“Ezekeil’s Riddle”

 

BIBLE READING: Ezekiel 17-19

Ezekiel 17 is a riddle for the Israelites that is about how Babylon took their princes and mighty men from them. Israel had made a covenant with Babylon, but the Israelites broke it by turning to Egypt for aid. God says that this will never work, and that they will all be cast down. The riddle is in the form of a story about an eagle who takes the topmost branch of a cedar tree and carries it to another land, and plants it there, but another eagle tends it and the tree grows towards that eagle (that eagle being Egypt). The point of the passage is to follow God’s instructions, for He instructed them to go to Babylon, because it was inevitable. Instead they turned back to Egypt (which we found in Jeremiah). Sometimes His instructions don’t seem to make sense, but in the end, He is God, so He knows what He’s doing. However, the last verse is what struck me most: "And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the LORD, have spoken and have done it." (Ezekiel 17:24)

God does everything the opposite way to what we might expect. He hates the proud and loves the humble, he loves a broken spirit. In keeping with the theme of the book, God will dry up the green tree which looks like it doesn’t need any help, and make the dry tree (which looks like nothing could ever save it) flourish, so that we know that He is the LORD. Only the LORD could do such a thing, and so doing, this brings Him glory. Let’s remember this as we go through the day: God makes the dry trees to flourish – not the green trees. Let’s come before Him with broken spirits and contrite hearts.                                                          

-Selected