Ezekiel 19
1 “Moreover
take thou up a lamentation for the princes of
The two sections of this chapter — vs. 1-9 and 10-14-are
respectively two parables
of
the same type as that of ch.2:10. The former telling nearly the same story
under a
different imagery, the latter a reproduction of the same imagery,
with a slightly
different application. Lamentation. The same word as that used in ch.2:10.
The whole chapter finds a parallel in Jeremiah’s review of
Josiah’s successors
(Jeremiah 22:10-30). It is noticeable that the princes are
described as
being of
scholars apply it to Zedekiah.
A Lamentation for the Princes of
Ezekiel follows up his predictions of approaching judgment
and his exhortations to
repentance with an elegy on the distresses of the princes of
became the inspiration of an ode. True poetry has its fountains
in deep
emotion. Thus a living religion naturally finds expression in
song, and the
spiritual experience of men is uttered in psalms. That religion
which is
satisfied with the cold statements of intellectual propositions has
not yet
touched the heart, and is no living experience. There is a fire of passion in
true devotion. On
the other hand, when religion has been neglected or
outraged, a new range of emotions is called into play, and the
fate of
sinners stirs feelings of profound grief in all who understand its
dire distress
and have brotherly hearts to sympathize with others. The Book of
Lamentations may be taken as the
reverse of the Book of Psalms. Psalmists
celebrate the emotions of true religion; the “Lamentations” is a dirge sung
over those who have been unfaithful to their religion. In any
case, man’s
relation to religion is so intimate and vital that it should rouse
deep feelings
in the heart of every one.
ELEMENTS OF DISTRESS.
Ø
The princes enjoyed high rank. When they fell,
their humiliation
and suffering were all the greater. Men envy high stations;
but such
positions are liable to peculiar calamities, from which the lowly do
not suffer.
o
High positions
attract attention. Princes are aimed
at when
peasants are neglected. The leading families were torn from
their homes and carried off to
sons of the soil were left to till their fields.
o
High rank is no
sure protection. A bodyguard surrounds
princes.
But no guard can ward off the
judgment of Heaven. God will
judge the great as surely as the lowly.
Ø
The princes came of a divinely favored line. They belonged to the
house of David — a house which had long enjoyed peculiar marks
of
God’s favor, and which was
thought to be sheltered by promises of
everlasting prosperity (e.g. Psalm 69). But no favoritism of Heaven
will protect against the consequences of sin. God’s promises of grace
are conditioned by man’s fidelity.
Ø
The ruin of the princes was in itself most lamentable. They did not
suffer from some temporary reverse of fortune. One after another
they
were flung down from the throne and degraded to a miserable
fate.
The consequences
of sin are HEAVY and DISASTROUS! No soul
can face them with equaninity.
Ø
The fate of the princes involved the sufferings of their
people. The
princes, being leaders in sin, were first
in punishment. Their primacy of
guilt was followed by a primacy of doom. But others suffered
also in
various degrees, and the nation was involved in calamities. Thus the
responsibility of those in high stations is enlarged by the fact that they
bring trouble upon many by their misdeeds.
2 “And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among
lions, she nourished her whelps among young
lions.”
What is thy
mother? etc.; better, with the Vulgate, Septuagint, and
Keil, Why did thy mother, a
lioness, lie down among lionesses? The image
may
have been suggested by Genesis 49:9 and Numbers 23:24, or
perhaps also by Nahum 2:11-12. The lioness is
idealized and personified. The lionesses among whom
she had lain down
are
the heathen kingdoms. The question asks why
she had become as one
of them
and adopted their cruelty and ferocity.
3 “And she
brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and
it learned to catch the prey; it devoured
men.” The whelp, as v. 4 shows,
is
Jehoahaz, also known as Shallum
(Jeremiah 22:11), who “did evil” in the sight
of
the Lord (II Kings 23:32), the words that follow pointing to cruelty and
oppression like that of Zedekiah. The passage finds a somewhat
striking
parallel in AEschylus, ‘Agam.,’ 695-715.
4 “The
nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they
brought him with chains unto the
The nations also
heard of him, etc. The fact that lies under the
parable is that
aggressive policy of Jehoahaz, as men are
alarmed when they hear that a
young lion is in the neighborhood, and proceed to lay snares for
him. In
chains, etc.; literally, nose rings, such as were put into
the nostrils of
brutes or men (ch. 38:4; II Kings
19:28; Isaiah 37:29). The mention of
(II Kings 23:34; Jeremiah 22:11).
5 “Now
when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost,
then she took another of her whelps, and made
him a young lion.
6 And he
went up and down among the lions, he became a young
lion, and learned to catch the prey, and
devoured men.”
The second lion whelp is identified by v. 9 with Jehoiachin.
For some reason or other, probably because he, as having “slept with his
fathers,” was not so conspicuous an instance of retribution, Ezekiel
passes
over Jehoiakim (B.C. 607-599).
