Ezekiel 17

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Every part of this parable or riddle tells the judgment of Judah in detail.

A parable is another way God uses to bring man to his senses.  He tells a story that causes you to reason or try to figure out what is happening in the story.

God is a teacher and He uses different approaches to teach what He wants us to know.

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 

"Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel, 

"and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "A great eagle with large wings and long pinions, Full of feathers of various colors, Came to Lebanon And took from the cedar the highest branch. 

He cropped off its topmost young twig And carried it to a land of trade; He set it in a city of merchants.

Then he took some of the seed of the land And planted it in a fertile field; He placed it by abundant waters And set it like a willow tree. 

And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature; Its branches turned toward him, But its roots were under it. So it became a vine, Brought forth branches, And put forth shoots. 

"But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers; And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, And stretched its branches toward him, From the garden terrace where it had been planted, That he might water it. 

It was planted in good soil by many waters, To bring forth branches, bear fruit, And become a majestic vine." 

After reading this parable or riddle several times, I found it to be marvelously written.  God in the next few verses explains every move that will take place according to this absolutely phenomenal written suspense.  The wonder of the knowledge of God is to majestic to figure out.  The best way to understand what there is to know about him is obey Him.  No words can describe all of Who He is.

The riddle of judgment.

"Say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots, Cut off its fruit, And leave it to wither? All of its spring leaves will wither, And no great power or many people Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots. 

God asks a question and then answers.

Behold, it is planted, Will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew." ' " 

God asks the second question and answers it too.

Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 

"Say now to the rebellious house: 'Do you not know what these things mean?' Tell them, 'Indeed the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon. 

'And he took the king's offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, 

'that the kingdom might be brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. 

Nebuchadnezzar was the big eagle.

He took the king and others to submit to him in Babylon.  This was the beginning judgment of God of the 70-year exile.

'But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered? 

But Zedekiah would not comply and sought others to help him fight against the judgment of God.  Will his plan work?

'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke--with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 

God has announced that Zedekiah will die and his plan won't work.

'Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many persons. 

And the plan to ask Pharaoh to help him will not work either.

'Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact gave his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.' " 

He broke the plan of God and when he tries to escape, he will die.

God's covenant was to listen and submit.   God's plan was for Judah to go to Babylon and live there for 70 years.   Zedekiah decided to do his own thinking and lost his life in the end.

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head. 

"I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and try him there for the treason which he committed against Me. 

"All his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken." 

Zedekiah and all who followed him lost their lives.

Thus says the Lord GOD: "I will take also one of the highest branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain. 

"On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell. 

"And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the LORD, have spoken and have done it."

The prophecy of Jesus, spoken by God; Jesus will be the top Savior and he will gather different people from everywhere and no culture of people will be left out; and Jesus will protect them under His rule.  Everyone will know that God is God.  Those who were looked down upon will be looked up to and those who were looked up to will be put down.  God will set the record the way it should be.

See bible cheat sheet Ezekiel 17 for more details.

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