Ezekiel 19:1-14 Sad Song
God gives Ezekiel a lament, sad song, to sing about the princes of Israel. It is a sad story indeed. One that speaks of a promising future cut short.
After reading this “lament”, I went to my bible helps to find added direction. They had very little to offer. Their suppositions aren’t any different from mine and neither of us has any certainty. The only one who REALLY knows who the lions represent is God, along with full understanding of the vine. Let’s see where the Spirit takes us today.
I’m going to start with what I gathered from reading our passage. I feel like the “mother lion” is a representation of Israel or possibly just Judah. I’m leaning more towards Judah because of the familial lineage, the timeframe and the places the two sons were taken to.
The northern kingdom of Israel did not pass from king to king strictly on familial lines. There were MANY changes in ‘houses’ in the line of Israel’s kings. Judah’s kings ALL came from the line of David. Therefore they could all have been considered ‘sons of the lioness’ spoken of here.
The fact that God is making this lament to Ezekiel and not a prophet who followed Israel into captivity seems to say it is appropriate to Judah’s captivity. There weren’t any prophets who followed Israel into captivity and spoke to them for God. Only when Judah was being taken did God speak to the people in exile. The people of the northern kingdom had been worshiping the golden calf from the beginning of the split. They weren’t listening to the prophets.
The final reason I’m leaning towards Judah is because of where the ‘young lions’ were led off to. The first was taken to Egypt. The northern kingdom was taken by Assyria, not Egypt. Jehoahaz was taken by Pharoah Neco after only three months on the throne. The second ‘young lion’ was taken to Babylon. Zedekiah is the most obvious king to fit this description. The fact that there are no future cubs made into princes leads one to this conclusion. Another reason to suspect that this is Zedekiah is that Jehoiachin was released from prison in Babylon and his ‘voice was head’ again in the courts of Babylon.
Something that this ‘lioness’ didn’t teach her children was to avoid the snares of those around them. She taught her cubs to “catch prey” and “devour men.” She taught them pride but not caution. They fell into the traps set out for them. And, once ensnared, they could not escape. Israel AND Judah became ensnared in the idol worship of their neighbors. They got the ‘hook in their mouth’ and couldn’t get it out. They were more like the monkey who refused to turn loose of the ‘bauble’ in the trap.
The second section changes the focus to the whole people. It’s not just royalty being focused on here, but the whole vine with all of its future potential. Because of the time and places mentioned, I believe that Judah is again the one being spoken of.
This vine was healthy and well cared for. It had strong stems, thick boughs, and abundant fruit. Something MUCH stronger than it “plucked it up in fury” and threw it on the ground to wither. It was also consumed by fire. Yet, before it was ALL destroyed, a portion of it was transplanted into an inhospitable wilderness. Gone are the streams that once watered it. Hard is the ground where its roots attempt to grow. Scarce are the resources necessary for production of its fruit. Sapped is its strength. It is not dead but it is severely weakened. It won’t be producing any ‘royal scepters’ any longer. Cry over the state of the once beautiful vine! Never again will she attain such beauty.
God plucked up Judah for their sins. She had polluted the stream that fed her. She had turned her fruit sour and made it inedible. Even her roots had been searching for a ‘different source’. God had no option left to correct all her problems than to tear her out of the soil, throw her on the ground and burn her with fire. BUT He wasn’t willing to destroy ALL He had created in her. He planted her in another place where she would come to appreciate the things that she once had. She would long for them and do what was required to have them restored. It would be a lesson LONG remembered.
This is a sad song we DON’T want to repeat in our lives! Even in all these hard circumstances, God never left Israel or Judah but He did whatever it took to get their attention. And it took a LOT! He will do the same with all of His children. It is your choice how hard You make Him work to get your attention. Listen early and listen often so you don’t have a ‘lament’ sung over your life.
Father God, I know there were a few verses of ‘laments’ You sang in my life when I wasn’t listening. I’m sorry that my attitudes made us need to go to those hard places. But then I look back at who I might have been without them and I’m grateful for You walking me through them. Even the hardest lessons brough sweet growth. THANK YOU for NEVER giving up on me!