7 “And he
knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities;
and the land was desolate, and the fullness
thereof, by the noise of
his roaring.
8 Then the nations set against him on
every side from the
provinces and spread their net over him: he was
taken in their pit.
9 And they
put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of
Babylon: they brought him into holds, that
his voice should no
more be heard upon the mountains of
palaces; literally, widows;
but the word is used figuratively in Isaiah 13:22,
in
the sense of “desolate houses” (compare Ibid. ch. 47:8). So the
Vulgate
gives didicit viduas facere; and Keil adopts that meaning
here, “he knew, i.e.
outraged, the widows of
The two words for “widows” and “palaces” differ in a single letter
only, and
There may have been an error in transcription. On the whole, I
adhere to the
Authorized Version and Revised Version
(text). Currey
explains, “He
knew (i.e. eyed with satisfaction) his palaces,” from which he
had ejected
their former owners, as his father Jeboiakim
had done (Jeremiah 22:15-16).
Ewald follows the Targum in a various
reading of the verb, and gets
the
meaning, “he destroyed its palaces.” Interpreting the parable, we have
Jehoiachin described as alarming Nebuchadnezzar
and the neighboring
nations by his activity, and therefore carried off to
been to
of
The Parable
of the Lion’s Whelps (vs. 1-9)
·
THE LION-LIKE CHARACTER OF
especially given to the tribe of
(Genesis 49:9). There should be
something of the better nature of the
lion in the people of God.
Ø
Strength. With one blow of his paw the lion can break the neck of a
bull.
The nation of
might of God. God
does not only save His children as weak creatures
needing His shelter; He inspires them with strength.
Ø
Freedom. The lion is not a domestic animal, trained to wear the
yoke
like the patient ox. When he is caught and caged his proud
spirit is broken.
In a state of nature he roams at
large over the desert. God gives liberty to
His people. They are not His slaves; they are His free men.
Ø
Rule. The lion is regarded as the king of the forest.
greatness ruled over her neighbors politically; but spiritually she
has
since extended that rule over the civilized world. There is power
and a ruling influence over minds in the
Ø
Majesty. The lion looks more brave than he
is. His lordly mane and
noble bearing, and the thunder of his roar that echoes through
the
woods at night, impress men with a sense of awe. God has called
His people to a position of greatness and honor.
·
THE FATE OF THE TWO WHELPS.
Ø
The disastrous fate of the first whelp. Jehoahaz
behaves ill, and is
carried in chains to
o
His great sin is that he worked
destruction. “It devored men.” Sin is
hurtful
to ethers as well as to the sinner. When a man is in a position of
power and
influence this is especially the case. But “no man liveth
unto
himself.” (Romans 14:7 We are
responsible for the harm done by
our sin.
o
His
punishment is loss of liberty and banishment. The lion is taken in a
pit,
shackled with chains, and carried off to
not last forever. The liberty that is abused in sin will be
taken away.
They who are
unfaithful to God will be banished from God’s inheritance.
Ø The similar fate of the second whelp. Jehoahaz is followed by Jehoiakim
and Jehoiachin,
not only on the throne, but in evil
conduct and in
consequent punishment.
o
There is a succession in sin. This is not by natural inheritance nor by
inevitable
fate, but by a gathering together of various common
influences,
especially that of example. Yet the fate of former sinners
should be a warning to their
successors. Men are too
ready to copy
the
misdeeds of predecessors, without waiting to consider the
consequences of those misdeeds.
o
There will be a succession in punishment. The resources of judgment
are not
exhausted. The band that smote
faithless Christendom. The form of the punishment may vary, but
the
essence
of it will be unchanged. Jehoahaz was sent to
to
in both
cases, as the villagers assemble in a circle to catch a destructive
lion, the neighbouring
nations joined in the work of
The
Downfall of the Princes (vs. 1-9)
For the interpretation of this figurative and poetical
portion of Ezekiel’s
prophecies, reference must be made to the close of the Second Books
of
Kings and of Chronicles, where the obscure and humiliating history
of the
last days of the
monarchy of
concerns partly what had already taken place, and partly what was
immediately about to happen. The
lessons to be learned from the history and
the
lamentation are of a general character. The fate of the kings — if so
they may be called — Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin, is certainly instructive. But
it
would not be just to separate between the rulers and the ruled, both
of
whom alike “did
that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.”
(I am
concerned that the same thing is happening in
remember Jeremiah was a contemporary of Ezekiel and his message was
“The
prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means;
and my people love
to have it so:
and what will ye do in the end thereof?”
CY - late 2021)
·
THE ROYAL ORIGIN AND DIGNITY OF THE PRINCES. They are
compared to lions, nourished by the lioness their dam, among the
whelps.
Spruging from the royal stock, and a knowledge
as being in the succession,
they occupied in due time the throne of their fathers. This
arrangement was
in fulfillment of the promise made by Jehovah to David, that there should
not fail a man to sit upon the throne of the royal bard.
