Year 3, Day 145: Ezekiel 19

The Lions

Ezekiel 19 is a lament over the final few kings of the Davidic dynasty.  What began with such promise in David ends with a whimper.  You’ll see what I mean here.  But first, let’s talk a little about David.

If we think back to the last chapter, we remember God saying that each person will be judged on their own righteousness.  Since we will sin, what is important is our repentance, not our perfection.  If we look at David, we get a picture of this played out.  David was a righteous man.  He loved the Lord.  He walked with God.  But at the same time, he was clearly a sinner.  His family was caught up in all kinds of sin.  But when David was confronted with his sin, he repented.  Time and time again he repented before the Lord.  The line of kings started with a very repentant David – the first Lion of Judah.

Now we talk about Ezekiel 19.  Here God speaks through Ezekiel and talks about three more lions.  The Hebrew people – the figurative “mother” of the lions – raise up these lions.  They become kings over the people.

The last of the righteous kings was Josiah.  Josiah made all kinds of reforms in the land.  But those reforms wouldn’t last.  Josiah was untimely killed in a battle with Pharaoh Neco II after God specifically told him not to go.  Josiah disobeyed and was killed in battle.

Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, came to the throne.  He reigned for all of three months before he was dragged out of Jerusalem by Pharaoh Neco II.  Jehoahaz was dragged into captivity to Egypt.  He is the first of the lions about whom this chapter speaks.

The next king was Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah.  This king was established by Pharaoh Neco II and is actually not mentioned in this chapter in Ezekiel.  It could be that because this king was established by an Egyptian that God did not truly recognize his authority to rule.  Whatever the reason, Jehoiakim is not mentioned in this chapter.  He reigned for 11 years and died in Jerusalem.

The next king was Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim’s son.  Jehoiachin reigned for all of three months before he was captured by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.  He is the second lion mentioned here in this lament.

Of course, we know of Zedekiah.  Zedekiah is a third son of Josiah, the king when Ezekiel is giving this word from the Lord.  We know what his fate will be.  He will watch his sons be executed and immediately his eyes will be put out.  He will be dragged into captivity blind, the last image of his sight will be the death of his sons.

What Is The Moral, Here?

I’m not sure that there is a deep moral here.  I think the message of the story is simply a lament.  Leadership has gone far astray from where God had started with David.  A few good kings came along the way.  But most of the kings turned aside from the Lord.  Eventually the path of sin led the people into captivity.

Perhaps that is the moral.  Sin leads us into captivity.  It may take a while to get there.  We may get there quickly.  But sin leads us into captivity.  Even if we come from great stock, sin leads us into captivity.

The Vine

I believe that this second half of the chapter is fairly self-explanatory.  The vine is Israel.  It once had flourished.  It was chief among the nations.  But because of its sin it has come under judgment and it was ripped up from its roots.  Soon – from the perspective of Ezekiel’s timeline as he writes this chapter – it would be taken captive completely and totally.  The Hebrew people would go into captivity into Babylon.  Nothing would be left.

However, there is an incredible phrase found in verse 14.  “So there remains in it no strong stem, no scepter for ruling.”  That is profound on several levels.

Ezekiel’s lament will come true.  As I mentioned before, all of Zedekiah’s children will be killed in his presence.  The Davidic line of kings comes to an end – at least on this branch.  There is no strong branch, no scepter for ruling.

What does this mean?  What it means is that God must do something special to restore the Davidic line.  God has promised David that a descendant will rule forever.  Do you see where I am going here?

This ending part of verse 14 leads us right to Christ.  There is no human line for rulers.  So we must turn to something else.  We must turn to someone else.  We must turn to God-Made-Man.  We must look for the Messiah.  Christ will be God’s answer to His promise to David.  Christ will reign forever.  After all, there is no longer a strong branch, no scepter for ruling.  So the people look for the Messiah.

Thanks be to God, we’ve found Him.

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