evil men last longer, of course, much longer in some cases, but they all fall in the end.
But (4) The nations heard about him, and he was trapped in their pit. They led him with hooks to the land of Egypt. Pharaoh Necho captured him and carried him off to imprisonment in Egypt. Jehoahaz died down in Egypt. He had not been king for more than three months. Some evil men last longer, of course, much longer in some cases, but they all fall in the end.
At the moment Saddam Hussein is very much in the news. In the past we have seen the rise and fall of Idi Amin and Emperor Bokassa and Ceacescu and Honecker and Pol Pot. Others will fall soon too. You get the same thing in other spheres – in the religious world, in the social world, in the world of sport and art and entertainment too. They rise, they fall.
2. Consider the rise and fall of Zedekiah described here
2. Consider the rise and fall of Zedekiah described here
5 When she saw her hope unfulfilled, her expectation gone, she took another of her cubs and made him a strong lion. In between we have the 11 year reign of Jehoiachim and the very brief reign of Jehoiachin but the focus is on how Hamutal turned next to the third son of Josiah, a man named Mattaniah but whom Nebuchadnezzar gave the name Zedekiah. When he was 21 years old he became king. 6, 7 He prowled among the lions, for he was now a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he devoured men. He broke down their strongholds and devastated their towns. The land and all who were in it were terrified by his roaring. Although the nation was already a vassal to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, Zedekiah threw his weight about and thought that he could still be a mover and a shaker in his own corner and be someone great. But it is the same story – 8 Then the nations came against him, those from regions round about. They spread their net for him, and he was trapped in their pit. This alludes to the fearful siege of Jerusalem led by Nebuchadnezzar. As you know, Zedekiah was thoroughly defeated and carried off to Babylon. It probably had not happened at this point but Ezekiel describes it vividly (9) With hooks they pulled him into a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison, so his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel. That was the end of his roaring.
The leaders of this world can seem so grand at times. They do a lot of roaring but it is all - in Shakespeare's famous words from Macbeth - 'but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.' They are but men. They cannot last. Do not put your confidence in them.
2. Realise how often a whole series of human comings and goings comes to nothing in the endFrom verse 10 Ezekiel comes at things from another angle, this time using the vine as an illustration. 10, 11 Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. Its branches were strong, fit for a ruler's sceptre. The mother here is probably not Hamutal but David's wife Bathsheba. The vine refers to all those who have ruled over Israel and then Judah down the years from David through Solomon, when It towered high above the thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches and on through Rehoboam and the eight good kings Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah and Josiah, and evil men like Manasseh, Jehoahaz, Jehoiachim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah.
Down the long years God continued to provide (12) But it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground. The east wind made it shrivel, it was stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire consumed them. 13, 14 Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. Fire spread from one of its main branches and consumed its fruit. No strong branch is left on it fit for a ruler's sceptre. This is a lament and is to be used as a lament. How sad and poignant it is. Sad songs have a particular power to move us. People like them in a strange way. There was a collection just of sad songs on sale a while ago. I suppose it helps us to express the emotions we are feeling but we need to be careful. I heard of a song recently and apparently a number of people have actually committed suicide because of this song, it is so sad!
2. Realise how often a whole series of human comings and goings comes to nothing in the endFrom verse 10 Ezekiel comes at things from another angle, this time using the vine as an illustration. 10, 11 Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. Its branches were strong, fit for a ruler's sceptre. The mother here is probably not Hamutal but David's wife Bathsheba. The vine refers to all those who have ruled over Israel and then Judah down the years from David through Solomon, when It towered high above the thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches and on through Rehoboam and the eight good kings Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah and Josiah, and evil men like Manasseh, Jehoahaz, Jehoiachim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah.
Down the long years God continued to provide (12) But it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground. The east wind made it shrivel, it was stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire consumed them. 13, 14 Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. Fire spread from one of its main branches and consumed its fruit. No strong branch is left on it fit for a ruler's sceptre. This is a lament and is to be used as a lament. How sad and poignant it is. Sad songs have a particular power to move us. People like them in a strange way. There was a collection just of sad songs on sale a while ago. I suppose it helps us to express the emotions we are feeling but we need to be careful. I heard of a song recently and apparently a number of people have actually committed suicide because of this song, it is so sad!
