July 29, 2026 - Ezekiel 17

Just one chapter this morning.  I probably should be thinking about the meaning of the parable which is told in chapter 17 about the eagle and the vine.  The story represents Israel, who has been planted by the Lord, but is uprooted because of her treachery against the Lord.  Good lessons here.  But, I was thinking about how God so graciously accommodates us when he speaks to us.  As a parent gets down on the level of a young child when talking with that child, so the Lord speaks to us in ways that we can understand.  He draws verbal pictures, he tells stories, he uses parables and illustrations.  God is not far from us, and his word is not far from us in the sense of being difficult to understand.  Israel’s problem was not that she misunderstood God, rather, that, understanding him, still she ran away from him and refused to obey.  Yet, the Lord was gracious.  He would take a sprig from the cedar, plant it on a high hill, cause it to grow and, under its branches all the animals will find rest.  How gracious was our God toward Israel!  How gracious he is to us!

My soul sings glory all the way,

For Jesus took my sins away;

With precious blood they’re covered o’er,

He’ll mention them no more.

My sins are all taken away,

My sins are all taken away;

Oh, glory to His name!

Oh, glory to His name!

My sins are all taken away, taken away.   -- Eliza E. Hewitt (1892)