Chapter 17:
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Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 Lamentations Daniel
Ezekiel 17
Complete Concise
God was, in the foregoing chapter, reckoning with the people of
Judah, and bringing ruin upon them for their treachery in breaking covenant with
him; in this chapter he is reckoning with the king of Judah for his treachery in
breaking covenant with the king of Babylon; for when God came to contend with
them he found many grounds of his controversy. The thing was now in doing:
Zedekiah was practising with the king of Egypt underhand for assistance in a
treacherous project he had formed to shake off the yoke of the king of Babylon,
and violate the homage and fealty he had sworn to him. For this God by the
prophet here, I. Threatens the ruin of him and his kingdom, by a parable of two
eagles and a vine (v. 1-10), and the explanation of that parable (v. 11-21).
But, in the close, II. He promises hereafter to raise the royal family of Judah
again, the house of David, in the Messiah and his kingdom (v. 22-24).
Verses 1-21
We must take all these verses together, that we may have the
parable and the explanation of it at one view before us, because they will
illustrate one another. 1. The prophet is appointed to
put forth a riddle
to the
house of Israel (v. 2), not to puzzle them, as Samson's riddle
was put forth to the Philistines, not to hide the mind of God from them in
obscurity, or to leave them in uncertainty about it, one advancing one
conjecture and another another, as is usual in expounding riddles; no, he is
immediately to tell them the meaning of it.
Let him that speaks in an unknown
tongue pray that he may interpret, 1 Co. 14:13. But he must deliver this
message in a riddle or parable that they might take the more notice of it, might
be the more affected with it themselves, and might the better remember it and
tell it to others. For these reasons God often used similitudes by his servants
the prophets, and Christ himself
opened his mouth in parables. Riddles
and parables are used for an amusement to ourselves and an entertainment to our
friends. The prophet must make use of these to see if in this dress the things
of God might find acceptance, and insinuate themselves into the minds of a
careless people. Note, Ministers should study to find out acceptable words, and
try various methods to do good; and, as far as they have reason to think will be
for edification, should both bring that which is familiar into their preaching
and their preaching too into their familiar discourse, that there may not be so
vast a dissimilitude as with some there is between what they say in the pulpit
and what they say out. 2. He is appointed to expound this riddle to
the
rebellious house, v. 12. Though being
rebellious they might justly
have been left in ignorance, to see and hear and not perceive, yet the thing
shall be explained to them:
Know you not what these things mean? Those
that knew the story, and what was now in agitation, might make a shrewd guess at
the meaning of this riddle, but, that they might be left without excuse, he is
to give it to them in plain terms, stripped of the metaphor. But the enigma was
first propounded for them to study on awhile, and to send to their friends at
Jerusalem, that they might enquire after and expect the solution of it some time
after.
Let us now see what the matter of this message is.
I. Nebuchadnezzar had some time ago carried off Jehoiachin, the
same that was called
Jeconiah, when he was but eighteen years of age and
had reigned in Jerusalem but
three months, him and his princes and great
men, and had brought them captives to Babylon, 2 Ki. 24:12. This in the parable
is represented by an eagle's cropping the top and tender branch of
a cedar,
and carrying it into
a land of traffic, a
city of merchants (v. 3,
4), which is explained v. 12. The
king of Babylon took the
king of
Jerusalem, who was no more able to resist him than a young twig of a tree is
to contend with the strongest bird of prey, that easily crops it off, perhaps
towards the making of
her nest. Nebuchadnezzar, in Daniel's vision, is
a
lion, the king of beasts (Dan. 7:4); there he has
eagle's wings, so
swift were his motions, so speedy were his conquests. Here, in this parable, he
is
an eagle, the king of birds, a
great eagle, that lives upon
spoil and rapine, whose young ones
suck up blood, Job 39:30. His dominion
extends itself far and wide, like the great and long wings of an eagle; the
people are numerous, for it is
full of feathers; the court is splendid,
for it has
divers colours, which look like
embroidering, as the
word is. Jerusalem is Lebanon, a forest of houses, and very pleasant. The royal
family is
the cedar; Jehoiachin is the
top branch, the
top of
the young twigs, which he crops off. Babylon is the
land of traffic
and
city of merchants where it is set. And the king of Judah, being of
the house of David, will think himself much degraded and disgraced to be lodged
among tradesmen; but he must make the best of it.
