Ezekiel 17:1-10 – Discerning God’s voice

Like chapter 16, Ezekiel 17 also contains two parables. The first is found in verses Ezekiel 1-21. In verse 1, Ezekiel was especially told to give an encrypted parable. So Ezekiel told the parable is on two eagles before he explained the meaning.

In this reflection, we will look at the parable found in verses 1-10. Here the prophet describes a great eagle with multi-colored feathers, great wings, and long pinions coming to Lebanon. There the eagle, verses 4-6 say, “…plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders… and also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil …placed it beside abundant waters; he set it like a willow.” The willow, according to verse 6 “…sprouted and became a low, spreading vine with its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So, it became a vine and yielded shoots and sent out branches.”

Verses 7-10 then describe a second eagle with great wings and many feathers came along. The vine could have grown and flourished if it had not leaned toward the second eagle. But he did. So, it became fruitless because the first eagle came and plucked the vine off, withering it.

This parable essentially deals with the political movement in Jerusalem during the reigns of Jehoiachin and Zedekiah and what they did. The details of which are found in 2 Kings 24. We shall deal with them in our next discussion.  

It is interesting to note that God would want Ezekiel to encrypt the message. What could be the reason? Why give a message in an encrypted parable? The reason is that when an audience hears messages in an unencrypted form too often, they tend to become numbed and dull of hearing. In such a situation, a parable would be better in seeking to get their attention. The hearers need to pay attention if they want to get the gist of the message. In the Gospels, we find Jesus using lots of parables to get His message across. This parable underscores God’s desire to have our attention. We need to be receptive, and discerning. God is speaking are we hearing. Or have we become dull and numb to what God is saying to us? Hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. We must hear the voice of God and not harden our hearts.