EZEKIEL The LORD’s Judgment & Restoration Bible Study 2020/2021; Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 p.m. by Zoom Class #15, January 12, 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 19:1-14 – A lament for the Davidic dynasty 1. God commands Ezekiel to take up a lamentation. He concludes the chapter by declaring the lament has been made. It divides into two parts: a. Vv 2-9, the image of lions b. Vv 10-14, the figure of a vine c. Both images are found in Genesis 49:9-11. 2. “Lamentation” is a technical term for a special kind of musical composition—the dirge. Such compositions were sung at the death of an individual or to mark the destruction of a nation or a people. Ten of the 18 occurrences of this word in the OT are found in Ezekiel. (Compare 2 Chron 35:25.) 3. But is this chapter really a lament? It’s probably best described as a parody of a lament. That is, Ezekiel has taken the style of a lament and infused it with the content of a fable. This tension between form and substance, song and fable, would have caused his listeners to reflect more deeply on the meaning of the poem. a. So this is a riddle, not a funeral song. It deals with a living reality—the fate of the Davidic dynasty. b. The aim of this dirge is to demolish the false theological pillar on which Judah’s security is based: Yahweh is hereby suspending his covenant with David. The fate of the Davidic dynasty is now in question. 4. A dirge for the Lion of Judah (vv 1-9) a. v 1 – The subjects of this lament are “the princes of Israel.” Here we find the prophet’s—and the LORD’—view of Judah’s last kings. Notice too how Ezekiel refuses to call them “kings.” Israel has One King, God himself. So do we. b. v 2a – The lament opens unusually: not with a cry of grief but a question, “What was your mother?” (1) Not “who” but “what?” is Ezekiel’s question. (2) Here’s our clue that this is a riddle masquerading as a lament. (3) The lions Ezekiel has in mind belong to the Asiatic or Persian variety (he uses four different terms for “lion” in this chapter, indicating that he’s very familiar with them). Lions were common in Israel in biblical times. c. vv 2b-3 – From the nurturing lioness the focus shifts to one of her cubs. But Ezekiel’s lion is not satisfied with ordinary prey. He develops a particular appetite for human flesh. d. v 4 – The fame of this lion draws many to combine forces to capture him and drag him off of Egypt. (1) Was their motive self-preservation or recreation? Lion hunting was a keen sport of kings in the ancient world. (2) The methods of capture described here reflect ancient lion-hunting techniques. e. vv 5-7 – Our attention is now returned to the mother lion who waits in vain for her son to return. (1) When she realizes her waiting is futile, she promotes a second cub to the position previously held by the captured animal. (2) This second cub establishes his lordship over the pride. He becomes the dominant male as king of the lions. (3) He copulates with widows to lay claim to the females of the previous dominant male. He becomes the sire of all the young. (4) He lays waste their cities. (5) He frightens the countryside with his roaring. (Compare Jer 2:15.) f. vv 8-9 – Like the first lion, the second lion’s actions call for an international response. (1) From every administrative province of the Babylonian Empire the nations plan their attack. They manage to capture the lion and securing him, they drag him off to the king of Babylon in a cage. (2) The most remarkable detail here is the nations’ motive for capturing this lion: to silence the sound of his roar, that is, to stop his terrifying behavior on the mountains of Israel. The surrounding peoples pose as liberators of Israel from this lion! g. No explanation of this riddle is given at this point. But the search for its meaning must begin by considering the symbolic significance of the lion in Israel. (1) Although the lion was a common symbol for royalty in the ancient Near East, it had special meaning for the Israelites. Note especially Jacob’s blessing of Judah in Genesis 49:8-9: Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? (2) This lion is obviously a symbol of rule, Jacob assigning to Judah dominance over his enemies and over the other tribes. (3) So Ezekiel’s two lions must represent two kings of Judah. (4) Since Jehoahaz was the only one of Judah’s last kings to be taken to Egypt (2 Kings 23:34), he’s probably the first lion. (5) Who is the second lion/king? Jehoiachin who was taken to Babylon after reigning just three months? Zedekiah? No, Prof Daniel Block, whose commentary is very helpful to our study, says this: “The most satisfactory interpretation identifies the mother as the nation, Israel/Judah, or as the Davidic dynasty who embodies the tribe, and equates the second king with Jehoiakim.” The details in the riddle fit better with Jehoiakim’s history, as supported by Jeremiah 22:1-23:8. 5. A dirge for the Vine of Judah (vv 10-14) a. The shift from the lion to the vine leaves behind any doubt of this lament’s ties to Genesis 49:8-12. (1) Ezekiel’s allusion to Jacob’s blessing heightens the tragedy facing the nation. His lament not only bemoans the end of 400 years of Davidic rule in Jerusalem but also signals the end of a 1000 year tradition. (2) The mother now is no longer a lion, but she is like a vine. Verses 10-14 describe this extraordinary plant. b. vv 10-11 – The vine is very healthy, planted beside abundant waters, producing fine fruit and thick foliage. It also sends out special kinds of branches: strong staves, scepters of rulers. It’s crown reaches high and can be seen for miles around. c. vv 12-14 – But some unidentified, angry person uproots the plant, transplanting it an arid desert, where it had no hope of surviving. Meanwhile, a fire strikes the vine and consumes the replacement branch. d. Who is this vine, and what is the significance of the scepter branches? e. The vine (mother) is best interpreted as the tribe/nation of Judah, from which more than one ruler sprouts. (1) She has abandoned her natural role as a producer of grapes, and has assumed the posture of a huge tree, a symbol of arrogance of nations. (2) This has provoked God’s wrath who punishes her by uprooting and humiliating her, transplanting her to a foreign land. (3) This is not only an indictment of Judah’s kings but also of the nation. The exiles realize that as they wallow in the misery of Babylonian captivity, they represent the pathetic remainder of this once great plant. f. But what about the strong branches/scepters? It’s best interpreted as a figure for the Davidic dynasty, the succession of royal rulers who have sprouted from the tribe of Judah. (1) The branch represents two kings: (a) The first, Jehoiachin, was torn off, withered, and burned (that is, removed from the throne), then transplanted in Babylon. (b) Then a new figure, a second branch (Zedekiah), emerges from what’s left of the plant in Judah. It is consumed from within. 6. The riddle now ends. It underscores the futility of any hopes based on the LORD’s covenant with the Davidic house. Like the nation, the dynasty is doomed. After 586 BC, it did indeed prophesy the fall of the nation in general and the death of the Davidic dynasty in particular. 7. Theological implications a. The promises of God to the ancestors are no guarantee of divine blessing for their descendants. Chapter 18 had declared that children die for their own sins. They do not inherit the sins of their parents. But neither do the children inherit the blessings of their parents if they lose faith and accountability to God. This lament puts this truth in large, communal terms. b. The call to leadership is a call to God-honoring servanthood, but Israel’s kings failed this calling. The lament of chapter 19 sharply indicts the exploitative behavior of these kings. Much of the responsibility of the fall of the nation rests upon their shoulders. c. The presence of God’s chosen representative is no substitute for the people’s personal commitment to the LORD. The people of Judah, even the exiles, looked upon the king as their “good luck charm,” assuring them of God’s favor. Without the submission to the will of God of both leader and those led, both shepherd and sheep, any claim to security with God is a delusion. Notes, observations, and questions on Ezekiel 20:45-21:17 The avenging sword of Yahweh 1.