Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Say now to the
rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them,
Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the
king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to
Babylon; and hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with
him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of
the land. That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift
itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. But
he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, "that
they might give him horses and much people. "Shall he prosper? shall
he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant and
be delivered? As I live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place
where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised,
and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon
he shall die. Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great
company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts and building
forts, to cut off many persons. Seeing he despised the oath by
breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath
done all these things he shall not escape. Therefore, thus saith the
Lord God; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my
covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own
head. And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my
snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him
there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. And all
his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they
that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know
that I the Lord have spoken it (verses 11-21).
We have next the divine interpretation and application of this parable.
After the statement that the great eagle, the King of Babylon, had come
to Jerusalem and taken the King and the princes captive, Zedekiah is
mentioned. Nebuchadnezzar had made him King and had made a covenant with
him and had taken an oath of him. Nebuchadnezzar had made him swear by
God (2 Chron. xxxvi:13). Nebuchadnezzar had entered into a solemn
covenant with Zedekiah and the name of God was used to make that
covenant binding. Then Zedekiah, who had less regard for the name of God
than Nebuchadnezzar, rebelled. Ambassadors from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre
and Sidon, came to Jerusalem to see King Zedekiah (Jere. xxvii:1-2). A
combined revolution was evidently contemplated. He also sent ambassadors
to Egypt. He expected great help from Pharaoh, who was a grandson of
Necho, named Hophra. He advanced through Phoenicia and obliged the
Chaldean army to abandon the siege of Jerusalem (Jere. xxxvii: 5-7). The
joy over this event in Jerusalem was great, for the wicked, treacherous
King Zedekiah expected that the Egyptian army would be the deliverer.
But the relief was of a short duration. The Egyptian army had to retire
and the Chaldeans resumed the siege. His great sin was that he had
despised the oath and broken the covenant. Ezekiel announced therefore
in the name of Jehovah his coming doom. "Therefore thus saith the Lord
God; as I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant
that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head. And I
will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I
will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his
trespass that he hath trespassed against me." He tried to escape from
Jerusalem, but he and his household were taken captives and carried to
the headquarters of Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah. Zedekiah was arraigned and
sentenced. His daughters were set free, while his sons were slain before
him. This was the last thing the oath-despising, covenant-breaking
Zedekiah saw. His eyes were put out and he was bound with double fetters
of brass and carried to Babylon, where he died a prisoner (Jere.
lii:11). He had despised the name of Jehovah and brought dishonor upon
the name by violating the covenant with Nebuchadnezzar. The Gentile King
had a higher esteem of that Name than the Jewish King. And then Jehovah
in His righteous dealings used the Gentile to mete out the well-deserved
retribution upon Zedekiah. Thus the Gentile King was used in punishing a
faithless Jew. It foreshadows the judgment which came upon the whole
nation when they despised and rejected more than a covenant. Ever since
they rejected their own Messiah and King, the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Gentiles have trodden down Jerusalem and the nation is blinded.