Chapter 17
This chapter begins a new word from God to/through Ezekiel. A riddle and a parable to be spoken. An eagle plants a vine, in good soil near water. The vine is thus well provided for. But another eagle comes, as the vine is thriving, and the vine reaches for this new eagle, disdaining the good ground and water provided at the outset by the first eagle. The question is posed:
10 Behold, it is planted; will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind strikes it--wither away on the bed where it sprouted?" [Eze 17:10 ESV]
Then the parable is explained. The first eagle is Babylon, the second is Egypt. The covenant was made with the first eagle when Babylon took the King of Judah captive, and left his heir in charge as a vassal. The vassal king made a covenant with Babylon. Then he broke it, and sought help and protection from the second eagle - Egypt. Can one who breaks such a covenant expect to escape? God says no. The covenant breaker will in fact die in Babylon. Zedekiah's fate foretold. This verse:
19 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: As I live, surely it is my oath that he despised, and my covenant that he broke. I will return it upon his head. [Eze 17:19 ESV]
Nebuchadnezzar was chosen by God to carry out His will. To dispense the judgement that God had decreed. The prophets, especially from Jeremiah on, were telling the people that this was judgement from God, and NOT to be resisted.
In verses 22-24, God says He will be the eagle. He will take some small part of the tree, and rather than plant it by the water, in good and fertile soil, he will plant it on a mountaintop. A hard place for anything to grow. He will do this to make it clear that something supernatural is involved. To make it obvious to any who care to look that only by the hand of the God of the universe can this plant not only survive, but grow lush and bear fruit. 2020-This is what has been going on with Israel. God has planted them on a mountaintop where they have been exposed for centuries to all the vile hatred, the antisemitism, the blame, the anger, Hitler's slaughter, and other slaughters over the years. Is it not obvious that any "normal" nation subjected to such enduring and unrestrained persecution would have ceased to exist long ago? Who would want to admit to being a Jew in the face of such long term abuse? Yet, Israel reformed as a nation in 1948, and has won wars against vastly superior forces many times since then. This is so we KNOW that a supernatural God sustains them to consummate His final purpose with them and through them in the last days.
This final verse:
24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it." [Eze 17:24 ESV]
2022 - I think there is much of prophecy that I am missing. I have sprinted through these last several chapters of Ezekiel because I chose to read James first - and I stand by that. Perhaps next time, I will change the order in Ezekiel, and read here first. There just seem to be so many nuances in what is said, so many discernible prophecies that we might see being fulfilled as the time grows near...or maybe they are all Millennial prophecies. That would be good to study out.