·
THE MISUSE BY THE PRINCES OF THEIR POWERS. It is natural
that the young lion should catch its prey and even devour men.
But when
the princes are compared to such bloodthirsty and carnivorous
beasts, it is
implied that they were in the habit of oppressing and robbing
their subjects,
and treating them with violence and cruelty. As a matter of
fact, the two
princes referred to did conduct themselves in a tyrannical and
unjust
manner.
·
THE FATE WHICH THE PRINCES PREPARED FOR
THEMSELVES. The
nations are described by the poet prophet as hearing
of the ravening of the lions, and as setting themselves
against them,
spreading a net, digging a pit, and, by the use of customary
devices, taking
the noxious marauder. The first-mentioned prince was taken
captive into
ward, and of the second it is poetically observed that “his
voice was no
more heard upon the mountains of
judge, these princes met with the
reward due to their ungodliness, violence,
rapacity, and treachery.
·
THE NEGLECT OF ONE OF THE PRINCES TO LEARN AND
TAKE WARNING BY THE FATE OF THE OTHER. Whether if
Jehoiachin had been wise, and had learned the lesson publicly
pronounced
by the doom of Jehoahaz, he might
have escaped ruin, we cannot tell. But
by disregarding that lesson he sealed his fate. How often it happens in
human affairs that the most obvious and powerful lesson,
enforced by
striking actual examples, makes no impression upon the mind of the
young,
self-willed and irreligious!
·
A PRACTICAL AND IMPORTANT LESSON IS THUS
CONVEYED TO ALL WHO ARE CALLED BY
GOVERN THEIR FELLOW MEN.
Ø
Princes should not
rely upon their high descent, their birth, their
ancestral clams to respect.
Ø
Princes should not use
their power and the influence of their station for
their own personal emoluments or pleasures.
Ø
Princes should be wise, and order their doings by the
precepts of
Divine righteousness.
Ø
Princes should
remember the instability of thrones and the uncertainty of
life and prosperity, and accordingly should be diligent in
their endeavors
for the public good.
Kingly Power
Abused (vs. 1-9)
Without doubt, the main cause of
vice of her kings. With few exceptions, they gave themselves up to evil
ways. Corruption at the fountainhead became corruption in all the streams
of
national and domestic life. Idolatry was
the root; and tyranny,
anarchy,
violence, and cruelly were the branches. This soon became intolerable to
the
surrounding nations.
·
KINGLY POWER WAS INTENDED AS A BENEFIT. What the
shepherd is to his flock, the king should be to his people. He is
intended to
live and think and plan for their good. Wisdom, not self-will,
ought to be
his supreme counselor. As an army cannot succeed without a
commander;
as a ship cannot voyage prosperously without a pilot; as a
family cannot do
well without a parent; so a
kingdom must have a ruler. The
administration
of justice and of defense must have a living head. The appointment
of a
king, whether he be human or Divine, is a necessity for a
nation’s
prosperity; and that king will be either a blessing or a
curse.
·
KINGLY POWER MAY BECOME SELFISH. The man who is
exalted to the highest place of honor is so exalted that he may
serve the
nation. But, in a measure, he holds an irresponsible office.
There is no
higher power which can control or restrain him. Hence there is a great
temptation for the abuse of office.
The man may use his power to
aggrandize himself, to increase his pleasures or his magnificence.
Setting
aside prudence, wisdom, benevolent regard for others, he may
become
arrogant, self-willed, tyrannical. The
lower appetites of his nature may rule
him, and the
effect will be as if a beast ruled the people. Though a lion is
chief among wild animals, he is but a beast still; and the worst
features of
the untamed lion were manifest in the kings of
·
KINGLY POWER, IF SELFISH, BECOMES DESTRUCTIVE. This
young lion learned “to catch prey, it devoured men.” He
who was set over
the people to preserve life, to afford protection to their
interests, perverted
his high office, destroyed those he was appointed to save. The
king is set in
the stead of God, to reward obedience, and to punish
transgression; by the
abuse of his office he becomes an Apollyon, an ally of Satan. He destroys
his people’s peace, destroys their fortunes, destroys their
lives. His misrule
encourages violence on the high ways, private murder, civil war,
foreign
invasion, An evil king is a
fount of death — the nation’s executioner.
KINGLY POWER, WHEN ABUSED, MUST BE FETTERED. “The
nations set against him on every side… and spread their net over
him: he
was taken in their pit.” He who is unjust and violent in dealing
with his
own people will be unjust and insolent in dealing with
surrounding nations.
But neighboring kings are more free to resent and punish royal insolence
than are the subjects of the monarch. Hence it often happens
that
retribution comes from the mutual consent of foreigners. There is One who
rules among the nations, higher that the highest
king, and He can employ
a thousand methods to restrain and chastise a tyrant. At times God employs
the subjects of the realm; sometimes He employs death; sometimes
He
employs a foreign army — a foreign league. It is a perilous
thing to tamper
with righteousness.
