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EZEKIEL the LORD’S Judgment & Restoration Bible Study 2020/2021; Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 P.M

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EZEKIEL the LORD’S Judgment & Restoration Bible Study 2020/2021; Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 P.M EZEKIEL The LORD’s Judgment & Restoration Bible Study 2020/2021; Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 p.m. by Zoom Class #14, January 5, 2021 The Spinner of Parables and Riddles Ezekiel 17:1-24; 19:1-14; 20:45-21:17; 22:17-22 Notes, observations, and questions on Ezekiel 17:1-24 1. We now come to a section devoted to oracles involving the Babylonian agent of God’s judgment and Judah’s sin and the need for retribution. These oracles are put in the genre of parables and riddles, which were popular styles of discourse in the ancient world. Samson’s use of riddles is another biblical example of this approach. 2. The general flow of chapter 17 shows Ezekiel’s intentionally crafted unified composition of the oracle. We find a distinct movement through four stages: (1) an imaginative parable/riddle (vv 1-10); (2) a historical interpretation of it (vv 11-18); (3) a theological interpretation of the historical events (vv 19-21); and, (4) a theological portrayal of the future (vv 22-24). 3. 17:1-10, the preamble and the parable/riddle a. (Vv 1-2) The LORD commands Ezekiel to present a riddle to the exiles. The riddle is presented in the form a fable. b. (Vv 3-4) Episode 1 — It’s obvious that the key figure in the fable is a certain great eagle. The bird is not only magnificent but also energetic. He comes to Lebanon, renowned for its cedars. He snips off a shoot from the crown of one of the cedars and carries it off to a foreign land to merchants. c. (Vv 5-6) Episode 2 —The image of the merchant gives way to that of a gardener. The eagle plants a native seedling. The plant responds well and grows. d. (Vv 7-8) Episode 3 — (1) The plot is complicated by the appearance of a second eagle. He is great but not as great as the first eagle. What strikes the reader about this second eagle is that he is passive. In contrast to the first eagle, the second one takes no action. He is simply there. (2) But now our attention is drawn to the vine. Instead of continuing to send its roots into the soil, it turns them to the second eagle. The vine’s branches, which should have been growing low on the ground, are stretched out toward the eagle, that he might water it. (3) By doing so, the vine not only repudiated the security offered by the first eagle but also rejected its intended purpose: to produce full branches, bear fruit, and become a magnificent vine. We’re left to reflect on the vine’s ingratitude and stupidity. Why would it favor the second, lesser eagle over the greater first eagle? e. (Vv 9-10) Now Ezekiel poses a series of questions, Socratic-style. The critical issue is: Will the vine survive after it has turned away from the first eagle and oriented itself toward the second eagle? (1) By the time Ezekiel finishes telling the story, our sympathies are on the side of the first eagle. The vine has been planted in ideal circumstances, but that does not guarantee its survival. (2) Suddenly a new destructive element is introduced into the story: the east wind. (a) In Exodus, the east wind serves in a positive way for God’s saving actions of Israel (Ex 10:13; 14:21). But here it is the scorching wind that blows into Israel from the desert, leaving all the vegetation in its wake wilted. The vine’s move to the second eagle has left it vulnerable. 4. 17:11-21, the interpretation a. (Vv 11-12a) The explanation of the riddle consists of two parts: its fulfillment on the historical plane (12b-18) and then Zedekiah’s fall. But the primary goal of this riddle was not to change Zedekiah’s foreign policy; it probably never reached him. Instead, the riddle seems to be provoked by developments within the exilic community. Perhaps reports of Zedekiah’s overtures to the Egyptians have been heard by the exiles, and they greet these reports positively as a way to throw off the Babylonian yoke. But Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, maintains a consistently pro- Babylonian stance. The riddle aims to expose Zekekiah’s treacherous policies as rebellion against Yahweh. (1) Questions abound as we wait for the riddle’s interpretation: Who or what is the first eagle? Who is the “cedar of Lebanon”? Where is this “land of merchants”? Whom does the second eagle represent? And so forth. b. (12b) After the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC