Today in God’s Word

May 3, Ezekiel 19

"And you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, and say: What was your mother? A lioness! Among lions she crouched; in the midst of young lions she reared her cubs." - Ezekiel 19:1-2

It's interesting that the Lord used different forms and styles of communication to speak to his people. In Chapter 19, the proverbs and riddles of the previous chapters gave way to lamentations, or funeral songs. A lamentation was an appropriate vehicle for expressing the sorrow not only in Ezekiel's heart, but also in the great heart of God for the sad state of ruined Israel.

God taught Ezekiel to sing these funeral dirges for Judah's last kings (who were still alive at the time) and for Israel, well on its way to being dissolved as a nation. It was prophetic mourning, not only weeping for the sad state of their existence, but also for the death and destruction that was yet to come.

The Davidic kings in Judah were the only legitimate kings the nation ever had. All the kings of Israel were apostates, wicked idolaters. In the song of the young lions, only two of the latter kings of Judah fit the description of being taken away into captivity, one by Egypt, the other by Babylon. Those kings were Jehoahaz II and Jehoiachin. They were both violent men preying like lions on the weaker ones around them. They both reigned for only a short time before they were captured like lions, caged and transported to other lands.

The second song is about a vine that was planted in a well-watered vineyard that was fruitful and full of branches. The vine is the nation of Judah and the branches are Judah’s kings. When God plucked up the vine and cast it down, the east wind (Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans) dried up the vine, and withered its fruit. Its life nearly gone, the vine was planted in the wilderness in a dry and thirsty land (the captivity). The fire that burned the stem killed the remaining branches. There were no more kings to reign over what was left of the nation of Israel.

These songs are not just expressions of Ezekiel's sorrow for his dying nation. God gave him these songs, and they reflect line by line God's broken heart over the death and destruction of his rebellious people.

Do we realize and remember that our sins hurt God? Remember what Joseph said when he refused Mrs. Potiphar's advances? The godly young man asked, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" Our sins offend his holiness. But also, because he loves us and wants what is best for us, it breaks his heart when we hurt ourselves and dishonor him when we sin. It grieves the Lord when we do things that will lead us to our ruin instead of to the blessings he wants to give his children.

All human lives and all nations come to their end. It is the way of this world. When that time comes for you and me, let's make sure our survivors can sing a more hopeful funeral song for us. I want my family and friends to share my confident trust that a far better life than here and now awaits God’s people in Christ after they die. For that to be true, I need to live a life of trusting faith and surrender to the Lord. Remember, God wants to bless you. Our sins hurt his heart, and he takes no pleasure in punishing those who will not turn to him.

Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Today in God's Word—May 2024

East Tallassee Church of Christ