A Lamentation for Fallen
Princes (vs. 1-9)
“Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of
What was thy mother?” etc. Here are three preliminary inquiries.
1. Who is addressed by the prophet?
Or, whom are we to understand by
the
pronoun “thy”? “What was thy mother?” “Jehoiachin is addressed,”
says the ‘Speaker’s Commentary.’ Hengstenberg
says, “The address is to
the
man Judah, the people of the present.” And Schroder,
“The address is
directed to the people.” But, as we shall see, the people are
probably
represented by the lioness; and if such be the case, it is hardly
congruous to
say
that they are addressed in the pronoun “thy;” for that would represent
them at once as the “mother” and the offspring.
2. Who is represented by ”thy mother, a lioness”?
According to Schroder,
“the mother of the people is
Lamentations 1:1). The general opinion is that the mother
represents
the
people of
the
people in itself.” Matthew Henry, “He must compare the kingdom of
under the image of a lioness.” ‘Speaker’s Commentary,’ “The
people
represented by
3. Who are represented by the two whelps? (vs. 3, 5.) It
is generally
agreed that by them are set forth the two princes for whom this
lamentation
is
made, and that by the first whelp which “became a young lion” is
signified Jehoahaz (II Kings 23:30). But
opinion is divided as to
whether the other whelp which was “made a young lion”
represents
Jehoiakim or Jehoiachin. Hengstenberg, Schroder, and the ‘Speaker’s
Commentary’ say that it was Jehoiachin, for this amongst other reasons,
that he “was not appointed by a foreign prince out of order, like his father
Jehoiakim, but succeeded regularly with the consent of the people
(II Kings 24:6).” But it is difficult to see how vs. 6 and
7 can be applied to
him,
seeing that he reigned only three months and ten days (II Chronicles 36:9).
On the other hand, if we take vs. 5-9 as applying to Jehoiakim, then the ninth
verse presents this difficulty, that it represents the prince as
being carried into
more heard upon the mountains of
“Jehoiakim slept with his fathers;”
and in Jeremiah 22:19, “He
shall be buried
with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the
gates of
But, as Dr. Milman
remarks, “There is much difficulty about the death of Jehoiakim;”
for
in addition to the stated merits just quoted from II Kings and Jeremiah, in
II Chronicles 36:6 it is said that Nebuchadnezzar
“bound
him in fetters
to carry
him to
Jehoiachin is referred to in vs. 5-9, difficulties meet us which
perhaps at
present cannot be completely cleared away. On the three questions
at
which we have glanced, the following remarks of Greenhill are deserving
of
quotation: “It is said ‘thy mother’ in reference to each prince.
Jehoahaz,
‘what is thy mother?’ Jehoiakim, ‘what is thy mother?’ By
‘mother’ here is
meant
in
a metaphorical sense mothers; they bring forth kings; they elect, crown,
and
set them up to rule.” But leaving questions of disputed interpretation,
let us look at those
aspects or illustrations of historical and moral truths
which this lamentation
sets forth. We discover here:
·
ROYAL POSITION AND POWER SYMBOLIZED. “What was thy
mother? A lioness: she couched among lions, in the midst of the
young
lions she nourished her whelps.” “The people appears as a lioness,” says
Hengstenberg, “on the ground of Genesis 49:9, to which passage the
couching in particular refers (compare Numbers 23:24; 24:9; Isaiah
29:1),
because it was a royal people, of equal birth with other
independent and
powerful nations, as this royal nature was historically displayed,
especially
in the times of David and Solomon The whelps of the mother
are the sons
of the King of Israel The bringing up of these among lions
points to the
fact that the
of the heathen world.” And Schroder
says excellently, “That she ‘lay
down’ among the neighboring royal states betokens majestic repose and
conscious security — the fearless one exciting fear by imposing
power.”
The power and prosperity thus
indicated were especially realized during
the later years of the reign of David and the greater portion
of that of
Solomon. Of this we have
evidence in 1 Chronicles 14:17; 24:26-28;
II Chronicles 9.
·
ROYAL POSITION AND POWER ABUSED. “And she brought up
one of her whelps; he became a young lion: and he learned to
catch the
prey, he devoured men.” The
young lion is intended to represent Jehoahaz,
who was raised to the throne by the people (II Kings 23:30). “He was
an impious man,” said
Josephus, “and impure in his course of life.” “And
he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord,
according to all that his
fathers had done” (II
Kings 23:32). And, according to our text, during
his brief reign he abused his kingly power by oppressing his
subjects. Then
we have the abuse of kingly power in another sovereign (vs.
5-7). It we
take this as referring to Jehoiakim,
it is difficult to see how it can be
appropriately said that “she took another of her whelps, and
made him a
young lion,” seeing
that he was raised to the throne by Pharaoh-Necho
(II Kings 23:34). But in other
respects the description here given suits
him well (compare vs.
