Audio Download

Ezekiel 17:1-24 The Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

[Study Aired May 20, 2024]

Introduction

The word of the Lord has both a physical and  spiritual application. The spiritual application is the one which gives life as it is not time bound but applicable to our lives now. Understanding the physical realities of the word of the Lord on the other hand, is time bound but is equally important in understanding the spiritual realities of the word of the Lord. 

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

As we are aware, it is the things that the Lord has made which help us to understand the truth of the word of the Lord regarding God’s eternal power and Godhead.

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

In today’s study, the physical realities of the Lord are used to explain spiritual truth. The Lord used riddles or parables to show us His provision for the people of Judah and the treachery of the people of the Lord in breaking covenant with Him. Specifically, the Lord is reckoning with the king of Judah for his treachery in breaking the covenant with the king of Babylon. As a result, the Lord threatens the ruin of the king of Judah and his kingdom. In the closing stages of this chapter, the Lord promises to raise the royal family of Judah again, the house of David, after judging them.

The First Eagle and His Work

Eze 17:1  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 17:2  Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; 

The Lord telling Ezekiel to speak in a riddle or parable to the house of Israel is to remind us that His message is only for the elect who are given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.  The house of Israel here is Babylon is not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Eze 17:3  And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: 
Eze 17:4  He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants. 

The great eagle with great wings taking a highest branch of cedar to the city of merchants is explained in verse 12 as follows:

Eze 17:12  Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;

We can therefore say that the great eagle represents the king of Babylon who conquered Jerusalem and took the king, together with other royals and sent them to Babylon. In this case, Jerusalem is Lebanon, the royal family is the cedar, and the city of merchants is Babylon. King Jehoiachin was the top branch, the top of the young twigs which the king of Babylon cropped off. Cropping off the top of the young twigs means easily conquering the royal family.

2Ki 24:12  And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. 
2Ki 24:13  And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. 
2Ki 24:14  And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
2Ki 24:15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

It is instructive to note that Babylon is referred to as the city of merchants. This is what the Lord says about Babylon where even the souls of men are traded. The physical churches of this world have become money ventures just like corporate organizations. I remember hearing from one prominent pastor that every activity the church undertakes must generate profit. All of this is to let us know how low Babylon has sunk.

Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 
Rev 18:11  And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 
Rev 18:12  The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 
Rev 18:13  And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
Rev 18:14  And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. 
Rev 18:15  The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
Rev 18:16  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
Rev 18:17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 

As indicated, it is the spirit that gives life. Spiritually, this great eagle is the Lord who came to pick us up as His elect and sent us to Babylon. As the Lord’s elect, we are the royals that are sent to Babylon. The king of Babylon is therefore representing the Lord in bringing us to Babylon. Every called and chosen servant of the Lord must go into Babylonian captivity before we are given to serve the Lord appropriately.  

Jer 27:6  And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
Jer 27:7  And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. 
Jer 27:8  And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. 
Jer 27:9  Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: 
Jer 27:10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

The Second Eagle and the Vine

Eze 17:5  He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree. 
Eze 17:6  And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. 
Eze 17:7  There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. 
Eze 17:8  It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.

When the Lord, through king Nebuchadnezzar, sent Jehoiachin and the princes to Babylon, he made his uncle Zedekiah king to rule in his stead. The original name of Zedekiah was Mattaniah which means the gift of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar changed into Zedekiah, meaning the justice of the Lord.  This was to remind Zedekiah to be afraid of the justice of the Lord. Zedekiah therefore represents the seed of the land which was planted in a fruitful field with all the requisite ingredients for its growth. As it became a vine and brought forth branches, it became obvious that this vine was gravitating towards another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. This is the interpretation given to Ezekiel:

Eze 17:13  And hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land: 
Eze 17:14  That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. 
Eze 17:15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? 

These verses imply that the seed of the land which was planted was Zedekiah and the other great eagle in this case represents the king of Egypt to whom Zedekiah sent his ambassadors to solicit for resources (horses and people). The vine is the people of Judah who had forsaken their covenant with the king of Babylon and had aligned themselves with Egypt even though the first eagle (king of Babylon) has given them the resources they need to live peacefully by making a covenant with them.   

2Ch 36:10  And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. 
2Ch 36:11  Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
2Ch 36:12  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD.
2Ch 36:13  And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.
2Ch 36:14 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.

Spiritually speaking, the seed of the land which represents Zedekiah signifies our lives in the physical churches of this world or Babylon where we are given all the resources we need to become the desired branches of the vine who is Christ.

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 
Joh 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

In this situation we can liken our walk in Babylon (people of Israel) to a tree planted by the rivers of water that bears fruit in his season.  

Psa 1:3  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Unfortunately, we used the resources that the Lord has given to us to become corrupted by chasing after the wisdom and traditions of this world, which is signified here by the vine tilting toward the other great eagle. This other great eagle is our father the devil, who is represented as the king of Egypt. As we are aware, Egypt is a symbol of worldliness, and therefore the prince of this world is the king of Egypt and therefore the devil.

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

Joh 14:30  Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world [the devil] cometh, and hath nothing in me. 

Eze 17:9  Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. 
Eze 17:10  Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew. 

In these verses, the Lord is telling us that when we stray from the path of peace, we pierce ourselves with many sorrows. In other words, we end up becoming spiritually dead just like plants which utterly wither when there is no water. The path of peace is the narrow way which few find. However, broad is the way that leads to death.

