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In the last chapter, God condemned Israel for breaking His covenant. In this chapter He condemns Zedekiah, uncle of King Jehoiachin, for breaking his covenant with the King of Babylon. Zedekiah was left in charge in Jerusalem by the Babylonians when they took King Jehoiachin and his family into captivity. Zedekiah consorted with the King of Egypt against the Babylonians. This was in direct violation of an agreement that he had signed with the King of Babylon. For this God, thru the Prophet, did the following:
It is interesting to note that God was using two Prophets at this time for the edification of the people of Israel. Jeremiah was writing in Jerusalem for the consolation of the People in bondage in Babylon and Ezekiel was writing in Babylon for the conviction of the people in Jerusalem after the fact. Ezekiel,s purpose was to set their sins before them and show them how they indeed had not conquered the land of Canaan but had allowed the land and its paganism to conquer them. Thus he says that their "birth" was of the land of Canaan and their father was an Amorite and their mother was a Hittite, those who dwelled in Canaan whom the Israelites were to destroy but did not. All this polluted their blood.
Here Ezekiel is instructed to use a riddle to make a prophecy. The riddle was not to confuse the people but was a tool for instruction. A great eagle came into Lebanon and chopped off the top and tender branch from a cedar tree and put it in a city of merchants. He also took the seed of the land and planted it in a field and it became a spreading vine and brought forth branches that grew toward him. Then another eagle came and behold this vine's branches bent toward him. The question posed by the Lord, "Shall this vine prosper?" The answer is no, it shall wither. Now, what is the application of the riddle?
The first eagle was Nebuchadnezzar. The young tender branch was the young King Jehoiachin of Israel that had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar into captivity into Babylon a city of merchants. The seed of the land that was planted in a field was Zedekiah, the Kings Uncle, whom Nebuchadnezzar planted in Jerusalem to govern it. He made a covenant with Zedekiah and Zedekiah prospered and "put out branches" that supported and bore allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar.
The Second eagle was the King of Egypt. He to made a covenant with Zedekiah and for a time the branches of prosperity leaned toward Egypt. The question was, will this covenant prosper? The answer was no. It will wither and be destroyed.
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