Ezekiel 17:11–15 (ESV) —
11 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 12 “Say now to the rebellious house, Do you not know what these things mean? Tell them, behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took her king and her princes and brought them to him to Babylon. 13 And he took one of the royal offspring and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath (the chief men of the land he had taken away), 14 that the kingdom might be humble and not lift itself up, and keep his covenant that it might stand. 15 But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and a large army. Will he thrive? Can one escape who does such things? Can he break the covenant and yet escape?
NOTE: This is the interpretation of a story of eagles, vines, and allegiances (roots). Israel, after its two defeats to a great eagle, Nebuchadnezzar, agreed to be its vassal, but instead turns to another great eagle, Pharaoh. God is judging Israel for breaking its covenant (its promise) to Nebuchadnezzar, but giving Israel into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. In that sense it is also a capsule story of Israel's covenant with God, whom Israel broke its promise to pursue a covenant with other false gods. One does not break promises without experiencing the consequences of their actions. Today, we are becoming a nation of broken promises, as people renege on contracts, on bills, on work that was promised. This is a spiritual issue -- our witness is affected by how we live according to our word. And it is why it is so important to be honest, and not to lie.
PONDER:
- Do I lie to others in order to look good?
- Do I twist the truth, white lies, to others?
PRAYER: Father, help me to see when I am not being honest. I do not want to mislead people in order to look good. I want to be honest even if embarrassed. Forgive me for when I fail you in this regard.
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