Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Ezekiel 17:22-24 (NIV84) "'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar.”
GOD'S GRACE CAUSED THE GREATEST GOOD TO COME FROM THE WORST EVIL
Behold a branch is growing Of loveliest form and grace,
As prophets sung, foreknowing; It springs from Jesse's race
And bears one little Flower In midst of coldest winter,
At deepest midnight hour. (The Lutheran Hymnal, 645:1)
This is a hymn writer's description of the coming Savior into our world. He based his hymn on the words of Isaiah: "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious" (11:10 NIV84). There is a prophecy of the coming Jesse-Branch that we're probably not as familiar with: one penned by Ezekiel -- a prophecy full of heavenly truths for our faith’s comfort.
It was during the time of Ezekiel that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded the nation of Judah four times in less than 20 years. The Babylonian king kept trying to make Judah a tribute-paying satellite nation under a Hebrew puppet-king, but successive kings rebelled and Nebuchadnezzar finally took a harsher approach. The end result was that the Lord allowed Nebuchadnezzar to deport the almost all of the people of Judah, leaving behind only a few poor. Nebuchadnezzar executed the sons of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, so no direct descendant of David could ever rule. The Babylonian king also looked to destroy Judah's religious and spiritual heart by burning Jerusalem and destroying the Temple -- carrying away the Ark of the Covenant and other temple furnishings.
Because of the people's straying from God, embracing idols, and ignoring His prophets' warnings, they experienced His fierce and well-deserved judgment. The once-mighty house of David had become like a dead tree stump.
But now let us note the wonder of God's grace! At the time of our text He directed Ezekiel (himself deported by Nebuchadnezzar into exile) to make the glorious prophecy in 17:22-24. This is a prediction that from that barren stump of David's family line, the Lord would cause a Savior-Sprig to sprout. He would send Jesus into the world amidst the humblest of circumstances to bloom and grow and carry out His beautiful work of founding and building His Church. It's the Church of which we have become members by the miraculous working of God. All this though we are undeserving of the least of His mercies (like the citizens of Judah in Ezekiel's day) because of our natural inborn sinfulness.
Oh, how great is Thy compassion, Faithful Father, God of grace,
That with all our fallen race And in our deep degradation
Thou wast merciful that we Might be saved eternally!
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 384:1)