II. When he carried him to Babylon he made his uncle Zedekiah
king in his room, v. 5, 6. His name was
Mattaniah—the gift of the Lord,
which Nebuchadnezzar changed into
Zedekiah—the justice of the Lord, to
remind him to be just like the God he called his, for fear of his justice. This
was
one of the seed of the land, a native, not a foreigner, not one of
his Babylonian princes; he was
planted in a fruitful field, for so
Jerusalem as yet was; he
placed it by great waters, where it would be
likely to grow, like
a willow-tree, which grows quickly, and grows best
in moist ground, but is never designed nor expected to be a stately tree. He
set
it with care and
circumspection (so some read it); he wisely provided
that it might grow, but that it might not grow too big.
He took of the king's
seed (so it is explained, v. 13) and
made a covenant with him that he
should have the kingdom, and enjoy the regal power and dignity, provided he held
it as his vassal, dependent on him and accountable to him. He
took an oath of
him, made him swear allegiance to him, swear by his own God, the God of
Israel, that he would be a faithful tributary to him, 2 Chr. 36:13. He also
took
away the mighty of the land, the chief of the men of war, partly as hostages
for the performance of the covenant, and partly that, the land being thereby
weakened, the king might be the less able, and therefore the less in temptation,
to break his league. What he designed we are told (v. 14):
That the kingdom
might be base, in respect both of honour and strength, might neither be a
rival with its powerful neighbours, nor a terror to its feeble ones, as it had
been, that
it might not left up itself to vie with the kingdom of
Babylon, or to bear down any of the petty states that were in subjection to it.
But yet he designed that by
the keeping of this covenant it might stand,
and continue a kingdom. Hereby the pride and ambition of that haughty potentate
would be gratified, who aimed to be
like the Most High (Isa. 14:14), to
have all about him subject to him. Now see here, 1. How sad a change sin made
with the royal family of Judah. Time was when all the nations about were
tributaries to that; now that has not only lost its dominion over other nations,
but has itself become a tributary.
How has the gold become dim! Nations
by sin sell their liberty, and princes their dignity, and
profane their
crowns by casting them to the ground. 2. How wisely Zedekiah did for himself
in accepting these terms, though they were dishonourable, when necessity brought
him to it. A man may live very comfortably and contentedly, though he cannot
bear a part, and make a figure, as formerly. A kingdom may stand firmly and
safely, though it do not stand so high as it has sometimes done; and so may a
family.
III. Zedekiah, while he continued faithful to the king of
Babylon, did very well, and, if he would but have reformed his kingdom, and
returned to God and his duty, he would have done better, and by that means might
soon have recovered his former dignity, v. 6. This plant grew, and though it was
set as a willow-tree, and little account was made of it, yet it became
a
spreading vine of low stature, a great blessing to his own country, and his
fruits
made glad their hearts; and it is better to be a spreading vine of
low stature than a lofty cedar of no use. Nebuchadnezzar was pleased, for
the
branches turned towards him, and rested on him as the vine on the wall, and
he had his share of the fruits of this vine;
the roots thereof too were
under
him, and at his disposal. The Jews had reason to be pleased, for they sat
under their own vine, which
brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs,
and looked pleasant and promising. See how gradually the judgments of God came
upon this provoking people, how God gave them respite and so gave them space to
repent. He made
their kingdom base, to try if that would humble them,
before he made it no kingdom; yet left it easy for them, to try if that would
win upon them to return to him, that the troubles threatened might be prevented.
