From the images of a vine and a marriage, Ezekiel turned to the image of a great tree, two eagles, and three shoots. This message is called a “parable” or “riddle,” which means a story with a deeper meaning, an allegory in which various objects refer to people and what they do. The Jewish people were fond of discussing the wise sayings of the ancients and were always seeking to discover deeper meanings (Ps. 78:1–3). Ezekiel hoped that his allegory would awaken his dull hearers and give them something to think about. Perhaps the truth would grip their hearts and change their outlook on what God was doing.
This allegory is about three kings (“shoots”), because the cedar tree represents the royal dynasty of David. David’s dynasty was very important, because through it God had promised to bring a Savior to His people and to the world (2 Sam. 7:16; Luke 1:32–33, 69). It was essential that a descendant of David sit on the throne so that the blessing of God’s covenant with David might rest on the land. At that time, the kingdom of Judah was a vassal state of Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar was in charge. He is the first “great eagle” (Ezek. 17:3). The second eagle (v. 7) is the ruler of Egypt, probably Pharaoh Hophra, who promised to help Judah in her fight against the Babylonians (v. 17). The eagle is used as a symbol of a strong ruler who invades a land (Jer. 48:40; 49:22). Now, let’s consider the three kings, who are represented by three shoots.
King Jehoiachin (vv. 3–4, 11–12). When Nebuchadnezzar swooped down on Judah in 597 BC, he deposed King Jehoiachin and took him and his family and staff to Babylon. He also took the temple treasures and ten thousand officers, artisans, and soldiers (2 Kings 24:8–17). This fulfilled the prophecy Isaiah had spoken to King Hezekiah after the king had shown all his wealth to the Babylonian visitors (Isa. 39; 2 Kings 20:17). Jehoiachin was the highest shoot or branch in David’s family tree and he was “planted” in Babylon. Jehoiachin had reigned only three months and ten days (2 Chron. 36:9). He’s the king that Jeremiah called “Coniah” (Jer. 22:24, 28; 37:1) and Matthew called “Jeconiah” in his genealogy of Jesus (Matt. 1:11–12). In Ezekiel 19:5–9, Jehoiachin is compared to a lion who would be caught and taken to Babylon. During his three months on the throne, instead of leading the people back to faith in the Lord, Jehoiachin did evil in the sight of the Lord. He died in Babylon.
King Zedekiah (vv. 5–10, 13–21). After deposing Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah the new king and changed his name to Zedekiah. He was the youngest son of good King Josiah, and Nebuchadnezzar “planted” him in Judah where he “grew” for eleven years. But instead of producing a tree, King Zedekiah produced a humble vine. It was Zedekiah who asked Jeremiah to pray for him and the people and who hid him and cared for him (Jer. 37—38).
Nebuchadnezzar was kind to Zedekiah, and the king took an oath to obey and serve him. Had he faithfully kept this treaty, Zedekiah would have saved the city and the temple; instead he chose to break the covenant and turn to Egypt for help. The second eagle represents Pharaoh, who tried to rescue the kingdom of Judah but failed. This foolish decision on the part of Zedekiah resulted in the uprooting and withering of the vine, and this was the end of the kingdom of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar would not tolerate his treachery in seeking Egypt as an ally, so he captured Zedekiah, killed his sons before his eyes, blinded him, and took him captive to Babylon, where he died (Ezek. 17:16; 2 Kings 24:17—25:7).
But Ezekiel made it clear that it wasn’t only Nebuchadnezzar’s covenant that Zedekiah broke. He had broken God’s covenant; and it was God who punished him through Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah had sworn his oath in the name of the Lord (2 Chron. 36:11–14); therefore he was obligated to keep it. In looking to Egypt for help, Zedekiah turned a deaf ear to the warnings of Jeremiah (Jer. 38), and Isaiah had preached the same message over a century before (Isa. 31:1; 36:9). It was the Lord who caught the king and his officers in His net and turned them over to the Babylonians (2 Kings 25:1–10; Jer. 52:1–11).
Messiah the King (vv. 22–24). Zedekiah had reigned for eleven years and was the twentieth and last king of Judah. His dethronement and death in Babylon seemed to mark the end of the Davidic line and therefore the failure of God’s covenant with King David, but this was not the case. The prophet Hosea predicted that the children of Israel would be “without a king, and without a prince” (Hos. 3:4), but the messianic line did not die out. After Babylon was conquered by the Medes and Persians, Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to their land, and one of their leaders was Zerubbabel, a greatgreat-grandson of godly King Josiah (1 Chron. 3:17–19) and an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:11–16; Luke 3:27). Once again, a godly remnant stayed true to the Lord, and the promised Messiah was born. The name “Zerubbabel” means “shoot of Babylon,” but he helped to make possible the birth of the “shoot of David,” Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
Jehoiachin had been a shoot plucked from the top of the cedar and taken to Babylon, but his descendants were rejected (Jer. 22:28–30), while Zedekiah was a shoot planted in Judah; but both of these men failed to please the Lord or do His will. Was there any hope left for the people of God? Yes. The Lord had promised to take a tender sprig “of the highest branch of the high cedar” (Ezek. 17:22) and plant it in the land of Israel, where it would grow and become a great kingdom. This “shoot” is the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who came from the stem of Jesse and one day will establish His glorious kingdom on earth (Isa. 11:1–10; Jer. 23:5–6; 33:15–17; Zech. 6:12–13). The “high mountain” Ezekiel wrote about is probably Mount Zion, where Messiah will reign over His people. The small “shoot” will grow into a mighty tree and provide shelter (see Dan. 4:17, 32–37).
But in order for the “shoot” to be planted, take root, and grow, the other “trees” (kingdoms) will have to be removed. Some of them will be cut down and others will just wither. The kingdoms of men seem large and powerful today, and the kingdom of the Lord seems small and withering, but when Jesus returns to earth to reign, the tables will be turned. This is why we must never be afraid or discouraged when we survey the world scene. Jesus came as “a root out of a dry ground” (Isa. 53:1–2), an insignificant shoot from David’s family tree, but one day His kingdom will fill the earth. Never stop praying, “Thy kingdom come,” for that prayer will be answered. The fulfillment of God’s kingdom promises to David (2 Sam. 7) is in Jesus Christ (Luke 1:26–55, 67–80), and He shall not fail.
It was a dark day for the people of Israel, but when the day is the darkest, the Lord’s promises shine the brightest. God’s people today need to take heed to this prophetic Word, which is a light that shines in our dark world (2 Peter 1:19). Just as Jesus fulfilled prophecy and came the first time to die for the sins of the world, so He will the second time and reign over His righteous kingdom. The tender “shoot” of David will be the mighty monarch, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!