6-7 with II Kings 23:35-37). Josephus says that “he
was of a wicked disposition, and ready to do mischief: nor
was he either
religious towards God or good-natured towards men” (‘
Again, if we translate v. 7 as
in the ‘Speaker’s Commentary,’ “he knew
his palaces” (both Hengstenberg and Schroder translate “his” in this clause,
and not “their” as in the Authorized Version), the reference
to Jehoiakim
becomes yet more clear; for he had a passion for building splendid
edifices,
and he gratified it by injustice and oppression (Jeremiah
22:13-19). By
both these princes their position and power were wickedly abused.
Rank
and might should be used in accordance with the will of God and for the
good of man. Kings should employ their power for the protection and
prosperity of their subjects.
“Since by your greatness
you
Are nearer
heaven in place, be nearer it
In goodness. Rich men should transcend the poor.
As clouds
the earth; raised by the comfort of
The sun, to water dry and barren grounds.”
(Tourneive.)
But these princes used their
power for the oppression and impoverishment
of their subjects.
“When
those whom Heaven distinguishes o’er millions,
Profusely
gives them honor, riches, power,
Whate’er the expanded heart can wish; when they,
Accepting
the reward, neglect the duty,
Or worse,
pervert those gifts to deeds of ruin,
Is there a
wretch they rule so mean as they, —
Guilty at
once of sacrilege to Heaven,
And of perfidious robbery to men?”
(Mallet.)
·
ROYAL POSITION AND POWER TAKEN AWAY. “The nations
also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought
him with
chains unto the
“an
allusion to the custom, when the news arrives that a lion or other
savage beast is committing mischief, of assembling on all sides
to seize and
slay it” (C.B. Michaelis). The “chains,”
“hooks,” or “rings,” by which
Jehoahaz is said to have been brought into
putting a ring “through the nose of animals that require to be
restrained, to
attach to it the bridle by which they are led, by which also
their power of
breathing can be lessened” (compare II Kings 19:28). Jehoiakim also was
stripped of the power which he had abused. “The nations set against him
on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net
over him,” etc.
(vs. 8-9).
The historical explanation is given in II Kings 24:1-2;
II Chronicles 36:5-6. Or, if vs.
8 and 9 be applied to Jehoiachin, we have
their explanation in II Kings 24:10-16. When kings and princes
abuse
their power, in the providence of God it is taken away from
them. Many
examples of this might he cited as:
Ø
Saul (1 Samuel 31.),
Ø
Zimri (1 Kings 16:8-20),
Ø
Jehoram (II Chronicles 21.),
Ø
Manasseh (II
Chronicles 33:1- 11).
And, as Greenhill
says, “Tiberius was poisoned or smothered by his
own nephew; Caligula slain by his own guard; Vitrellius was overthrown in
battle, taken prisoner, and drawn with a halter about his neck
along the
streets, half naked, and after many outrages done unto him, he was
killed
and cast into the
being sewed into a leathern bag, was cast into the sea. Thirty
tyrants were
slain in one day at
who did it with seventy men.” The measure they had meted unto others
was measured also unto them. As they had done, so God requited
them.
These things call for
lamentation on the part of the patriotic and the pious.
When splendid opportunities are
worse than neglected, and exalted
position and power are grievously abused, and princes oppress their
people, the wise and
good do mourn. National sins and calamities should
awaken the sorrow of all lovers of their God and country.
10 “Thy
mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she
was fruitful and full of branches by reason of
many waters.”
Another parable comes close upon the heels of the first. Thy
mother; sc.
Ezekiel’s thoughts, and is addressed by him. In thy blood.
(For the
comparison of the vine, see ch. 17:6.) No
satisfactory meaning can
be
got out of the words, the nearest being “in
thy life, thy freshness,” the
sap
of the vine being thought of as its blood; and critics have been driven
to
conjectural readings or renderings. The Jewish interpreters, Targum,
Rashi, Kimchi, and margin of Revised
Version, give, “in thy likeness,” sc.
“like thee;” Keil,
“in thy repose,” sc. in the period of quiet prosperity.
Hitzig boldly adopts a reading which gives, “a vine climbing on
the
pomegranate;” but (?). The many
waters reproduce the imagery of
Ibid. v.5.
11 “And
she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that
bare rule, and
her stature was exalted among the thick
branches, and she appeared in
her height with the multitude of her
branches.” The
verse describes generally
the
apparent strength of the kingly line of David. The word for thick branches,
which occurs again in ch. 31:3, 10,
14, is taken by Keil and Furst
as meaning “thick
clouds,” as describing the height to which the tree grew. So the
Revised Version
(margin).
12 “But
she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground,
and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong
rods were broken
and withered; the fire consumed them. 13 And now
she is planted in
the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty
ground.” The
parable, like that of
ch.17:10, describes the sudden downfall of
The “dry ground” is
deportation of Jehoiachin and the chief men
of
14 “And
fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured
her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to
be a sceptre to rule. This
is a lamentation, and shall be for a
lamentation.” Fire is gone out.