IV. Zedekiah knew not when he was well off, but grew impatient
of the disgrace of being a tributary to the king of Babylon, and, to get clear
of it, entered into a private league with the king of Egypt. He had no reason to
complain that the king of Babylon put any new hardships upon him or improved his
advantages against him, that he oppressed or impoverished his country, for, as
the prophet had said before (v. 6) to aggravate his treachery, he shows again
(v. 8) what a fair way he was in to be considerable:
He was planted in a good
soil by great waters; his family was likely enough to be built up, and his
exchequer to be filled, in a little time, so that, if he had dealt faithfully,
he might have been
a goodly vine. But there was
another great eagle
that he had an affection for, and put a confidence in, and that was the
king
of Egypt, v. 7. Those two great potentates, the kings of Babylon and Egypt,
were but two great eagles,
birds of prey. This great eagle of Egypt is
said to have
great wings, but not to be
long-winged as the king of
Babylon, because, though the kingdom of Egypt was strong, yet it was not of such
a vast extent as that of Babylon was. The great eagle is said to have
many
feathers, much wealth and many soldiers, which he depended upon as a
substantial defence, but which really were no more than so
may feathers.
Zedekiah, promising himself liberty, made himself a vassal to the king of Egypt,
foolishly expecting ease by changing his master. Now
this vine did
secretly and under-hand
bend her roots towards the king of Egypt, that
great eagle, and after awhile did openly
shoot forth her branches towards
him, give him an intimation how much she coveted an alliance with him,
that
he might water it by the furrows of her plantation, whereas it was
planted
by great waters, and did not need any assistance from him. This is
expounded, v. 15. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon in
sending
his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might
give him horses and much
people, to enable him to contend with the king of Babylon. See what a change
sin had made with the people of God! God promised that they should be a numerous
people, as the sand of the sea; yet now, if their king had occasion for
much
people, he must send to Egypt for them, they being for sin
diminished and
brought low, Ps. 107:39. See also the folly of fretful discontented spirits,
that ruin themselves by striving to better themselves, whereas they might be
easy and happy enough if they would but
make the best of that which is.
V. God here threatens Zedekiah with the utter destruction of him
and his kingdom, and, in displeasure against him, passes that doom upon him for
his treacherous revolt from the king of Babylon. This is represented in the
parable (v. 9, 19) by the
plucking up of this vine by the roots, the cutting
off of the fruit, and
the withering of the leaves, the leaves
of
her spring, when they are in their greenness (Job 8:12), before they begin
in autumn to wither of themselves. The project shall be blasted; it shall
utterly
wither. The affairs of this perfidious prince shall be ruined past retrieve;
as a vine when the east wind blasts it, so that it shall be fit for nothing but
the fire (as we had it in that parable, ch. 15:4), it shall wither even
in
the furrows where it grew, though they were ever so well watered. It shall
be destroyed
without great power or many people to pluck it up; for what
need is there of raising the militia to pluck up a vine? Note, God can bring
great things to pass without much ado. He needs not great power and many people
to effect his purposes; a handful will serve if he pleases. He can without any
difficulty ruin a sinful king and kingdom, and make no more of it than we do of
rooting up a tree that cumbers the ground. In the explanation of the parable the
sentence is very largely recorded:
Shall be prosper? v. 15. Can he expect
to do ill and fare well? Nay, shall he that does such wicked things
escape?
Shall he
break the covenant, and be delivered from that vengeance which
is the just punishment of his treachery? No; can he expect to do ill and not
suffer ill? Let him hear his doom.
1. It is ratified by the oath of God (v. 16):
As I live,
saith the Lord God, he shall die for it. This intimates how highly God
resented the crime, and how sure and severe the punishment of it would be. God
swears
in his wrath, as he did Ps. 95:11. Note, As God's promises are confirmed
with an oath, for comfort to the saints, so are his threatenings, for terror to
the wicked. As sure as God lives and is happy (I may add, and as long), so sure,
so long, shall impenitent sinners die and be miserable.
