Amen. All right, we're there in Ezekiel chapter 17, and we've been working our way through the book of Ezekiel on Wednesday nights.
And if you remember three weeks ago, we started kind of a trilogy here in Ezekiel, and we started going through three parables,
one in chapter 17, one in chapter 16, and one in chapter 15.
And if you remember the first one a couple of weeks ago, we looked at the parable of the vine tree,
and we talked about the vine tree and what that represents and the fruit and all those things.
And then last week, we saw a pretty lengthy chapter about the parable of the harlot.
And this week, we're kind of finishing up that trilogy of parables that is found in these three chapters,
and we're going to talk about the parable or the riddle, because it's also referred to as the riddle, of the great eagles and the cedar tree.
In fact, if you look at Ezekiel 17, notice there in verse 1, it says this,
and the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Son of man, verse 2, put forth a riddle.
And so he says, look, I'm going to give you a story here, but it's going to be a little bit of a puzzle that you'll have to put together to understand.
He says, put forth a riddle and speak a parable unto the house of Israel.
And a parable is a fictional story that illustrates a real truth.
It's a story that's not real, but it illustrates a real truth.
And like we've been talking about, Ezekiel has been kind of teaching through these parables over the last several chapters,
and he actually ends up being known for using parables as a teaching tool.
Just real quickly, keep your place in chapter 17, but go to chapter 20 of Ezekiel and look at verse 49.
Notice what he says in Ezekiel 20, 49.
Ezekiel chapter 20 and verse 49 says this, then said I, ah, Lord God, this is Ezekiel speaking, he says,
they say of me, doth he not speak parables?
And it's interesting because Ezekiel is known throughout the book of Ezekiel as the Son of Man,
and that is a title that Jesus took on as well, the Son of Man.
And both Jesus and Ezekiel had this in common where they were known for teaching and using parables.
And that's what we see here in this story is a parable.
So if you go back to Ezekiel 17, let me just kind of start off by giving you the observation of the riddle or the parable.
And just so you can kind of understand what's going on, and just so you can grasp it or get your bearings with it,
I want you to notice that there are eight things being represented in this riddle.
There are eight things being represented in the parable.
The first one you find there in verse 3, it says this, and say, thus saith the Lord God, a great eagle.
And if you'd like to take notes or if you don't mind writing in your Bible, maybe right next to great eagle there,
you can write a number one. That's the first thing that's represented in this parable.
A great eagle with great wings, long wind, full of feathers, which had diverse colors.
And here's the second thing that's represented. Notice, came unto Lebanon.
So if you'd like to, if you don't mind writing in your Bible, maybe right there next to Lebanon, you can put a number two.
That's the second thing we see represented in the story is that this great eagle came unto Lebanon.
And notice what he does. He took the highest branch of the cedar.
And that phrase there, the highest branch or the highest branch of the cedar, is the third thing that is represented in this parable.
If you'd like to write a number three there next to the highest branch. Notice verse 4.
In verse 4 we find the fourth thing. He cropped off the top of his young twigs.
If you'd like to write a number four there, young twigs is the fourth thing represented in this parable.
And then also we see the fifth thing in verse 4 as well and carried it into, notice, a land of traffic.
He sent it in a city of merchants. So that land of traffic or that city of merchants is the fifth thing represented.
And I'm going to go through and show you what these things mean, but I want you to just identify those for now.
Notice verse 5. In verse 5 we see the sixth thing. It says this. He took also the seed of the land.
Next to that, those words, the seed, you can write number six.
And then in verse 7 we find the seventh thing and it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature.
And that spreading vine of low stature is the seventh thing we see represented in this parable.
Whose branches turned toward him and the roots thereof were under him so it became a vine and brought forth branches and shot forth sprigs.
Notice verse 7. It says this. There was also another great eagle. And that's the eighth thing represented in this story.
Another great eagle with great wings and many feathers and behold, this vine, and the vine there is referring to the vine we saw in verse 6,
the vine, spreading vine of low stature, did bend her roots toward him.
So she bended her roots toward the second or the other great eagle and shot forth her branches toward him that he might water it by the furrows of her plantations.
I just want you to identify those eight characters, eight different things being represented.
And what we see in this story is that we have this great eagle and I want you to notice that the great eagle came unto Lebanon and he took the highest branch of the cedars.
So he goes into Lebanon, he finds a cedar tree and he takes the highest branch of the cedar tree and he takes it from that cedar tree,
that first eagle and he cropped off the top of his young twigs.
He takes the highest branch of the cedar tree and he takes the young twigs with it and he carried it into a land of traffic and he set it in a city of merchants.
