45 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
45 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Ezekiel 19:1–14"
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date = "2023-04-19"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel19.1-14)
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The Lord gives Ezekiel a lamentation to say before the people. I am thankful
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for the notes in my study Bible that give me cultural context that is lost from
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mere translation of the words. These verses are a form of Hebrew poetry usually
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used in funeral dirges, and Ezekiel and his listeners would have immediately
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recognized the meter.
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The lament itself concerns the princes of Israel, comparing them to the cubs of
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a lioness. The first one described grew up to be a man-eater, so the nations
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captured him and took him off to Egypt. When he did not return, the lioness
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raised up another cub who also grew up to be a man-eater worse than the one
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before. He "seized their widows" and "laid waste their cities". (_v. 7_)
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Therefore the nations rose against this young lion as well, trapped him in a
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pit, caged him, and sent him off to Babylon.
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Lions often symbolize the kingship of the tribe of Judah, and this is no
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exception. The lioness herself represents Israel as a whole, or possibly
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Jerusalem. The first young lion was Jehoahaz who reigned as king for three
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months before being captured and taken to Egypt by Pharaoh Neco. The second
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young lion is either Jehoiakim or his son Jehoiachin. It's confusing because 2
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Kings does not mention an exile for Jehoiakim, but 2 Chronicles (which was
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written later) said he was put into custody. Perhaps he died before he could be
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taken to Babylon, and Jehoiachin was given three months to pay tribute to
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Babylon as he should, and failed. In any case, Jehoiachin was definitely exiled
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to Babylon and there were no more kings of David's line after him.
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The second half of the lament symbolizes this state of affairs. The princes'
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mother is now described as a vine planted and watered, growing to great
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heights. But she is then "plucked up in fury" (_v. 12_) and the hot desert wind
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dries out the branch and fruit on the vine. The stem left in the ground was
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consumed by fire so that there isn't even enough left to make a scepter from
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it. Like a lion, a branch was often used as a symbol for Judah's kingship,
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especially for the promised messiah. If this was the end of the story, we would
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not have any hope left for a king on the throne of David ever again.
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* * *
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You keep Your promises even when it seems all hope is lost, because You can
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never go back on Your word.
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