God gives Ezekiel a story that compares the city of Jerusalem (and by extension its people) to a promiscuous woman. In the story, God cares for Jerusalem when it was young and gave it blessings, wealth, etc. As Jerusalem became established and wealthy, it turned away from God and looked to other nations (and their traditions/idols) to appease its desires. The imagery is of someone who wants so much to be liked, that they sacrifice all of their principles and ideals to that end instead of being content with the love that they already had at home. This is a fair parallel for the history of Jerusalem from the time of the covenant until the time that it was destroyed by the Babylonians. The punishment that is decreed is that God will allow the neighboring nations, the ones that Jerusalem tried to appease by adopting their rules instead of keeping to the covenant, to overrun Jerusalem and take possession of all of its goods until it is just a wasteland. This is effectively what happened 4-5 years later. Of course a city is not a woman, so hacking her apart really just means dividing the land. Eventually God is going to restore Jerusalem and Ezekiel prophecies that when this occurs Jerusalem (and its people) won't do what it did before (this occurred at the end of the Babylonian captivity).
Another story is told with imagery of eagles and a vine. Imagery is just that, it isn't to be taken literally (e.g. eagles don't plant), but the parallel of the eagles are beings of great power (kings). The cedar branch is left in a city of a nation of merchants (this is likely king Jehoiachin being taken to Babylon). The vine (planted as a seed from Israel) represents the king of Jerusalem (Zedekiah at that time) who was set up as king after Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon. Zedekiah owed his kingship to Nebuchadnezzar, but chose to turn towards the Egyptians for an alliance, breaking his treaty with Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah's death in Babylon is prophesied. The last part of Chapter 17 likely refers to Jesus, the tree that produces large fruit, that all kinds of birds (all nations) will find shelter under.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-10-14 12:17 am (UTC)Of course a city is not a woman, so hacking her apart really just means dividing the land. Eventually God is going to restore Jerusalem and Ezekiel prophecies that when this occurs Jerusalem (and its people) won't do what it did before (this occurred at the end of the Babylonian captivity).
Another story is told with imagery of eagles and a vine. Imagery is just that, it isn't to be taken literally (e.g. eagles don't plant), but the parallel of the eagles are beings of great power (kings). The cedar branch is left in a city of a nation of merchants (this is likely king Jehoiachin being taken to Babylon). The vine (planted as a seed from Israel) represents the king of Jerusalem (Zedekiah at that time) who was set up as king after Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon. Zedekiah owed his kingship to Nebuchadnezzar, but chose to turn towards the Egyptians for an alliance, breaking his treaty with Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah's death in Babylon is prophesied.
The last part of Chapter 17 likely refers to Jesus, the tree that produces large fruit, that all kinds of birds (all nations) will find shelter under.