So he takes the high branch and he takes the young twigs and he takes those to a different land, a land of traffic, meaning a land that has a lot of activity and a land of merchandise,
a land that has a lot of merchandise and merchants selling.
And then in verse 5, if you notice, he took also of the seed of the land, so then he takes the seed of the same cedar tree and he planted it in a fruitful field.
So notice, he takes the seed of the cedar and he takes it and he plants it in a different place.
He placed it by great waters and he set it as a willow tree.
I want you to notice that it says willow tree because we're not talking about a high cedar anymore.
Now we're talking about a different type of seed.
And notice when he takes the seed, he doesn't take it somewhere bad, he planted it in a fruitful field.
He placed it by great waters and he set it as a willow tree.
He planted it somewhere where it could grow, but it was meant to grow as a different tree or as a different type of tree.
And then, verse 7, there's another great eagle and with great wings and many feathers and behold, this vine, that same vine that has been planted,
that grew according to verse 6 and became a spreading vine of low stature is now bending her roots toward him.
So I want you to understand what's going on with this riddle because it really is a riddle when you start to identify the different characters and the different things that they represent.
And that's kind of the observation of this parable or riddle.
But let me just quickly give you the interpretation so you kind of understand what's going on and then we'll end by giving you some application before we leave and how this can be applied to your life and to my life.
Now I want you to notice that in this parable, he actually tells us what these things represent.
Skip down to verse number 11 and we'll get back to verses 8 through 10 here in a minute.
But in verse 11, he says this, Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Say now to the rebellious house.
This is Ezekiel. This is God speaking to Ezekiel and God is telling Ezekiel, this is what I want you to say.
He says, Know ye not what these things mean?
He says, Don't you know, don't you understand what all these things are picturing?
The eagle, the first eagle and the highest branch and the young twigs and the land of traffic and the city of merchants and the sea and the spreading vine of low stature and the second eagle.
Do you understand?
He says, Know ye not what these things mean?
Tell them, behold, the king of Babylon has come to Jerusalem and had taken the king thereof and the princes thereof and led them with him to Babylon.
So there in verse 12, we begin to see the understanding of this parable.
Because remember in verse 3, he says there was a great eagle.
That great eagle represents the king of Babylon.
And we're going to just look back and forth a little bit just to notice the interpretation.
But in verse 3, he says this, And say, Thus saith the Lord, A great eagle with great wings, long wind, full of feather, which had diverse colors, came unto Lebanon.
So we have a great eagle that is coming into Lebanon in the story.
You say, Who is this great eagle?
Well, verse 12 says, Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean?
So here's the interpretation. Here's what this means.
Behold, the king of Babylon has come to Jerusalem.
So I want you to notice that the great eagle, that first great eagle, is a representation of the king of Babylon.
So if you'd like to write next to that great eagle where you wrote the number one, the king of Babylon, this will help you.
The next time you read through Ezekiel and you go through this chapter, you'll remember what these things mean.
And of course, Lebanon represents Jerusalem.
If you remember Lebanon there in verse 3, he says that he came unto Lebanon and he took the highest branch of the cedar.
Well, in verse 12, we're told that the king of Babylon has come to Jerusalem, all right?
So we have the great eagle representing the king of Babylon.
We have Lebanon representing Jerusalem.
Notice the end of verse 3 again, and took the highest branch of the cedar.
So the third thing we saw represented in the story was the highest branch.
What is that or who is that?
Look down at verse number 12 again.
Notice the king of Babylon has come to Jerusalem and had taken the king thereof and the princes thereof and led them with him to Babylon, all right?
So who is the king thereof?
He is the highest branch.
So he says this eagle comes into Lebanon.
He finds the highest branch and he takes the highest branch.
But not only the highest branch, he also, if you notice there in verse 4, he cropped off the top of his young twigs.
Who are the young twigs?
Well, look down at verse 12 again.
He taketh the king thereof and the princes thereof.
Because if you remember when Babylon came in, and we've been talking about this as we've been going through the book of Ezekiel,
but Babylon takes over Jerusalem in three waves or in three phases.
And the first thing that Nebuchadnezzar does when he comes in is he takes the king, that highest branch who was Jehoiachin,
he takes him to the city of merchandise, to the city of traffic, and that's Babylon.
And you can write that down there in your Bible if you'd like, that that's Babylon.
But he not only takes the highest branch, he takes the young twigs.
And in verse 12 we're told that he hath taken the king thereof and the princes thereof.
Because if you remember, he took with him captives.
This is Ezekiel.
This is how Ezekiel ended up in captivity because the children of Israel were taken by Nebuchadnezzar.