The words are an echo of Judges
9:15. Zedekiah’s reign was to work
destruction for his people, as that of Abimelech had done. (Judges 9
is worthy of study – this website – CY – 2014)
A Nation’s Rise and Fall (vs. 10-14)
If the emblem chosen to represent the Hebrew kings was a
lion, “the lion of
the tribe of
indigenous in the land; the whole territory was a vineyard. As the vine is
chief among trees for fruitfulness, so
advantage, was expected to be chief among the nations
for spiritual
productiveness. The fruits of piety and righteousness ought to have
abounded on every branch.
Ø
It was a vine of the noblest quality. Her sap was rich;
like blood. She
was of the choicest sort. Abraham was the parent stock, and Abraham
was the highest kind of man — “the friend of God.” (James 2:23)
Ø
This vine was well situated. Of all lands God had
chosen
abode of His people. It had
been chosen by unerring Wisdom, and
prepared by omnipotent power. It lay central among the nations; it had
natural excellence; it was the glory of all lands.
Ø
This vine actually flourished. “Her stature was exalted.” “She had
strong rods.” Prosperity was
not only possible; it was matter of fact.
The vine bare
prolifically. During the reigns of David and Solomon
the people enjoyed an enviable prosperity.
o
Wealth
increased.
o
Knowledge
spread.
o
Religion
flourished.
o
The people thronged to
offer sacrifices.
o
The Sabbath was a
delight.
o
A magnificent temple
was erected.
o
The Jewish empire
grew.
o
Surrounding nations honored
the people that
God had so signally
blessed.
o
Peace abounded in the
land.
o
There was contentment,
order, plenty, national
fame.
Such rapid progress had
never been known. What had been thus
gained COULD HAVE BEEN
MAINTAINED! The vine that has
so nobly borne fruit can bear fruit still.
Her sin was unfruitfulness. Instead of pruning the rank
branches of this
vine, the husbandmen allowed them to grow; and soon all the strength of
the tree ran out in branch and leaf. Instead
of caring for clusters of holy
fruit, “she
had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare
rule.” The
nation was bent rather upon display, showy magnificence,
military glory,
than upon the works of righteousness and religion. The rank and
luxuriant
growths of idolatry took the place of fruitful piety.
There was a fever of
self-exaltation. The people imagined they could live upon their past fame.
The kings became incarnations of selfishness,
and the people, like a flock
of sheep, eagerly followed the base example (Jeremiah 5:31). Unfruitfulness
was her folly and her curse. A vine is worse than
useless unless it bears fruit;
and
loyalty to God.
which rooted her out of the ground. Here is depicted:
Ø
The vine’s
prostrate state. It was laid low. This
is a graphic description
of
whisper any defiance to
raids upon her territory and despoiled her possessions. The capitals,
Ø
Demolition of the strong branches. The royal sceptre was broken. At
this moment the king was a vassal, under tribute to the King of
Babylon.
Kingly rule was only a shadow
and a pretense. Every strong arm in
States over the last 25 years –
See Isaiah 3:12 - CY – 2014)
Ø
The element of destruction had issued out of itself. “A fire is gone
out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit.” This
language implies that it was
the sin of her kings that brought about
this terrible downfall. Had it not been for
internal vice and folly,
no foreign foe could have done
was round about her. (“When a man’s ways please the Lord, He
maketh even
his enemies to be a peace with him.” - Proverbs 16:7 –
Compare
Sin has always the seed of
punishment within itself. The fire came
from within.
Ø
Yet there is a circumstance of hope. The vine is not left prostrate —
unrooted. The Divine Husbandman has intentions of future kindness.
The vine shall again be planted
in the
planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.” This precludes
despair. This preservation of the vine nourishes hope. But compared
with former favors and privileges, this captivity is a barren wilderness.
Bare preservation of life is all that can there be expected. Such disaster
is A FITTING THEME FOR HUMAN LAMENTATION! What
material for sorrow is supplied by WANTON
GUILT!
The
Parable of the Destruction of the Vine (vs. 10-14)
The Jews have often been compared to a vine well cared
for by God, and
the same comparison, on our Lord’s authority, may be applied
to
Christians. In the
present case we have a description first of the prosperity
of
the vine, and then of the devastating ruin of it.
Ø
It was planted by the waters. “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” (Psalm 1:3). Thus it
was well nourished
and refreshed. God
cares for His children, and supplies their
wants. The river of the
water of life is for their refreshment.
They cannot charge their
sin to any failing in God’s grace.
Ø
It was fruitful. The early history of
of God could give some return in service and holy living.
God’s
people have borne fruit in works of zeal and charity. This
fruitfulness is what is most looked for in the vine (John 15:5).
Ø
It was well developed. “Full of
branches.”
The Church has grown in
numbers. External prosperity has been seen
in the visible enlargment of Christendom.
Ø
It was influential. Its branches were so great that they became strong
rods for sceptres.
high in power. Weakness and limitation of influence cannot be
pleaded
as excuses for the neglect of her mission.
Ø
It was honoured. “Her stature was exalted among the thick branches.”
