Ezekiel 17

Ezekiel 17:1-21

The perfect of Zezekiah, and the ruin of Judah, in consequence of his rebellion, is the subject of this chapter, before God by the prophet. 1. Threatens the ruin of him and his companionship is parable of man again and a time, ver. 1—10. and the rebellion of that parable, ver. 11—21. 2. He promises hereafter to raise the royal family of Judah again in the Messiah and his kingdom, ver. 22—24.

1. AND the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2. Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel, 3. And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD, A great eagle with great wings, “long winged, full of feathers, which had

divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: a He crept off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of tralock; he set it in a city of merchants. 5. He took also of the feed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field, he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow-tree. 6. And it grew and it became a spreading vine of how stature, whose branches thinned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. 7. There was also another great eagle with great wings, and many feathers; and behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. 8. It was planted in a good & full by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. 9. Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, Shall it prosper? Shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? It shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power, or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. 10. Yes behold, being planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the oath wind toucheth it? It shall wither in the furrows where it grew. 11. Moreover, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12. “Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold,” the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof; and led them with him to Babylon: 13. And hath taken of the king’s feed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land: 14. That the kingdom might be safe, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. 15. But he rebelled against him in lending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people: “shall he prosper? Shall he escape that doth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? 16. As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dotheth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, rests with him, in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 17. Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war by casting up mounts, and building forts to cut off many persons. 18. Seeing he despised the oath, by breaking the covenant, (when so, he had given his hand) and hath done all these things, he shall not escape. 19. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I retemperate upon his own head. 20. And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my share, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. 21. And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered towards all where; and ye shall know that I die LORD have spoken it.

The following table is a simple formula: § 16.4. We have here,

1. The riddle and parable Ezekiel is ordered to put forth to them; not that God would wrap up in oblieth impellions there approaching them, but that, engaged by this method of proposing it, they might pay greater attention to the warning.

2. The application of the riddle to the rebellious house of Judea, that they might not plead ignorance, but be left without excuse.

(1.) The great eagle, v. 3, is Nebuchadnezzar; his great and long wings represent his vast dominions; and his coming to Lebanon, the invasion of the land of Judea. Jeremiah is the highest brother deposed by him; and the top of the young twigs, the princes of the land, and the lead-royal, which he carried into captivity in a land of tralock, to Babylon, the great coast and sea of the empire, v. 4, 12. Zezekiah is the lead of the land, v. 5, whom he is with great circumscription, as the great enemies, in the fruitful field of Judea, having escaped from him an oath of allegiance, v. 13, and thereupon appointed him king over which people, represented by great water; his life taken the mighty of the land as hostages for his fidelity; and that, weakened by their loss, Zezekiah might be the less inclined

a Mat. xii. 1. b Dan. ix. 2.

inclined or able to rebel, v. 14. and that though the kingdom still remained, it might be badly reduced, and dependent upon the king of Babylon; and by hoping of his comment it might stand, and flourish, though not in its former bless, yet with comfort, peace, and dignity; as a view, though of a low feature, which branches turned towards Nebuchadnezzar, and the roots spread under him; fate and protected by his power, though subject to his disposal; and in this state it became a view, and that fresh branches. The royal family increased, and for a while the people prospered under Zedekiah’s government, and might have grown greater, could they have been content with their station. Note, When by the providence of God we are reduced, it is our wisdom, and we’ll be our comfort, to submit, and make the best improvement of our present state, and then we shall find some good arising to us out of the evil.

[2.] The other great eagle, v. 7. is the king of Egypt, with large and extensive dominions, though not equal to the king of Babylon. To him Zedekiah inclined; and though he was very flourishing in his present state, under the dominion of Nebuchadnezzar, yet he could not bear his objection, and turned his branches, sent his ambassadors to Egypt, in order to obtain infantry and cavalry to support him in the rebellion he meditated; and to be watered by the furrows of her plantation, as Egypt was by the Nile, hoping to be enriched and made great by this alliance with the Egyptians. But they who are discontinued with the state Providence allots them, only plague themselves by fighting against God, and aggravate the miseries under which they are so impatient, as was Zedekiah’s case. For.

[3.] God denounces his doom. So far from being watered by Egypt, the vine shall wither in the furrows where it was planted, as a tree blasted by the east wind. It shall be plucked up by the roots, and the fruit cut off; and this without great power or many people, any army being sufficient to destroy that nation God hath devoted to ruin. How can a wretch so perishious, a covenant-breaker, hope to escape? v. 15. By an oath, to shew the immutability of his counsel, God pronounces sacreness on the rebellious king, ungrateful to his benediction, who left him a prince, when he might have bound him as a prisoner; fails to the oath of God, and faithless to his engagements, God will punish him for his perjury. His Egyptians alloteth him in vain, v. 17. and indeed of succouring Jerusalem, shall be beaten themselves. Zedekiah’s own fevers, as cowards, shall flee, unable to stand in the day of battle; part fish with the sword, and the shattered remains scattered to the fear wind, v. 21. Thus deferred and helpless, he shall be taken in God’s share, delivered a prisoner to the victorious king of Babylon, which constant he broke, and die in captive bands in the land of Chaldon; the righteous vengeance due to his crimes; and when this condition should be fulfilled, then it shall be should be made to know that the Lord had spoken it, v. 21. Note, (1.) Oaths are sacred things: they who arise with them, shall bear their judgment. (2.) Sinners will not now believe the threatenings of God against them; but the time will come, when they will be terribly convinced of their truth by final experience.

22. ¶ Thus faith the Lord GOD, I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it, I will crop off from the top of his young twigs: a tendon one, and will shave at upon an high mountain and enslaved. 23. In the mountain of the height of Israel will be planted: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and bear goodly cedar: and under it shall derail all seed of every wing, in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. 24. And all the trees of the field shall know that if the LORD have brought down the high tree, have carried the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree so flourish: If the LORD have spoken, and have done it.

Ezekiel 17:22-24

In the midst of the threatened despotism we have a gracious promise to support the hopes of God’s people, who might be ready to fear the royal line of David would be extinct, and the promise of the Messiah, who was to descend from him, be disapproved.

1. God will make the tabernacle of David from its ruins: out of the cedar, the Jewish nation, from the abject branch, the royal family of Judah, God will crop off a tender one, the Messiah, and will place it on or by a mountain and enslaved; in the mount of God in glory, whither the Saviour aforesaid after his resurrection; for in his church on earth, the Yehudi mount Zion; and from thence his boughs shall spread, till the earth with fruit, and afford a safe shelter for food of every wing: reddened corners of all nations shall fly to him, and dwell under his shadow with delight, protected from every evil, and singing among the heaviest, happy in the experience of his love and drowning. George apply thereto: Zerobabel, in whom the Son of

David revived; but whatever reference it might have to him, before God we may venture to affirm, that a greater than Zerobabel is here.

2. God will be glorified in his work. All the trees of the field, the nations of the earth, converted by the preaching of the gospel, shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have united the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree so flourish; which some interpret of the destruction of the Chaldean monarchy, and the reformation of the Jewish people: others, of the rejection of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles, who formed as a withered and dry tree, respecting all spiritual life: and others, more generally, of the destruction of the kingdom of Satan, and the exaltation of the kingdom of Christ, which shall in the latter day spread universally, and endure to eternity. The Lord have spoken, and have done it; his word being as sure as if it were already accomplished.