This is the famous stories of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
This is Daniel.
These are the princes that are being taken, the young twigs that are being taken from Lebanon,
which is representing here Jerusalem, to the city of merchants and the land of traffic.
So if you'd like to write down next to a land of traffic or a city of merchants, and you can write Babylon there so you'll understand that.
And then notice verse 5.
He also took of the seed.
So far we've seen the eagle comes into Lebanon.
He takes the highest branch.
He takes the young twigs there, and he takes them to the city of merchandise, to a land of traffic.
And that's representing the king and the princes being taken to Babylon.
But then that same eagle, he takes of the seed of the land.
Now who's the seed of the land?
That represents the seed or the children of the king of Judah, the offspring of the king of Judah.
Because if you remember when Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar sets up another of the sons of the king of Judah as the king, and he renames them Zedekiah.
And Zedekiah ends up being one of the kings there that's taken away.
And he's set up.
Zedekiah is set up.
He's not taken away to Babylon, but he's set up as the king in Jerusalem.
Notice verse 13.
It says this.
And had taken of the king's seed and made a covenant with him.
I want you to notice this.
When he set up the king in Jerusalem, when he set up Zedekiah, Zedekiah entered into a covenant with Nebuchadnezzar, and he had taken an oath of him.
He had also taken the mighty of the land.
So here's what Nebuchadnezzar does.
He takes the king who was ruling when he came in.
He takes the princes, and he takes the mighty men, the soldiers.
Those who could defend the land.
Then he takes of the seed of the king of Judah, and he sets up Zedekiah as the new king, and he enters into a covenant.
He enters into a contract, into an agreement.
He takes an oath of him.
And I want you to notice what happens because it's a new kingdom.
Remember, we go from the high tree of Lebanon to now he's going to plant it, and the understanding is that he's creating a new kingdom.
Now notice the kingdom, verse 5.
He took also of the seed of the land, talking about the king, and planted it in a fruitful field.
He placed it by great waters and set it as a willow.
So notice, he puts it in a fruitful field.
He placed it by great waters, verse 6, and it grew and became a spreading vine, but I want you to notice it becomes a spreading vine of low stature.
And here's what you need to understand.
When King Nebuchadnezzar comes in and sets up this new king, he makes a covenant with him.
He makes an oath, and basically this is what the covenant was.
The covenant was this.
Nebuchadnezzar was going to allow Zedekiah to rule the kingdom in a way that it would be fruitful, in a way that it would have the resources that it needed.
It's like he was planting it in a place of great waters and in a fruitful field, and it was going to be allowed to grow.
It was going to be allowed to prosper.
It was going to be allowed to continue on, verse 6, and it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature.
But here's the catch.
He says you're going to grow, but you're not going to grow to what you used to be.
You're not going to grow to that highest branch of the cedar.
He said the kingdom, the way it was when Solomon was king, when David was king, the stature that you got to before, he said that's not going to happen again.
Nebuchadnezzar says you're going to be able to grow.
You're going to have what you need.
You'll have the resources.
You'll have our protection.
You're going to grow and you're going to be fruitful, but you're going to be, instead of a high branch of a cedar tree, he says you're going to be more like a spreading vine of low stature.
Notice verse 13.
This is the interpretation.
Ezekiel 17, 13.
And hath taken the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him.
He hath also taken the mighty of the land, verse 14, and that the kingdom, notice, might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.
So Nebuchadnezzar makes a covenant, and he says as long as you keep the covenant, the kingdom will stand.
It will not be like it used to be.
It used to be a high branch of Lebanon.
Now it's going to be a spreading vine of low stature, but you'll have what you need.
You'll stand.
You'll continue as long as you keep the oath.
Notice verse 7.
There was also another great eagle.
So who's the other great eagle that we see?
Well, look down at verse 15.
But he, talking about King Zedekiah, talking about the king that made an oath with Nebuchadnezzar, but he rebelled against him, rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar in sending his ambassadors into Egypt.
So that second eagle, that other eagle, is the king of Egypt, or the pharaoh of Egypt, who Zedekiah is now trying to get ambassadors to, and he's trying to get them to help him.
Notice that they might give him horses and much people.
And then he asks this question.
He says, shall he prosper?
Shall he escape that doeth such things, or shall he break the covenant and be delivered?
So I want you to understand the story, because here's the application.
There's three applications that we can learn from this, and there's three lessons that we can learn from it.
But just so you can review it and understand it, you have the first eagle, who's Nebuchadnezzar.
He comes into Lebanon, which is Jerusalem.
He takes the highest branch, which is the reigning king or the ruling king when he came in, King Jeconiah.
