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Daily Devotions

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 
Day 
Day 173

"Will it thrive?"

Text: Ezekiel 17:9

GOD’S CHALLENGE TO ISRAEL

Israel had been defeated by Babylon. King Jehoiachin had been arrested and brought to Babylon with many other prisoners. Zedekiah had been appointed king in Jehoiachin’s place. An agreement had been entered into. Zechariah would be held accountable to the king of Babylon.

The sad reality was that Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon. Zedekiah sought an alliance with Egypt. For a while, Israel seemed to have done very well in this new alliance.

“Say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
‘Will it thrive?
Will he not pull up its roots,
Cut off its fruit,
And leave it to wither?
All of its spring leaves will wither,
And no great power or many people
Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.
Behold, it is planted,
Will it thrive?
Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it?
It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.””
Ezekiel 17:9-10

1. “Will it thrive?”

a) Israel may have found a new partner.

b) But Israel was a vassal state under Babylon.

c) Zedekiah betrayed his avowed allegiance to Babylon.

d) God raised this question twice: “Would it thrive?”

2. Two mistakes of King Zedekiah.

a) He had grossly underestimated the power of Babylon.

b) He had foolishly overestimated the power of Egypt.

3. A prophecy of what Babylon would do to Israel.

a) Would not Babylon pull out the roots of the vine?

b) Would not Babylon destroy all the fruits of Israel?

c) Would Israel then not wither away?

4. Babylon would punish Israel severely.

a) Israel would then become weak.

b) Israel would become a withered state.

c) Israel had sealed its own fate when it betrayed its trust to Babylon.

d) Egypt would not be able to help Israel for it would fall to the Babylonians.