Mat 7:13  “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
Mat 7:14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 

The east wind in verse 10 refers to the tribulations and persecution which comes as a result of the word of the Lord. Just like the parable of the Sower, we receive the word of the Lord with joy but because our roots have not sunk deeper into the soil as a result of our tilting toward the other great eagle (the devil) during our time in Babylon, we become offended or wither when tribulations and persecutions come our way.  

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 

The Word of the Lord Explains Itself

Eze 17:11  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 17:12  Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon; 
Eze 17:13  And hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land: 
Eze 17:14  That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. 
Eze 17:15  But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?

As we have shown earlier, these verses were used to explain to us the meaning of the parable or riddle that the Lord gave to Ezekiel. Without the explanation given to us by these verses, chapter 17 of Ezekiel would have been subject to many interpretations. Therefore, these verses establish the principle that we should not go beyond what is written if we are to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord. In simple terms, the Bible explains itself. 

1Co 4:6  I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. (ESV)

Within this principle of not going beyond what is written is also the principle that it is only when we compare scripture with scripture that we come to know the mind of Christ. Our preaching therefore must be based on the principle of comparing scripture with scripture. Many have pierced themselves with many sorrows in their bid to interpret the word of the Lord by going beyond what is written.

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

We Must Submit to Authority the Lord has Placed Over Us

Eze 17:16  As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 
Eze 17:17  Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons: 
Eze 17:18  Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape. 
Eze 17:19  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.  

The Lord did not look kindly on King Zedekiah’s decision to ignore the covenant he made with the king of Egypt and sought the support of the king of Egypt (Pharaoh) for horses and people. The consequence for his action is that he shall surely die. We can see clearly that ignoring the king of Babylon’s covenant means breaking a covenant with the Lord. What this is telling us is that when we must submit to authority the Lord has placed over us, we are submitting to Christ. It is instructive to note that in verse 19, the Lord called the covenant the king of Babylon had with king Zedekiah as His oath that he has despised.

1Pe 2:13  Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 
1Pe 2:14  Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 
1Pe 2:15  For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 
1Pe 2:16  As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 
1Pe 2:17  Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. 
1Pe 2:18  Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 
1Pe 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

If we refuse to submit to those the Lord has placed over us, whether in the body of Christ or at our workplace or our family, we run the risk of becoming spiritually dead. For example, we cannot despise our parents even though they may not know the Lord and then think it will go well with us.

Eze 17:20  And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. 
Eze 17:21 And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it. 

These verses show us the consequences of the actions of king Zedekiah to seek support from the king of Egypt and therefore break his covenant with the king of Babylon. Seeking for support from the king of Egypt spiritually means relying on the arm of the flesh, which is empowered by the devil. In verse 20, the result of Zedekiah’s action is that he shall be brought to Babylon. 

Jer 52:8  But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.
Jer 52:9  Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.
Jer 52:10  And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah. 
Jer 52:11 Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death. 

What these verses show us is that if we reneged on our Lord’s covenant with us to take care of us after we have been elected by the Lord to reign with Him, even though we did not deserve it just as Zedekiah did not deserve the kingship and relied on the arm of the flesh, we shall surely end up in Babylon. Babylon is not a location but whenever we refuse to submit to our husband Christ, then we are playing the harlot, and we know that the harlot is Babylon.

In verse 21 we are shown that all the princes around Zedekiah shall fall by the sword. As we can see in Jeremiah 52:10, all the princes and sons of Zedekiah were slaughtered. Falling by the sword in verse 21 refers to our state as being spiritually dead through false doctrines. Those we were scattered towards all winds in verse 21 signify those who are deceived by every wind of doctrine. 

Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

What the Lord has Started, He Shall Surely Complete It

Eze 17:22  Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: 
Eze 17:23  In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
Eze 17:24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

The highest branch of the high cedar in verse 22 represents the Lord’s elect who shall be planted upon a high mountain. Planting us upon an high mountain means that we are given access to rivers and streams as shown in the following verses:

Isa 30:25  And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 

Isa 30:26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

Rivers and streams in the verses above refer to the truth of the word of the Lord. This implies that the Lord planting us on a high mountain means we are being given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Being planted on high mountains with access to rivers and streams also implies that we shall bear forth fruit in our due season and that whatsoever we do shall prosper!!

Psa 1:1  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 
Psa 1:2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 
Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 

Verse 23 says that we shall bear fruit and be like the goodly cedar, and under us shall the fowls of every wing dwell. The fowls of every wing being under us implies that we shall be given dominion over the devil and his cohorts.

Luk 8:5  A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

Luk 8:12  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

Luk 10:19  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 
Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

The trees of the field in verse 24 refer to the people of the world. Verse 24 means that the people of the world shall know how the Lord has exalted us from among men. The people of the world shall see this when the kingdoms of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

From verse 22 to 24, we are being given assurances by the Lord that what He starts, He is able to bring to completion. We may look at ourselves and not be impressed by our spiritual status. However, the key is to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. It is not about looking at ourselves. He who has started a good work in us shall see to its completion! Like Zerubbabel, the Lord is telling us that it is His work of grace that shall accomplish it!!

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 
Zec 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. 

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

May His name be praised for His wonderful plan of salvation for us!! Amen!!