He takes him to Babylon, not only him, but the young twigs, the princes, the Danils, the Shadrachs, the Meshachs, all of those people, he takes those with him.
He takes the seed, which was Zedekiah, and he allows him to be a tree still.
He allows him to be a kingdom still, but a different type of kingdom.
Before, they were a high branch of cedar, back when King Solomon made the reign of Israel great.
But now they're going to prosper, they're going to flourish, as long as they keep their covenant, as long as they keep their agreement.
But they will never raise themselves as high as they used to be. They will always be of low stature.
And that king, King Zedekiah, was not happy with that covenant.
He entered into that covenant, he made that oath, but he said, I can do better than that, and he sought out for another eagle, which was the king of Egypt.
So if you've got the story, let me give you the applications real quickly and we'll be done tonight.
Three applications in this riddle.
The first one is we see a lesson about promotion.
We see a lesson about promotion and our positions as far as our positions being promoted.
Notice verse 6 again.
And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature.
God ordained that Zedekiah would live under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.
God did not ordain for the children of Israel to attempt to fight Zedekiah.
If you study the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Jeremiah was a prophet leading into the Babylonian takeover.
Ezekiel was a prophet living after the Babylonian takeover.
Both of these prophets, speaking from the Lord, were telling the people to submit to Nebuchadnezzar.
This was the wrath of God upon them and that God desired for them to just take it.
God did not want them to fight off Nebuchadnezzar.
God's will for the children of Israel was to live under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.
You say, well, why would God will that?
You know, part of it is because of the fact that God wanted to punish them for their sin and for turning away from them.
But part of it was also that God knew that this would only last for 70 years.
God knew that there would eventually be a king out of Medo-Persia who would take the kingdom from Babylon.
And God knew that eventually there would be a king of the Persians named Cyrus who would return the children of Israel back to their land.
So God wants the children of Israel to just go along, to just endure the suffering that they're dealing with.
He wants them to no longer be that high branch like they used to be, but he wants them to be that spreading vine of low stature.
And that, of course, is in verse 14, the kingdom, that the kingdom might be based, that it might not lift itself up, but that by the keeping of his covenant it might stand.
But notice Zedekiah is not happy with that.
Zedekiah wants to be his own kingdom.
He wants to bring the kingdom back to the glory days of David and of Solomon.
And this is what God is asking through this riddle, through this parable.
Verse 9.
Say thou, thus saith the Lord God, Shall it prosper? Shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither?
It shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people, to pluck it up by the roots thereof.
Yea, behold, being planted shall it prosper, shall it not utterly wither when the east wind toucheth it.
It shall wither in the furrows where it grew.
Now keep your place there in Ezekiel 17.
Go with me to the book of Psalms.
If you open up your Bible just right in the center, you're more than likely following the book of Psalms.
Go to Psalm 75.
Do me a favor.
When you get to Psalms, put a ribbon or a bookmark or something there because we're going to leave it and we're going to come back to it.
All right?
Psalm 75.
Let me give you some applications here.
The first thing is we see the lesson of promotion.
What's the lesson of promotion?
It's this.
We must be satisfied with whatever position God determines for us, even if it means limited success and prosperity.
We must decide that if God has ordained for us to have a position that is not going to reach the heights of maybe what other people used to do,
what other kingdoms used to have, what other ministries used to have, we need to decide that we will be satisfied with whatever position God determines for us,
even if it means that it's a limited position, a limited success, or a limited prosperity.
Because the question that Ezekiel is asking is this.
Shall it prosper?
Here's what he's saying.
He's saying, can Zedekiah raise up a kingdom that is going to match the kingdom of Solomon without God willing it, without God allowing it, without God's blessing?
And the answer is a resounding no.
Psalm 75 and verse 6, notice what the Bible says.
It says this.
For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.
Look, Zedekiah should have read Psalm 75, 6 and realized this.
Promotion's not going to come from Egypt.
It's not going to come from the Assyrians.
It's not going to come from anybody.
It doesn't come from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south, verse 7.
But God is the judge.
He putteth down one and setteth up another.
And here's what you need to understand.
Whether we like it or not, whether we agree with it or not, whether we think it's fair or whether we think it's right,
whenever someone experiences success, whenever someone experiences a promotion,
whenever someone experiences prosperity in their life, it's because God allowed it.
And God may determine that you're Zedekiah and that you're not a Solomon.
And you say, well, my brother-in-law's a Solomon.
Well, my sister-in-law's a Solomon.
Well, my brother is a Solomon.
Or the church down the street is a Solomon.