Sometimes songs sadden us in quite a superficial way but these words should move us on a deeper level. Here are the people of God and they are in a foreign land. They have no king. They have no hope of a king. Think of Psalm 137 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, Sing us one of the songs of Zion! How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? And here is another lament. The vine has been uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground. The east wind has made it shrivel, it has been stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire has consumed them. Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. Fire has spread from one of its main branches and consumed its fruit. No strong branch is left on it fit for a ruler's sceptre. We are told This is a lament and is to be used as a lament. We ought to use this passage to lament our troubles - personal, family, citywide, national, international. In the churches as well as in the state there are many reasons to be sad. We lack leadership. We lack strength. How lamentable it is. This song helps us to put it into words. We feel uprooted, thrown to the ground, blasted, stripped of our fruit. We feel that all our strong branches are withered and fire has consumed them. We are in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. ... No strong branch is left ... for a ruler's sceptre.3. Look to Jesus Christ the Lion of Judah and the True VineNow that is where the chapter ends but as I said earlier, we are not going to leave it there. We must avoid that danger. On the other hand, we must also avoid the danger of trying to add a trite extra saying "but Jesus loves us and all will be okay". That would be entirely wrong. No, what we need to do is to consider our desperate situation by nature and let it sink in. We must then turn to see how the answer to this is indeed found in Jesus Christ. So we say
First, the lions come and go, the strong lions that tear their pray – in whatever field. However, in Revelation 5 we read of how John sees a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals that no-one can open. John hears that no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it and so he wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. But Then one of the elders said to me, Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Yes, stop weeping. There is one who can deal with the problem, one who has the power to unlock the mysteries of the universe and who will never fail us. It is Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah. And how he is able to do that? Because he is not only the Lion of Judah but also the Lamb who was slain. John says Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. ... They sing You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. Yes, every man fails but the Lord does not fail. By his death on the cross he has created a kingdom that cannot fail. He has provided a way for all who trust in him to be kings and priests forever in him. O look to the Lord Jesus. Look to the Lamb who was slain. Look to the Lion of Judah!
Then, there is this sorry vine - uprooted, thrown down, blasted, stripped of fruit, withered, burnt, in a desert and lacking a strong branch for a ruler's sceptre. But you know how Jesus speaks in John 15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Yes, Israel and its kings failed – the good ones and the bad. But here is the true vine and all who remain in him bear much fruit.
I am the vine; he says you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Like ancient Israel then. But If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. The Father cuts off every branch in Christ that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.Here is the message then to believers Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. Of ourselves we are useless but in him we can bear fruit to God's glory – we can do what is good and right and honouring to him. Keep trusting him. Outside of him there is no hope.
First, the lions come and go, the strong lions that tear their pray – in whatever field. However, in Revelation 5 we read of how John sees a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals that no-one can open. John hears that no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it and so he wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. But Then one of the elders said to me, Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Yes, stop weeping. There is one who can deal with the problem, one who has the power to unlock the mysteries of the universe and who will never fail us. It is Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah. And how he is able to do that? Because he is not only the Lion of Judah but also the Lamb who was slain. John says Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. ... They sing You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. Yes, every man fails but the Lord does not fail. By his death on the cross he has created a kingdom that cannot fail. He has provided a way for all who trust in him to be kings and priests forever in him. O look to the Lord Jesus. Look to the Lamb who was slain. Look to the Lion of Judah!
Then, there is this sorry vine - uprooted, thrown down, blasted, stripped of fruit, withered, burnt, in a desert and lacking a strong branch for a ruler's sceptre. But you know how Jesus speaks in John 15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Yes, Israel and its kings failed – the good ones and the bad. But here is the true vine and all who remain in him bear much fruit.
I am the vine; he says you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Like ancient Israel then. But If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. The Father cuts off every branch in Christ that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.Here is the message then to believers Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. Of ourselves we are useless but in him we can bear fruit to God's glory – we can do what is good and right and honouring to him. Keep trusting him. Outside of him there is no hope.
