Day 243. Ezekiel 17-19

In our reading for today a number of different "genres"—forms of literature—are represented. For instance the poem in chapter 17—the Two Eagles and the Vine—is a puzzle or riddle--elaborate guessing games were very popular in ancient times. This one has a very serious purpose, however. It is also a political allegory, a piece of literature in which each detail points to a meaning outside the work—in this case a political meaning. It interprets events that take place during the last years of the independent kingdom of Judah. It is also a parable, a story with a spiritual meaning intended to change the hearers' way of thinking, acting, or believing.
The first eagle is King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (17:3). The topmost shoot of the cedar is the Davidic king Jehoiachin, who was carried off in a first deportation from Jerusalem to Babylon, which is called "the land of trade" and the "city of merchants" (17:4). "The seed from the land" is the King Zedekiah, the uncle of the exiled king, who was planted in his place as a puppet king in Jerusalem. This seed sprouts into a vine, "spreading out, but low" (17:6).
The second "great eagle with great wings and much plumage" (17:7) is the Egyptian Pharaoh, to whom the low vine—King Zedekiah—makes overtures, and is encouraged to revolt (17:8). But will this rebellion prosper? Will King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon pull it—the vine—King Zedekiah--up by its roots? And will not the rebellious Judean king—the vine--be "transplanted"—taken into exile—to a place where it "will utterly wither? (17:10)
The verdict of the LORD is clear--"in Babylon [Zedekiah] shall die" (17:16), because he made a covenant and then broke it (17:19). He acted treacherously toward the master the LORD had placed over him, and that is the same as rebelling against the LORD. Yet his death does not end the parable. That "sprig from the lofty top of the cedar" the eagle plucked shall be planted by the LORD "on a high and lofty mountain"—the mountain of Israel—where it will become "a noble cedar." And it will give shelter and comfort to the nations, who are represented by the birds of every variety—"Under it every kind of bird shall live; in the shade of its branches will nest winged creatures of every kind" (17:23).
It was a widely held ancient belief that the punishment of sins was passed from one generation to another, and that children and grandchildren and descendents many times might suffer for the guilt of their forebears. But here the LORD through his prophet affirms the responsibility of the individual for his or her sins alone—"it is only the person who sins that shall die" (18:4). If an individual disobeys the law , "his blood shall be upon himself" alone (18:13). The son shall not suffer for the sins of the father. And so the attitude behind the proverb then widely quoted and believed—"The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge"—is repudiated as unworthy of a just and merciful God. From now, the prophet says, the "righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own" (18:20). Mercy is always available to the repentant. So if the wicked turn away
from their evil ways and "do what is lawful and right," they shall surely live (18:21). God always desires life, not death. He always prefers mercy to punishment. The LORD's justice is always tempered with mercy. So he invites sinners--"Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the LORD God. Turn, then, and live" (18:31-32).
Our reading for today ends with two lamentations—another popular form or genre of Biblical literature. The lamentations of the lioness (19:2-9) and the vine (19:10-14) are also political allegories about the end of the Davidic dynasty. The lion is either Jehoiachin or Zedekiah—the last two Davidic kings of Judah, both of whom are "lions" who are "caught in their pit"—both revolt against the power of Babylon. And both are taken captive King Nebuchadnezzar. Of either one it could be said—"With hooks they put him in a cage, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into custody, so that his voice should be heard no more on the mountains of Israel" (19:9). Both became political liabilities to the Babylonian king and had to be removed and imprisoned.
In the allegory of the vine, the image of the vineyard (19:10) is an image frequently used for the people of Israel and their land. "The strongest stem" in the vineyard is the house of David. In its pride "it [towers] aloft among the thick branches" of the vineyard (10:11). But it is "plucked up" in the anger of the LORD and "cast down to the ground" (19:12). The "east wind" that "dried it up" represents King Nebuchadnezzar. It withers and "fire consume[s] it"—this is probably a reference to the Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of the city Jerusalem. The scepter is "transplanted into the wilderness, into a dry and thirsty land"--the king is carried off into exile in Babylon. The 'fire has gone out from its stem" (19:14)--the Davidic monarchy has lost its vigor and no longer has in it the strength to rule (19:14) and must wait for God in his own time to renew and restore it.

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