Or we might look at other situations and other people and say, well, they're growing and they're succeeding.
And why was it okay for Solomon, when he was a king, to have all the prosperity and the wealth?
And now that I'm king, Zedekiah would say, now that I'm king, you know, he was allowed to build up a high cedar.
And I've got to be a low vine.
But this is what God has willed.
This is what God has decided.
And the lesson that we learn is that we must be satisfied with whatever position God determines for us,
even if it means limited success and prosperity.
And usually it's limited success and prosperity in our eyes.
Because when you are in the will of God, whatever the will of God is, you are a success.
Go to 1 Kings chapter 1, just real quickly.
1 Kings, if you can find the 1 and 2 books, they're all clustered together.
1 Samuel, 1 Kings, 1 Chronicles.
1 Kings chapter 1.
You say, what can we learn from this? Here's what we can learn.
You may never live in a house like whoever you're comparing yourself to lives in.
You may never drive a vehicle like whoever it is you're comparing yourself to drives.
I may never have a ministry like whoever it is that I choose to compare myself to.
It may be God's will to bless you, to prosper you, to help you succeed.
You know, here at Verity Baptist Church, I believe that the Lord has blessed our church.
We're here on a Wednesday night, and we have 141 people here in church on a Wednesday night.
I think that's great. Praise the Lord for it.
But you know, there are some churches that have way more people in church tonight on a Wednesday night.
And there are some churches that have way less people than in church on a Wednesday night.
You say, well, what do you think about that? I try not to think about it.
You say, well, what are your thoughts about, you know, the church down the street or the old IFB church downtown
or the other new IFB church that might be succeeding or larger or growing?
You say, what do you think about that? You know, the best thing is to just not think about it.
We dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with them that commend themselves. Why?
Because they that compare themselves among themselves and measure themselves by themselves are not wise.
You say, why? Because we need to just decide that whatever lot God has given us, whatever place in life He's given us,
whatever measure of success we have or we don't have, we need to just say God's will be done.
We need to just be okay with it.
You need to just decide that whatever God has willed, whatever God has allowed, whatever God has you, it's fine.
And if God blesses you, great. And if He doesn't, that's fine too.
Because Zedekiah said, I don't want to have a successful, I don't want to have a flourishing kingdom,
I don't want to have a safe kingdom, I don't want to have a resourceful kingdom, I want to have what they used to have,
what Solomon used to have, what David used to have.
But the problem is that that was not God's will for his life.
And here's what you need to get, is that we need to be okay sometimes with just being second best.
1 Kings chapter 1, notice verse 5, notice what Adonijah does.
Then Adonijah, the son of Hagith, notice what it says, you should underline this in your Bible, exalted himself.
Whenever you exalt yourself, God will make it His business to bring you down.
Here you have Adonijah, who God had not ordained to be the king of Israel after David.
God had chosen Solomon, but here we have Adonijah, who's trying to steal the kingdom from Solomon,
who's trying to take the kingdom from Solomon, and notice he was not exalted by God,
he exalted himself saying, I will be king. And he prepared him chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run before him.
And here's all I'm telling you, we need to let that go.
Whatever vision of success you grew up with and whatever you decided that this is success and I will not be successful,
I always think it's funny how there are some people who say, I will not be happy unless I drive a certain type of car
or wear a certain type of clothes or live in a certain type of house.
And here's all you need to understand is you will never be happy.
Because when you get that house and you get those clothes and you get that car and you get that promotion and you get that status,
there'll just be something else. There'll be something else you're chasing, there'll be something else.
I'm not saying we ought not work, I'm not saying we ought not strive, I'm not saying we ought to try.
Look, you say, Pastor Mendez, you're content with the size of the church, I'm content with the size of the church,
and if God decides to decrease it, then you say, what would you say? I would just say, His will be done.
He must increase, I must decrease. And if God decides to bless it and grow it in the next year,
I'm okay with that too. I'm working towards that, but you know what? At the end of the day, it's God's decision.
And in your life and in my life, we cannot be the adenages who are exalting themselves.
Because as soon as you exalt yourself, God's just going to smack you down.
God's just going to bring you down. Go to 2 Samuel 23. You're there in 1 Kings, just go back into the book of 2 Samuel.
2 Samuel 23, look at verse 18. Remember, here in 2 Samuel, we have the list of the great mighty men of David.
2 Samuel 23, I'm always encouraged by verses 18 and 19, because you have this list of these awesome guys, right?
I mean, these guys are warriors. They are fighting, they are great, they are superstars in their career and in their field.
And then in 2 Samuel 23, verse 18, you have another superstar, and Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zechariah.