The vine grew in height as well
as in the breadth of her extending
branches.
recognition of honor.
a furious vengeance from falling upon the vine.
not save her from the doom of her sins. The past of the Church
will be no
shield from the judgment which must fall on her present or
future
faithlessness. The vine was
grievously hurt.
Ø
It was plucked up.
his old privileges.
Ø
It was cast to the ground. In place of the previous
exaltation of its
lordly branches, there is to be a shameful humiliation as they
are
torn down and strewn over the ground.
Ø
Its fruit was dried up. Old good deeds are forgotten in later sin. When
the soul is down in shame and mire, there is no longer power
or
opportunity to perform the old useful service. (I don’t read anywhere
in the Bible where David did anything worthwhile after his
affair
with Bathsheba? - CY – 2014)
Ø
Its sceptre-like rods were
destroyed — broken, withered, and
consumed by fire. Power departs with the loss of the old position
and prosperity The fallen
Church loses influence.
Ø
It is planted in the wilderness. The poor plant is
left there to languish for
lack of water and nourishing soil. The doom of sin is to shrivel up
and
fade away in a spiritual wilderness.
Ø
The worst fate comes from the vine upon itself. The fire proceeds from a
rod of her own branches. The royal family of
destruction on the nation. The
sins of the Church produce its desolation.
The fire of judgment that
consumes each sinner springs from his own evil
heart.
National Prosperity and National Ruin (vs.
10-14)
“Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood,
planted by the waters,” etc. This
paragraph completes the lamentation for the princes of
changed from the lioness and the young lions to the vine and its
branches
and
fruit. This similitude is frequently used in the sacred Scriptures to
represent the people of
Jeremiah 2:21). The parable before us presents two
pictures.
Ø
Some features of national prosperity.
ü
Favourable circumstances. “A
vine planted by the waters.”
in many respects. It was almost completely surrounded by
natural
fortifications. On their northern frontier were the ranges of
from their southern frontier “stretched that ‘great and
terrible
wilderness,’ which roiled like a sea between the valley of the
the valley of the
desert and by “the vast fissure of the
by the Mediterranean, which, “when
was not yet the thoroughfare — it was rather the boundary and
the
terror of the Eastern nations.” And to the Western world the
coast of
this vine was planted was remarkable for its fertility (compare
Numbers 13:27; Deuteronomy
8:7-9).
“not
merely by its situation, but by its comparative fertility, might
well be considered the prize of the Eastern world, the
possession of
which was the mark of God’s peculiar favor; the spot for which
the
nations would contend; as on a smaller scale the Bedouin tribes
for
some ‘diamond of the desert,’ some ‘palm-grove islanded amid
the
waste.’ And a land of which the
blessings were so evidently the gift
of God, not as in
narrow extent, was so constantly within reach and sight of the
neighboring desert, was eminently calculated to raise the thoughts
of the nation to the Supreme Giver of all these blessings,
and to
bind it by the dearest ties to the land which He had so
manifestly
favored.”
ü
Efficient
rulers. She had strong rods for the sceptre of them that
bare rule.” There grew up in Jerusalem-Judah strong shoots of
David,
able to rule (Genesis 49:10). All her kings were not
eminent
either for capability or character; but some of them certainly were;
e.g. David, Solomon,
Asa. Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Hezekiah, Josiah.
ü
Manifest progress. “She was fruitful and full of branches by reason
of many waters Her stature was exalted among the thick
branches,
and she appeared in her height with the multitude el her
branches.”
In the time of David and
Solomon great was the prosperity of the
nation (I Chronicles 14:17; 29:26-28; II Chronicles 9.). Even
under
Zedekiah (as we pointed out
on ch. 17:5-6) an encouraging measure
of progress and prosperity might have been attained if he had
remained faithful to his engagements with the King of Babylon.
ü
The great source of national prosperity. “She was fruitful and
full of
branches by reason of many waters.” The many waters
signify the
Divine blessing
which ruled over
The Israelites in a
special sense owed their national existence and
power and prosperity TO JEHOVAH,
THEIR GOD! And IN
ALL TIMES AND PLACES true and lasting national prosperity
can only be attained
by COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW OF
GOD, and
realization of His blessing.“Righteousness exalteth a
nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).
“The throne is
established by righteousness” (Ibid. ch. 16:12);
“The God of
people” (Psalm
68:35). He also “bringeth princes to nothing;
He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.” (Isaiah 40:23)
transition from the
description of the prosperity of this vine to the
declaration of its destruction. Without the intervention of
anything further, there follows its splendid growth, like a
lightning-flash
from the clear heavens, the complete overthrow of the vine, i.e.
of
Jerusalem-Judah, the birthplace
of kings, and therewith the Davidic
kingdom.
Ø
Some features of this ruin.
ü
Favorable
circumstances are exchanged for adverse ones.
Formerly she was a “planted by the
waters;” and now she
is “planted in the
wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.”