the characters in the riddle are unmistakable: (1) The great, first eagle is the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, who arrived in Jerusalem (“Lebanon”) ten years earlier in 597. (2) The snipped-off sprig of the cedar is Jehoiachin, who after a three-month reign, was carried away to Babylon, the “city of merchants,” along with his family and the Judean nobility. (3) Nebuchadnezzar is portrayed as a benevolent king who ensures the well- being of Jehoiachin by planting him in a well-watered seedbed (v 5). c. (Vv 13-14) These verses describe Nebuchadnezzar’s installation of his own puppet king, Mattaniah (renamed Zedekiah), in Jehoiachin’s place. Nebuchadnezzar takes several steps to guarantee Zedekiah’s loyalty: (1) He places Zedekiah under oath, in the name of Yahweh. (2) He removes the nobility from the land. The deportation probably comes into two ways: a small cadre of the king and officials kept under watch in Babylon, and a second, larger group of craftsmen and other skilled workers exiled elsewhere in Babylon to bolster the economy. Ezekiel and the others with him belong to this second group. d. (14-15a) Nebuchadnezzar’s objectives are made clear: (1) to maintain the vassal status of Judah; (2) to keep the king humble; and, (3) to guard the treaty oath. But Zedekiah rebelled by sending envoys to Egypt to secure military assistance to throw off the Babylonians. A few details about this are found in Jer 27:1-28:1. e. (15b) Ezekiel interrupts the flow again to ask a series of questions. The answers soon follow. f. (V 16) God, through the prophet, pronounces two disasters that will fall on Zedekiah. The first one is described here: he will die in Babylon, for Zedekiah violated his covenant oath (see 2 Kgs 25:7). After he had observed the slaughter of his sons, his eyes were gouged out and he was dragged away into captivity. Nothing more is heard of him. g. (Vv 17-18) The second disaster is that the Egyptians will fail to come to Zedekiah’s aid. This will allow Nebuchadnezzar to pursue his siege of Jerusalem. Zedekiah will not escape. h. (Vv 19-21) The focus shifts to the divine sphere, as Ezekiel explores the theological implications of the riddle and of Zedekiah’s political decisions. (1) The chief offended party is Yahweh himself (v 19). The meaning of this verse is clarified by 2 Chron 36:13–Nebuchadnezzar had forced Zedekiah to swear by Yahweh’s name when the oath was made. (2) Yahweh’s response casts him in the role of a hunter out to capture prey. 5. 17:22-24, the epilogue a. The riddle of the eagle, the cedar, and the vine climaxes with a masterful epilogue as the prophet looks beyond the planes of the fable, history, and theology to a new and glorious future for the dynasty of God’s kingdom. The LORD is the subject of it all. The section divides into two parts: Yahweh’s own planting of the sprig (vv 22-23), and the impact of this action on his reputation (v 24). b. (V 22) Now we understand a shift in the identity of the eagle. The great eagle is actually the LORD. This of course is not a shock, for God’s sovereignty in this situation has been hinted at throughout the chapter. The LORD’s hand guarantees the flourishing of the dynasty that the sprig represents. (1) The particular origin of the sprig is also highlighted here. It’s the special shoot from the topmost crown to designate the Messiah who will revive the promised Davidic line. The word here for “shoot” is a parallel Hebrew word to “branch” in Isaiah 11:1. God’s covenant with David will not be broken, fulfilled in Messiah Jesus. A branch—shoot—of David’s line will be the promised King/Messiah of eternity. c. (V 23) The special mission assigned to the sprig by the LORD is for it to become a “noble cedar” on “the mountain height of Israel.” The tree’s magnificent expansiveness will be seen by all, and it will provide protection and life for all who come under its care. (1) The high mountain of Israel is a clear allusion to Mt. Zion (that is, Jerusalem). This weds the motifs of the Davidic line and Zion together. The two are divinely inseparable. d. (V 24) The universal impact of the tree is highlighted: When all the trees—all the dynasties of the nations on the earth—observe the magnificence of the tree, they will fall down before it in worship and obedience. (1) Indeed, Zedekiah is brought low, but the one brought low, Jehoiachin, will be lifted up. His kingly line will live! His offspring will be restored to the throne of Israel and elevated to the status of the King of kings. (2) Yahweh has spoken. He will act.
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