And if you remember Abishai, I mean, this guy was no joke. This guy goes with David down to see Saul at his camp.
This guy is fighting, this guy is an awesome, he's loyal, he's an awesome guy.
It says, and Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zechariah, notice, was cheap among three.
Because if you study, and I don't think, we don't take the time to do it tonight, but if you look at the story here of the mighty men,
they're divided into different groups or different classes.
And the Bible is telling us that among his three, among his peers and among the ones that he worked with, Abishai was cheap among three.
He was the best, he was the strongest, he was the leader, he'd been promoted.
And he lifted up his spear against 300 and slew them and had the name among three.
If you can kill 300 men with your spear, you'll get a promotion.
But here's what's interesting in verse 19.
Was he not most honorable of the three? Therefore, he was their captain.
He says, look, he was their captain, he was their leader, he was their chief because of the three in his group.
He was the highest in his group, how be it? He attained not unto the first three.
See, there was another group of another three.
And though Abishai was the highest, the most successful, the chief among those three, there was other three that he did not attain to.
You say, what's the lesson? Here's the lesson, here's what you need to understand.
There will always be someone that does it better than you.
No matter how big this church gets, there's always going to be somebody that has a bigger church.
No matter how many subscribers we get on YouTube, there will always be somebody who has more subscribers than we do.
And they'll have it for stupid things. They'll have it for unwrapping gifts.
They'll have it for just ridiculous types of things.
You think, what is the value of this YouTube channel? How in the world did this guy get 500,000 subscribers?
And here's what I'm telling you. If you're constantly chasing something, trying to be the best, trying to be the most successful,
trying to make sure that you can show up and you can brag and you can show others how great you are, you will be miserable.
You say, well, I'm the greatest of my three, but there will always be another three.
There will always be another group. There will always be someone else.
So the lesson we learn is that we must be satisfied with whatever position God determines for us to have,
even if it means a limited success and prosperity. But here's the truth.
Even if it means limited success and prosperity in my eyes, in your eyes.
Because the truth is this, and you can go back to Ezekiel. Keep your place there in Psalms and keep your place there in 1 Kings.
We're going to come back to it. The truth is this. We always think we deserve more, don't we?
We always think we deserve more, we get more, we're worth more. We always think we should have more.
You'll always think that if you don't learn to be satisfied with whatever position God has given you.
So the first lesson we see in this parable is the lesson of promotion. The second lesson we see in this parable is the lesson of promises.
Notice what's going on. Ezekiel 17, look at verse 13.
And hath taken up the king's seed, remember Zedekiah, and made a covenant with him.
A covenant is a contract, but it's more than just a contract. It's like a spiritual contract.
It's coming into an agreement spiritually. And hath taken an oath. An oath is a promise.
He's saying, I promise I'm going to do this. He hath taken an oath of him. He hath also taken the mighty of the land.
But look at verse 16. Notice what God says about this. He says, as I live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place.
In what place? In the place where the king dwelleth. What king? The one that made him king.
So here's what he's saying. He's saying, in the place, which would be the land of merchandise or the city of traffic.
He says, in that place, in Babylon, where the king, what king? That would be the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar.
How do we know it's Nebuchadnezzar? Because it's the eagle that made him, talking about the seed, king, Zedekiah.
He says, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he break, even with him in the midst of Babylon, he shall die.
Here's what God says. God says, you made an oath with Nebuchadnezzar. And that's what I willed for you.
That's what I decided for you. I decided you were no longer going to be a high branch.
You were going to be a low, a vine, fruitful, but of low stature. That is your new kingdom.
That is your new reality. You decided to do something else. You decided to do something different.
You decided to break the rules, to break your integrity, to try to prosper in a different way.
And God says, you broke your promise. You made an oath, and you despised it. You entered into a covenant, and you broke it.
And here's what Zedekiah would say. Zedekiah would say, yeah, but Nebuchadnezzar is a heathen. He's wicked.
Yeah, I made a promise to him, but he's not one of God's people. I don't have to keep my word to him.
And what we learn in this parable is this, is that God expects you to keep your word, period.
Look at verse 17.
Neither shall Pharaoh, with his mighty army and great company, make for him in war by casting up mounts and built forts to cut off many persons.
We'll come back to that verse.
18, saying he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when lo, he had given his hand.
He says, look, you shook on it. You gave your hand, and you said, yes, this is what we will do.
When he had given his hand and had done all these things, he shall not escape. Therefore, thus saith the Lord, as I lived, surely my oath that he had despised.
Because God says it's not just the oath with Nebuchadnezzar that he broke, but he says it's my oath that he despised and my covenant that he had broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.