The expression is
figurative, setting forth their
exile as a condition opposed to their growth and prosperity.
“Such a wilderness may even be
in the midst of a cultivated land.
In some respects,
people that were carried captive thither. They had lost :
o
their national life,
o
their ancestral estates,
and
o
many of their religious privileges.
ü
Efficient rulers
are no more. “Her strong rods
were broken and
withered; the fire consumed them She hath no strong
rod to be a
sceptre to rule.” The words, perhaps, refer to Zedekiah and his
miserable overthrow (II Kings 25:4-7).
And there was no one to
retrieve their fallen fortunes, or to
reign efficiently over the
remnant of them that was left in the land (compare Isaiah 3:6-8).
ü
Manifest progress is exchanged for
DESOLATION and RUIN.
“She was plucked
up in fury, she was cast down to the ground,
and the east wind dried up her fruit And fire is gone out of a
rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit.” The
commentary on these clauses we have in IIKings
25:8-26;
II Chronicles 36:17-20;
Jeremiah 52:12-30; and in Lamentations.
Ø
The instrument of this ruin. “The east wind dried up her fruit” (compare
ch. 17:10; Hosea 13:15).
The east wind points to the Chaldeans as the
instrument of the Divine judgment. The figure is appropriate, both
because
the Chaldeans dwelt in the east, and
because the east wind is often
injurious to vegetable life.
Ø
The cause of this ruin. “Fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which
hath devoured her fruit.” The fire goes out from the chief stem of the
branches: it does not take its rise from the Chaldees,
but proceeds from
the royal family itself,
which by its crimes called down the Divine
vengeance. It was Zedekiah, by his base treachery
towards
Nebuchadnezzar, that at last
brought on the ruin (ch.17:15-21).
The desolation of kingdoms,
usually have been by their own kings
And rulers, by those they have
brought forth and set up; their follies,
cruelties, treacheries, have fired and consumed their kingdoms.”
Ø
Prosperity, both individual and national, IS OF GOD!
Ø
Ruin, both individual and national, IS SELF-CAUSED!
The fire of one’s
own unrighteousness kindles the
wrathful
judgment of God. Men first become parched, then the fire consumes
them. “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself!” (Hosea 13:9)
Ø
Sin invariably leads to SORROW! It first causes lamentation to
the good, and then leads to general lamentation. Sin may be
committed amidst mirth and music, but it will speedily had to
mourning and woe. “This is a
lamentation, and shall be for a
lamentation.” (v. 14)
The hand that smote
of
the punishment may vary, but the essence of it will be unchanged. Jehoahaz
was
sent to
trio was essentially the same.
The Downfall
of the City (vs. 10-14)
The transition is a bold one, from the figure of the
lioness’s whelps to that
of
the vine with its pride of growth and its clusters of fruit, and anon as
withered and scorched and ready to perish. Little is there of
tenderness or
of
sympathy in the prophet’s view of the degenerate scions of the royal
house of
similitude rises before his vision; it is the vine that grew and
flourished on
the
sunny slopes of
be
plucked up, cast down, broken, withered, and consumed with fire.
·
Ø
The city was well placed
upon her hills; as the vine by the waters that
nourish and cheer the noble plant in the heat and drought of
summer.
Ø
The city was noble of
aspect; even as the vine of exalted stature, as she
appears in her height with the multitude of her branches.
Ø
The city was strong in
her sway; as the vine with her vigorous and pliant
rods “for the skeptics of them that bear rule.”
Ø
The city was fruitful
in great men and great thinkers and great deeds;
even as the vine that beat’s abundant clusters of rich grapes.
There is
fondness and pride in these references to the sacred and beloved
metropolis.
·
foreseeing what is about to come to pass, speaks of the ruin of the
city as if
already accomplished. The vine in its wealth of foliage and of
fruit is the
picture of the memory; the vine in its destruction is the sad
vision of the
immediate future, and the foreboding seems a fact.
Ø
The city itself is
besieged, taken, and dismantled.
Ø
The chief inhabitants
are either slain or led away into banishment.
Ø
The princes are
deprived of their power.
Ø
The city’s prosperity
and pride, wealth and prowess, are all at an end.
·
the seat of historic government and of a consecrated temple,
reduced to
helplessness and disgrace, is a spectacle not to be beheld without
emotion.
We are reminded of the language
in which an English poet represents the
Roman conqueror, centuries
afterwards, lamenting the sad but inevitable
fate of
“It moves
me, Romans;
Confounds
the counsel of my firm philosophy,
That
Ruin’s merciless ploughshare should pass o’er
And barren
salt be sown on you proud city!”
·
APPLICATION.
1. The transitoriness and
mutability of earthly greatness are very
impressively
brought before us in this passage. Sic transit gloria
mundi
(Thus passes the glory of the world).
2. Eminence and privilege are no security against the
operation of
righteous law.
3. Repentance and obedience are the only means by which it
may be hoped
that advantages
will be retained, and further opportunities of useful service
afforded.
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