2. It is justified by the heinousness of the crime he had been
guilty of. (1.) He had been very ungrateful to his benefactor, who had
made
him king, and undertook to protect him, had made him a prince when he might
as easily have made him a prisoner. Note, It is a sin against God to be unkind
to our friends and to lift up the heel against those that have helped to raise
us. (2.) He had been very false to him whom he had covenanted with. This is
mostly insisted on: He
despised the oath. When his conscience or friends
reminded him of it he made a jest of it, put on a daring resolution, and
broke
it, v. 15, 16, 18, 19. He broke through it, and took a pride in making
nothing of it, as a great tyrant in our own day, whose maxim (they say) it is,
That
princes ought not to be slaves to their word any further than it is for their
interest. That which aggravated Zedekiah's perfidiousness was that the
oath by which he had bound himself to the king of Babylon was, [1.] A solemn
oath. An emphasis is laid upon this (v. 18):
When, lo, he had given his hand,
as a confederate with the king of Babylon, not only as his subject, but as his
friend, the joining of hands being a token of the joining of hearts. [2.] As
sacred oath. God says (v. 19): It is
my oath that he has despised and
my
covenant that he has broken. In every solemn oath God is appealed to as a
witness of the sincerity of him that swears, and invocated as a judge and
revenger of his treachery if he now swear falsely or at any time hereafter break
his oath. But the oath of allegiance to a prince is particularly called
the
oath of God (Eccl. 8:2), as if that had something in it more sacred than
another oath; for princes are
ministers of God to us for good, Rom. 13:4.
Now Zedekiah's breaking this oath and covenant is the sin which God will
recompense
upon his own head (v. 19), the
trespass which he has trespassed against
God, for which God will
plead with him, v. 20. Note, Perjury is a
heinous sin and highly provoking to the God of heaven. It would not serve for an
excuse,
First, That he who took this oath was a king, a king of the house
of David, whose liberty and dignity might surely set him above the obligation of
oaths. No; though kings are gods to us, they are men to God, and not exempt from
his law and judgment. The prince is doubtless as firmly bound before God to the
people by his coronation-oath as the people are to the princes by the oath of
allegiance.
Secondly, Nor that this oath was sworn to the king of
Babylon, a heathen prince, worse than a heretic, with whom the church of Rome
says,
No faith is to be kept. No; though Nebuchadnezzar was a worshipper
of false gods, yet the true God will avenge this quarrel when one of his
worshippers breaks his league with him; for truth is a debt due to all men; and,
if the professors of the true religion deal perfidiously with those of a false
religion, their profession will be so far from excusing, much less justifying
them, that it aggravates their sin, and God will the more surely and severely
punish it, because by it they give occasion to the enemies of the Lord to
blaspheme; as that Mahometan prince, who, when the Christians broke their league
with him, cried out,
O Jesus! are these thy Christians? Thirdly, Nor
would it justify him that the oath was extorted from him by a conqueror, for the
covenant was made upon a valuable consideration. He held his life and crown upon
this condition, that he should be faithful and bear true allegiance to the king
of Babylon; and, if he enjoy the benefit of his bargain, it is very unjust if he
do not observe the terms. Let him know then that, having
despised the oath,
and
broken the covenant, he
shall not escape. And if the contempt
and violation of such an oath, such a covenant as this, would be so punished, of
how much sorer punishment shall those be thought worthy who break covenant with
God (when,
lo, they had given their hand upon it that they would be
faithful), who
tread under foot the blood of that
covenant as an
unholy thing? Between the covenants there is no comparison.
