Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Ezekiel 19: Reading Between The Lions

Ezekiel 19 introduces a story about lions and one about a vine to explain what is happening to God's people during the prophet's moment in history.
The royal family of Judah is (appropriately enough) depicted as a pride of lions.  Two strong lions in particular are mentioned.  The first is described in verses 3 and 4.  He was very ferocious and, as a consequence, was ensnared by the nations who dug a pit for him.  When he was taken captive, he was carried away to Egypt.  Sound familiar?  This describes the experience of King Josiah's son Jehoahaz. 

Seeing her son lost, the mother lioness takes another of her cubs and grooms him to be a strong lion.  Like his brother, he grows into a skilled hunter and takes people as his prey.  Again, the nations rise up against him and trap him.  This time they haul the second lion off to Babylon as a prisoner of the king (vs. 9).  This lion, too, has a parallel, namely Jeconiah (the son of Jehoahaz's brother Jehoiakim), who was taken to Babylon in exile.

Chapter 19 concludes with a second parable about the nation of Judah being compared to a choice vine that is roughly transplanted and loses all its strength.  Like the allegory of the lions, this story makes the point that Judah is in for a tough time of testing as it loses power and influence.  

Ezekiel's parables are able to convey spiritual truth through the backdoor of homey stories that his audience could relate to.  By hearing of the fate of captured lions or a wilted vine, when people read between the lines they perceive that Judah is about to undergo a time of great suffering.

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