Ezekiel 19 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application

Ezekiel 19 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• We aren’t given an exact date for the revelation given to Ezekiel in chapter 19. It seems safe to assume it was in the same year or shortly after the vision of chapters 8-11, which would date it to 591 BC.

• Below is a list of kings of Judah and dates for their reign:

  • Amon (642-640 BC)

  • Josiah (640-609 BC)

  • Jehoahaz (also known as Shallum, 609 BC)

  • Jehoiakim (initially known as Eliakim, 609-598 BC)

  • Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah or Coniah, 598-597 BC)

  • Zedekiah (His reign ended when Babylon conquered Judah, (597-586 BC)

WHAT WE STUDIED PREVIOUSLY

• Ezekiel 1 – Ezekiel had a vision of 4 living creatures, 4 wheels, and God’s throne.

• Ezekiel 2 – God commissioned Ezekiel to be a prophet to his rebellious countrymen.

• Ezekiel 3 – The end of the heavenly vision. Ezekiel ate a scroll of God’s words, and God called him to be a watchman over the people of Judah.

• Ezekiel 4 – Ezekiel prophesies with an object lesson in the street by laying on his side for 430 days, eating rations of bread, and creating a siege scene with a brick that represents Jerusalem.

• Ezekiel 5 – After the 430 days, Ezekiel cut off his hair divided it up into 3 parts and used it as a symbol for what would happen to the people of Jerusalem.

• Ezekiel 6 – Ezekiel prophesies against the idol worshipers in Judah, telling them their bodies will be thrown at the feet of their powerless gods.

• Ezekiel 7 – God spoke to Ezekiel about the day of His judgement. The end was near for the citizens of Jerusalem, and their doom was on the horizon.

• Ezekiel 8 – Ezekiel saw a vision of the Temple in Jerusalem. God guided him through the courts and gates of the Temple and showed him the secret idolatries that filled God’s house.

• Ezekiel 9 – God sends a man with a writing case to mark the foreheads of those who hated the idolatries of Judah. Afterwards, God sends 6 executioners to kill everyone in Jerusalem who didn’t have the mark.

• Ezekiel 10 – God’s glory departed the inner sanctuary of the Temple and ascended to His throne carried by the 4 living creatures.

• Ezekiel 11 – God announced judgement on the wicked rulers of Judah. They thought they were safe in Jerusalem, like meat in a cauldron, but God promised to bring them out for death and captivity. At the end of the chapter, God spoke of a future day, when He would regather a remnant of His people and give them a new heart and new spirit.

• Ezekiel 12 – Ezekiel prophesied about the downfall of King Zedekiah by carrying his possessions out of his house as if he were going into exile. God promised that His judgement was near, and anyone who suggested otherwise would be put to shame.  

• Ezekiel 13 – God confronted the false prophets and sorceresses amongst the people of Judah. The false prophets falsely claimed to speak with the authority of God, and the sorceresses hunted the souls of God’s people through witchcraft and divination.

• Ezekiel 14 – God condemned the elders of Judah who harbored love for idols in their hearts. He told Ezekiel Jerusalem would not be spared even if righteous men like Noah, Daniel, and Job lived there.

• Ezekiel 15 – God compared the citizens of Jerusalem to useless vine wood that was good for nothing except to burn.

• Ezekiel 16 – God compared his people to a young woman who he had raised and cared for. When she grew up, she turned her back on God and prostituted herself with foreign nations and idols.

• Ezekiel 17 – Ezekiel spoke a parable to the people of Judah about two great eagles. The parable indicated that the King of Judah would betray Babylon and be uprooted by them.

• Ezekiel 18 – The people of Judah were accusing God of punishing them for the sins of their ancestors. God clarified that each man was responsible and would be held accountable only for his own sins.

OUTLINE:

• THE LAMENT OF THE LIONS (19:1-9):

  • This section is a lament about bad rulers in Judah.

  • God compared Judah to a mother lion raising cubs.

  • One of her cubs grew strong, learned to catch prey, and “devoured men” (19:3).

  • The nation of Egypt heard of the lion, caught it, and took it with hooks to Egypt.

  • Then another cub rose to prominence and grew to be a young lion. It also learned to devour men. It seized men’s widows and laid waste to their cities.

  • When the nations heard of this lion, they banded together and caught it in a net, put it in a cage, and took it to Babylon.

  • To what/who do the two cubs refer? What is the meaning of the lament?

  • The mother lion appears to symbolize the nation of Judah. She produced two sons who grew to reign over the nation, but both were evil and judged by God.

  • The first cub appears to point to King Jehoahaz. Like the first cub, he was taken as a prisoner to Egypt (2 Kings 23:31-33).

  • The second cub appears to point to King Jehoiachin. Like the cub in the lament, he was taken as a captive to Babylon (Jer 24:1).

• THE LAMENT OF THE VINE (19:10-14):

  • Next, God compared Judah to a vine (similar to the parable of the two eagles in Ezekiel 17).

  • The vine was fruitful and full of branches. From it sprouted rulers, and its mass of branches became a tower.

  • But in anger the vine was ripped from the ground and cast down.

  • It’s fruit and stem were consumed by fire, and its strength was taken from it.

  • It was taken from its place of planting near “abundant waters” and replanted in a “dry and thirsty land.”

  • What is the meaning of this lament?

  • It appears the vine represents Judah.

  • The vine once flourished, probably a reference to the glory of the monarchy under David and Solomon, but that glory had been stripped and would be stripped further.

  • The vine’s stem burned, just as Jerusalem and her palaces would burn.

  • God would take His people from the Promised Land and replant them in a “dry and thirsty land” (Babylon).

APPLICATION:

• What kind of lion do you want to be?

• You can be known as a lion like Jehoiachin, vicious, abusing power, taking advantage of other people, as one who destroys other people, and lives ruthlessly for self-interest.

• Or you can be known as a lion like Jesus. One who powerfully stands up for what is right, defends the needy, enforces justice, builds kingdoms, and fights evil.

• The right choice is obvious. Don’t let your life be the lament of future generations.