3. It is particularized in divers instances, wherein the
punishment is made to answer the sin. (1.) He had rebelled against the king of
Babylon, and the king of Babylon should be his effectual conqueror. In the place
where that king
dwells whose
covenant he broke, even
with him
in the midst of Babylon he shall die, v. 16. He thinks to get out of his
hands, but he shall fall, more than before, into his hands. God himself will now
take part with the king of Babylon against him:
I will spread my net upon
him, v. 20. God has a net for those who deal perfidiously and think to
escape his righteous judgments, in which those shall be taken and held who would
not be held by the bond of an oath and covenant. Zedekiah dreaded Babylon:
"Thither I will bring him," says God, "and
plead with him
there." Men will justly be forced upon that calamity which they
endeavour by sin to flee from. (2.) He had
relied upon the king of Egypt,
and the king of Egypt should be his ineffectual helper:
Pharaoh with his
mighty army shall not make for him in the war (v. 17), shall to him no
service, nor give any check to the progress of the Chaldean forces; he shall not
assist him in the
siege by
casting up mounts and building forts,
nor in battle by
cutting off many person. Note, Every creature is that to
us which God makes it to be; and he commonly weakens and withers that
arm of
flesh which we trust in and stay ourselves upon. Now was again fulfilled
what was spoken on a former similar occasion (Isa. 30:7),
The Egyptians shall
help in vain. They did so; for though, upon the approach of the Egyptian
army, the Chaldeans withdrew from the siege of Jerusalem, upon their retreat
they returned to it again and took it. It should seem, the Egyptians were not
hearty, had strength enough, but no good-will, to help Zedekiah. Note, Those who
deal treacherously with those who put a confidence in them will justly be dealt
treacherously with by those they put a confidence in. Yet the Egyptians were not
the only states Zedekiah stayed himself upon; he had bands of his own to stand
by him, but those bands, though we may suppose they were veteran troops and the
best soldiers his kingdom afforded, shall become
fugitives, shall quit
their posts, and make the best of their way, and shall
fall by the sword
of the enemy, and the
remains of them shall be scattered, v. 21. This was
fulfilled
when the city was broken up and all the men of war fled, Jer.
52:7. This
you shall now that I the Lord have spoken it. Note, Sooner or
later God's word will prove itself; and those who will not believe shall find
by experience the reality and weight of it.
Verses 22-24
When the royal family of Judah was brought to desolation by the
captivity of Jehoiachin and Zedekiah it might be asked, "What has now
become of the covenant of royalty made with David, that
his children should
sit upon his throne for evermore? Do the
sure mercies of David prove
thus unsure?" To this it is sufficient for the silencing of the objectors
to answer that the promise was conditional. If
they will keep my covenant,
then they shall continue, Ps. 132:12. But David's posterity broke the
condition, and so forfeited the promise. But the unbelief of man shall not
invalidate the promise of God. He will find out another
seed of David in
which it shall be accomplished; and that is promised in these verses.
I. The house of David shall again be magnified, and out of its
ashes another phoenix shall arise. The metaphor of a tree, which was made us of
in the threatening, is here presented in the promise, v. 22, 23. This promise
had its accomplishment in part when Zerubbabel, a branch of the house of David,
was raised up to head the Jews in their return out of captivity, and to rebuild
the city and temple and re-establish their church and state; but it was to have
its full accomplishment in the kingdom of the Messiah, who was a root out of a
dry ground, and to whom God, according to promise, gave
the throne of his
father David, Lu. 1:32. 1. God himself undertakes the reviving and restoring
of the house of David. Nebuchadnezzar was the
great eagle that had
attempted the re-establishing of the house of David in a dependence upon him, v.
5. But the attempt miscarried; his plantation withered and was plucked up.
"Well," says God, "the next shall be of my planting:
I will
also take of the highest branch of the high cedar and I will set it."
