The Gospel According to Ezekiel, Chapters 17-18

Recap: God's Forgiveness in Ezekiel 16

Last week, we saw the shock of Ezekiel's graphic language describing the bride of God. Amid her sins, we recognized God's forgiveness. He judges sin but provides atonement—Himself as atonement—to restore His bride. God preached the gospel, and we see something similar in Ezekiel 17.

Ezekiel 17: The Parable, Explanation, and Gospel

The outline of chapter 17 is simple: God presents a parable, explains it, and preaches the gospel.

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, propound a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “A great eagle with great wings, long pinions and a full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar. He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants. He set it in the city of traders. He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside abundant waters. He set it like a willow. Then it sprouted and became a low spreading vine, and its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and yielded shoots and sent out branches.

But there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and sent out its branches toward him from the beds where it was planted, that he might water it. It was planted in good soil beside abundant waters, that it might yield branches and bear fruit and become a splendid vine.”’ Say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers—so that all its sprouting leaves wither? And neither by great strength nor by many people can it ever be raised from its roots again. Behold, though it is planted, will it thrive? Will it not completely wither as soon as the east wind strikes it—wither on the beds where it grew?”’”

This parable describes a great eagle coming to Lebanon (Jerusalem), plucking the top of the cedar, taking seed, and replanting it in fertile soil by abundant waters. The vine grows but bends toward a second eagle—a sense of betrayal.

Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and princes, and brought them to him in Babylon. He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, that the kingdom might be in subjection, not exalting itself, but keeping his covenant that it might continue. But he rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt that they might give him horses and many troops. Will he succeed? Will he do such things escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape?

As I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘surely in the country of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, in Babylon he shall die. Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in the war, when they cast up ramps and build siege walls to cut off many lives. Now he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and behold, he pledged his allegiance, yet did all these things; he shall not escape. Therefore thus says the Lord God, “As I live, surely My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will inflict on his head.” I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me. All the choice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.’”

The first eagle is Nebuchadnezzar. He conquers Jerusalem, takes King Jehoiachin and his advisors to Babylon, then installs Zedekiah as a vassal king—eyes and ears for Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar forces Zedekiah under oath, a covenant involving God Himself. The second eagle is Pharaoh of Egypt. Jerusalem betrays the covenant, seeking Egypt's aid—reaching back to their former enslavers.

God's purpose was for Jerusalem to submit to Babylon, endure judgment, purge sin, and emerge trusting Him. But they refused. If God decrees something contrary to your perception, His word trumps yours. Jeremiah advised submission, but they rebelled. Zedekiah broke God's covenant, enraging Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed Jerusalem anyway.

Thus says the Lord God, “I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out. I will pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit and become a stately cedar. And birds of every kind will nest under it; they will nest in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will perform it.”

Verses 22-24 preach the gospel explicitly. God will take a tender sprig, plant it on Israel's high mountain to become a stately cedar. He exalts the humble, humbles the proud. All trees know: God brings down the high, exalts the low, dries the green, flourishes the dry. Refreshing for the humble, terrifying for the proud. No neutral ground—salvation or judgment. God says, "I will perform it." That's the gospel: God will do it.

Rejecting this leads to self-will and ruin. Embracing it brings holiness amid life's trials—your greatest advantage.

Ezekiel 18: Personal Responsibility Before God

“Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.”

No neutrality. Every soul belongs to God—Christian or not. He has total jurisdiction. If unsaved, that's terrifying.

But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness, and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel or defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman in her menstrual period... he is righteous and will surely live,” declares the Lord God.

Then he may have a violent son who sheds blood... Will he live? He will not live... His blood will be on his own head.

Now behold, he has a son who... does not do likewise... He will not die for his father’s iniquity; he will surely live. As for his father... he will die for his iniquity.

Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity?’ ... The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him... Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?

Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ ... Is it not your ways that are not right? ... Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. Cast away from you all your transgressions... and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”

Ezekiel 18 shows responses to judgment: rebellion or repentance. People cling to proverbs like generational sin (from Exodus 20), dodging personal responsibility. It's prepackaged irresponsibility—blaming ancestry, upbringing, or denying sin altogether.

God rejects this. Each is responsible. Sin violates His holiness, demanding justice—a cross. Some ignore God's judgment, creating a non-judging God. That's atheism, rejecting part of Him. God sets the record straight: He judges sin but extends grace: "Turn and live."

Responses: Rebel, claiming God's way is misleading, or repent. God's rebuttal: "Is it not your ways that are not right?" Rebelling against judgment is pompous—elevating your way over God's.

Judgment's message: Repent. God describes the righteous life: practices justice (acknowledging God's rights over yours), righteousness (aligning with God's standard), avoids idolatry, sexual sin, oppression, robbery; helps the needy, avoids usury, walks in statutes.

The righteous live with an indicative no (fact: "I am not doing that sin") or double no (utter impossibility: "I will certainly not"). Sins aren't possibilities—they're impossibilities. Examine your life: indicative yeses? Possibilities? Resolve against sin, as Jonathan Edwards said: Never do what you'd fear in your last hour.