And what is the lesson? The lesson is this, that God expects you to keep your promises.
Go to 1 Kings chapter 8.
1 Kings chapter 8.
You know that God expects you when you give your word, when you give an oath, when you make a commitment, when you enter into a covenant.
God expects you to keep your promises.
And this is a lesson that needs to be learned today in the United States of America.
It's being reported that we have close to a 60% divorce rate in America today.
And that includes Christians.
And people say, yeah, but I married so-and-so, and they're not saved, so can't I break my covenant? No.
God wasn't happy when he broke the covenant with Nebuchadnezzar.
I'm sure your husband or your wife is not as bad as Nebuchadnezzar.
Yeah, but they're saved. Oh, so they weren't saved when you married them?
Look, when you make a promise, when you make a vow, God expects you to keep that promise.
1 Kings 8, notice what it says, verse 31.
1 Kings chapter 8 and verse 31, the Bible says this,
If any man trespass against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear,
and an oath come before thine altar in this house, then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants,
condemning the wicked to bring his way upon his head, and justify thy righteous to give him according to his righteousness.
By the way, this is Solomon praying during the time that the kingdom was at high branch,
and he's saying, God, if our people make an oath and they don't keep it, make sure you justify the righteous,
make sure you bring it upon his head.
And this is what Hezekiah is happening. He broke his promise. He broke his oath.
And again, we could apply this in many ways and many areas, but marriage is probably the best way to apply it in our society today.
Go to Malachi chapter number 2. Malachi chapter number 2 is the last book in the Old Testament.
It should be fairly easy to find. Malachi chapter number 2, and notice verse number 14. Notice what it says.
Malachi chapter 2 and verse 14.
Yet ye say, wherefore? He says this, because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth.
Look, when you got married, and you had all your family and friends there, and you had the groomsmen and the bridesmaids
and the maid of honor and the best man, and you had all those witnesses and all those are nice and they're needed,
do you know that the most important witness at your marriage ceremony was God Almighty God Himself?
He says, because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth.
He says, against whom thou has dealt treacherously, yet is she thy companion and the wife of thy, don't miss it, covenant.
And did not He make one? Did you not become one flesh? Yet had He the residue of the Spirit, and wherefore one?
He says, why did He make you one? Why did He make a twain one? He says that He might seek a godly seed.
He said that you might have children and raise them to the honor and glory of God.
That's why it's silly when people, we want to get married but have no kids. Well, you don't understand what marriage is.
Why did God make you one? Wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed.
Therefore take heed to your spirit and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
Verse 16, for the Lord God of Israel saith that he hateth putting away, the word putting away there is our word divorce,
and one covet violence with his garment, and the Lord of hosts therefore take heed of your spirit that ye deal not treacherously.
Some people say, well, yeah, but I'm married to someone and they're not saved or they're not good or they're not right with God or whatever it might be.
Hey, listen, God expects you to keep your promises. God expects you to stay with your covenants and with your oath,
and especially a covenant of marriage. You know, you need to just decide in your marriage.
Some of you need to go home and grab a dictionary or whatever dictionary you have at home,
if you have it, and open up to the letter D where it says divorce and take a pair of scissors and just cut that out of your dictionary.
And just decide this word doesn't even exist in our vocabulary.
Because oftentimes couples, they start fighting with each other and they just start dropping the D word a little too quickly.
Look, just forget it. It's not an option. I made a covenant with God and I made a covenant with her and I made a covenant with him.
And look, you say, what did we learn from this parable? Here's what we learned, is that God expects you to keep your promises.
Even to Nebuchadnezzar, even to Nebuchadnezzar. Keep your oaths. Keep your promises.
Now obviously, if you're married to some child molesting reprobate, the Bible teaches us that if you have to separate, then you're to remain unmarried.
But look, if you're willing to remain unmarried to protect your children or whatever, we understand that.
But that was not God. His will and his design is that you keep your covenant, is that you keep your promises, is that you keep your oaths that you have made.
Go back to Ezekiel chapter 17. So we see the lesson of promotion and we see the lesson of promises.
Let me give you the last one and we'll be done. We see the lesson of protection.
Because remember, the vine of low stature is pushing its roots towards the second eagle because he wants the second eagle to protect it against the first eagle.
Verse 17, this is what God says about it.
Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war by casting up mounts and building forts to cut off many persons.
Here's what he's saying. He's saying that second eagle is not going to help you. That second eagle is not going to be there for you.
That second eagle is not going to be your protection. You say why? Go to Psalm 20, look at verse 7.