Note, As men have their designs, God also has his designs; but his will prosper
when theirs are blasted. Nebuchadnezzar prided himself in setting up kingdoms at
his pleasure, Dan. 5:19. But those kingdoms soon had an end, whereas the
God
of heaven sets up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, Dan. 2:44. 2. The
house of David is revived in a
tender one cropped from the top of his young
twigs. Zerubbabel was so; that which was hopeful in him was but the
day
of small things (Zec. 4:10), yet before him
great mountains were
made
plain. Our Lord Jesus was
the highest branch of the high cedar, the
furthest of all from
the root (for soon after he appeared the
house of
David was all cut off and extinguished), but the nearest of all to heaven,
for his kingdom was not of this world. He was
taken from the top of the young
twigs, for he is
the man, the branch, a tender plant, and a
root
out of a dry ground (Isa. 53:2), but a
branch of righteousness, the
planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. 3. This branch is planted
in
a high mountain (v. 22), in the
mountain of the height of Israel, v.
23. Thither he brought Zerubbabel in triumph; there he raised up his son Jesus,
sent him to gather the
lost sheep of the house of Israel that were
scattered
upon the mountains, set him
his king upon
his holy hill of Zion,
sent forth the gospel from
Mount Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem;
there, in the
height of Israel, a nation which all its neighbours had an
eye upon as conspicuous and illustrious, was the Christian church first planted.
The churches of Judea were the most primitive churches. The unbelieving Jews did
what they could to prevent its being planted there; but who can pluck up what
God will plant? 4. Thence it spreads far and wide. The Jewish state, though it
began very low in Zerubbabel's time, was set as a tender branch, which might
easily be plucked up, yet took root, spread strangely, and after some time
became very considerable; those of other nations,
fowl of every wing, put
themselves under the protection of it. The Christian church was at first like a
grain of mustard-seed, but became, like this tender branch, a great tree, its
beginning small, but its latter end increasing to admiration. When the Gentiles
flocked into the church then did the
fowl of every wing (even the birds
of prey, which those preyed upon, as the
wolf and the lamb feeding
together, Isa. 11:6) come and
dwell under the shadow of this goodly cedar.
See Dan. 4:21.
II. God himself will herein be glorified, v. 24. The setting up
of the Messiah's kingdom in the world shall discover more clearly than ever to
the children of men that
God is the King of all the earth, Ps. 47:7.
Never was there a more full conviction given of this truth, that all things are
governed by an infinitely wise and mighty Providence, than that which was given
by the exaltation of Christ and the establishment of his kingdom among men; for
by that it appeared that God has all hearts in his hand, and the sovereign
disposal of all affairs.
All the trees of the field shall know, 1. That
the tree which God will have to be
brought down, and
dried up,
shall be so, though it be ever so high and stately, ever so green and
flourishing. Neither honour nor wealth, neither external advancements nor
internal endowments, will secure men from humbling withering providence. 2. That
the tree which God will have to be exalted, and to flourish, shall so be, shall
so do, though ever so low, and ever so dry. The house of Nebuchadnezzar, that
now makes so great a figure, shall be extirpated, and the house of David, that
now makes so mean a figure, shall become famous again; and the Jewish nation,
that is now despicable, shall be considerable. The kingdom of Satan, that has
borne so long, so large, a sway, shall be broken, and the kingdom of Christ,
that was looked upon with contempt. shall be established. The Jews, who, in
respect of church-privileges, had been high and green, shall be thrown out, and
the Gentiles, who had been low and dry trees, shall be taken in their room, Isa.
54:1. All the enemies of Christ shall be abased and made his footstool, and his
interests shall be confirmed and advanced:
I the Lord have spoken (it is
the decree, the declared decree, that Christ must be exalted, must be the
headstone of the corner), and
I have done it, that is, I will do it in
due time, but it is as sure to be done as if it were done already. With men
saying
and doing are two things, but they are not so with God. What he has spoken
we may be sure that he will do, nor shall one iota or tittle of his word fall to
the ground, for
he is not a man, that he should lie, or the son of man, that
he should repent either of his threatenings or of his promises.
Chapter 17:
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