Ezekiel 17:1-24
Q.1. What was God’s message to Israel through the parable of the eagles and the vine? – (Ezk.17:1-10)
Ezekiel was given a riddle of two eagles and a vine, to describe the way that Israel had ignored the Lord’s advice (Ezk.17:1-2). The parable alluded to Zedekiah’s breaking of his covenant with Nebuchadnezzar, who had taken the ‘topmost shoot’ of the best and brightest of Israel’s citizens to Babylon in 605 and 597 B.C. Would Judah go unpunished for her treachery? –`Thus says the Lord God, “Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers–so that all its sprouting leaves wither? Neither by great strength nor by many people can it be raised from its roots again (Ezk.17:9).
Q.2. How would King Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylon end? What message was God sending in this judgment? – (Ezk.17:11-21)
The prophets had repeatedly warned the nation to accept its punishment from the Babylonians. Any resistance was useless because the Babylonians had been appointed by God to exact His judgment on the nation. If they rebelled, they would simply increase their devastations – 19 Thus says the Lord God, “As I live, surely My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will inflict on his head. 20 I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. Then I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me (Ezk.17:19-20). God would no longer deliver His people as in the past – All the choice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken (Ezk.17:21).
Q.3. Upon what principle would God restore Israel to the land and to blessing again? – (Ezk.17:22-24)
God would take a sprig and replant a remnant in the high mountain of Israel (Ezk.17:22). There are several reasons why this would come about – All the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will perform it (Ezk.17:24). The regathering and restoration of Israel would be such a miracle, that all the surrounding nations would have to acknowledge it. It would underscore the power of God to be able to reverse the fortunes of people, by bringing down the proud and raising up the humble. This would also come about exactly as God had repeatedly promised, many years earlier (c.f. Deut.30:1-5).