If you kept your place in Psalms, Psalm 20 and verse 7. Remember what he was trying to get from Pharaoh, from King of Egypt?
He was trying to get horses and chariots and a defense.
Psalm 20 and verse 7 says this, some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
See, in the same way that promotion cometh neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south, you know that protection cometh neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south?
Go to Proverbs 21. You're there in Psalms, just flip one book over. Proverbs 21, look at verse 31.
Proverbs 21 and verse 31 says this, the horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord.
Promotion cometh neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south, but God is the judge. He put it down one and seteth up another.
In the same way, protection cometh neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south, but God is the judge. He puteth up one and seteth down another.
If God, look, safety is of the Lord. Now, please understand this. That does not mean that because safety is of the Lord, then let's just go ahead and let our two-year-olds play out in the highway, right?
No, no, the horse is prepared against the day of battle. Nothing wrong with preparing.
Look, if you're going to go into battle, if you have to go into battle, don't go into battle with no weapons and no preparation and say, well, safety is of the Lord.
No, go ahead and prepare the horse, but make sure you're not trusting in the horse.
Look, go ahead and get a gun for your house and get an alarm system and get a dog for the backyard. Do what you got to do, but make sure that you realize that at the end of the day, safety is of the Lord.
And it doesn't matter what neighborhood you live in, doesn't matter what country you're in, it doesn't matter where you are or where you go, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me.
Because safety is of the Lord. And what Zedekiah did not understand, he said, well, if we could get Pharaoh, and look, if you can get Pharaoh to go with you against God, you will lose every time.
And it doesn't matter if you get the whole world to go against God, you will lose every time. Go back to Ezekiel 17.
We saw in this parable the principle and the teaching of promotion and of protection. We saw the principle of the safety there and the prosperity.
I want you to just notice, and we'll be done right now in like two minutes. At the end of this chapter, and I don't have time to develop this because there's just too much here.
At the end of the chapter, we see a promise of a new branch. Notice verse 22. He says, Thus saith the Lord God, I will also take of the highest branch of the cedar.
Because remember, he took the highest branch of the cedar, which was Jehoiachin, who was the descendant of all the kings of Judah, going back to Solomon, going back to David, going back to Abraham.
So God says, I'm going to take of that highest branch of the cedar, and will set it, I will crop off from the top of the young twigs.
He says, I'm not talking about the Daniel's and the Shadrach's and the Meshach's that went to Babylon. He said, I'm talking about a new seed, a tender one.
And I don't have time to develop this, but these are all references to the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is a tender one, and will plant it upon a high mountain and imminent.
And here's what I want you to understand. Jesus Christ and the ministry that he began, because this is a prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ and those who would be in Christ, who would be in Jesus, who would be his elect.
The ministry that he started was not necessarily a continuation of Old Testament Judaism or the Jewish nation.
It wasn't that it's a continuation of the nation of Israel. He says, yes, it came from, it descended from. I'm going to take a branch from there, but he says, when I plant it, it's going to be a whole new thing.
Verse 23. In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it, and it shall bring forth foes and bear fruit and be a goodly seeder.
And under it it shall dwell all fowls of every wing. In the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell, and all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree,
have dried up the green tree and have made the dry tree to flourish. I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it. I wish I had time to develop it and I don't, but he's talking about here of a new people that he's going to bring in.
He says, there was a high tree, but I'm going to bring in a low tree. There was a green tree, but that tree is going to dry up and I'm going to take the dry tree. I'm going to make it flourish.
And there's going to be a new kingdom. And it's going to involve the Old Testament nation of Israel, but it's going to be a new tree. He said, I'm going to take it from there, but it's going to be its own kingdom, its own thing.
And of course we're talking about the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, which will have an aspect of the elect from the Old Testament saints and the twelve tribes of Israel and all those things, but it will also be a new tree.
It will be a new thing. And it was a new testament, a new covenant that God entered into. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you for the Bible and for these parables that you not only give us, but you give us an explanation for.
And Lord, I pray that you would help us. Lord, I pray that you would help us to learn to be content with whatever lot in life we find ourselves in.
And that doesn't mean that we can't strive to do better or be better, but it means that whatever you've decided and wherever it ends, we need to be okay with that.
Lord, help us to keep our promises, to not enter into covenants and oaths that we do not plan on keeping, and to enter into covenants and oaths very carefully, realizing that we will be expected to keep those promises.
And Lord, I pray you would help us to realize that protection and safety is of the Lord.
And though we should prepare our horses, we should always keep in mind that you're the one that will protect us. You're the one that will keep us safe.
Father, we just thank you for these stories and these chapters that we can learn from and apply in our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.