Ezekiel 17:23

• The last part of the chapter changes the story. Now the Lord takes a branch from the cedar tree and plants it on Israel’s highest mountain. In the Old Testament, a tree often represents a royal family line. A new shoot (a small new branch) represents a new beginning (compare Isaiah 11:1).

  The judgment on the vine would not end the monarchy (the rule of kings). God would plant a new branch. This branch would grow into a greater cedar than the first one. Although the line of kings seemed to end with Zedekiah, this was not the final outcome.

  In God’s time, a new beginning was certain (see Haggai 2:21–23; Matthew 1:11–16; 2:1–11).

• God cuts down the tall tree, makes the short tree grow tall, and revives the dead tree, allowing birds of every kind to find shelter and shade under its branches. In this picture, birds of every kind represent the nations.

  God had promised David an eternal throne (a kingdom that would not end). The failures of David’s descendants, the kings of Judah, could not cancel that promise. One day, the family line of David would rise again. This happened through Jesus, who brings blessing to all nations.

This chapter includes a riddle. A riddle is a type of metaphorical speech (language that uses pictures and comparisons). It both hides and shows the meaning at the same time.

The chapter is also a fable. A fable is a story that teaches a moral lesson. It often tells the lesson through plants or animals instead of people.

This creative setting creates distance between the story and real life. That distance helps the listener receive the message. It lowers resistance to a message that may be hard or unpleasant to hear.

This section includes eight metaphors, each showing from a different angle the certainty of Jerusalem's upcoming judgment. The images are of:

1. a worthless vine (Ezekiel 15);

2. a faithless wife (Ezekiel 16);

3. a vine and two eagles (Ezekiel 17);

4. Sour grapes (Ezekiel 18);

5. a lion and her cubs (Ezekiel 19);

6. a sword (Ezekiel 21);

7. two corrupt sisters (Ezekiel 23); and

8. a cooking pot (Ezekiel 24).