Sin of every sort has a baneful power of blinding the mind of the transgressor. The thief does not perceive the criminality of his act. He complains only of the law which is so severe. The drunkard does not perceive the culpability of his course. May he not order his life as he pleases? So is it in every case - even in the case of secret sin. The moral sense is blinded, infatuated, indurated. In all such instances some ingenious method is required to convince the judgment of its wrong doing. This can often be done by means of a parable. The persons addressed perceive the incongruity or the folly set forth in the picture, before they perceive that it applies to themselves - condemn their own conduct. This is Ezekiel's purpose in this chapter.

I. THE YOUNG SHOOT PLANTED. In this chapter we have both parable and interpretation; hence there is no scope for conjecture touching the meaning. The tender twig is said to have been plucked from a cedar in Lebanon. For what Lebanon was to Palestine in natural fertility and glory, Jerusalem was in political eminence. What the cedar is among trees, royal princes are among the population. The most promising young men of the royal house had been transplanted to Babylon (see Daniel 1:1, 2). Every endeavour was made to train them for usefulness and eminence.

II. A FERTILE SITUATION. It was planted in "a fruitful field" - placed "by great waters." All that could minister to the growth of the tree was provided. The outward advantages conferred upon Israel were exceptionally favourable. God had dealt with them as he had not dealt with any other nation. Even when the wave of invasion swept over them, he did not allow it at the first to overthrow them completely. The conqueror still made terms with them, which, if honourably maintained on their part, might have led to a recovery of independence and honour. The God of heaven was still their Friend, and it was in his heart to show them every possible favour. No enemy was so formidable as their own selves.

III. ROBUST GROWTH. "It grew and became a spreading vine." "It brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs." It had within itself abundance of life. Interpreted politically, this must mean that Israel had statesmen and warriors competent for the administration of her national affairs. She had men of intellectual gifts - far-sighted prophets - young men of courage and energy. As a nation, Israel had not sunk into the weakness and decrepitude of old age. It was not from any process of natural decay that calamity had overtaken her. The secret of her downfall must be sought in her moral delinquencies - in her want of loyalty to God.

IV. HER INDEBTEDNESS. For this fresh trial of her integrity and fruitfulness, the King of Israel was under obligation to the King of Babylon, here symbolized by the first eagle. Israel had acknowledged this obligation. It had become a matter of international treaty and compact. That Israel's nationality and existence had not, at once, been terminated by the Eastern conqueror was due solely to his clemency. The defeated kingdom had allotted to it another lease of existence, another chance of meriting renown. "It was planted in a good soil, by great waters," and the enjoyment of this privilege was a pure favour. Hence arose a new and distinct obligation - an obligation admitted and defined.

V. FLAGRANT TREACHERY. It is not consistent with the rules of literary composition to speak of a vine as guilty of treachery. But a teacher of religion is more concerned with the substance of his communication than with the form. If only Ezekiel could bring home to Israel's conscience the greatness of her sin he would easily forgive himself mere literary blemish. Earthly metaphors were incompetent to express all the truth. The violation of a positive covenant was a flagrant offence. We can conceive of none greater, especially as it was a covenant made in the name of God. And it was as foolish as it was flagrant. Did he suppose that Nebuchadnezzar would not resent the insult and avenge his outraged honour? Wrong doing is always bad policy, as inexpedient as immoral. If man cannot trust the oath and compact of a fellow man, all the bands of society would be loosed, and this globe would be a perpetual scene of anarchy, war, and misery. Mere might would always reign, and violence would be the only sceptre.

VI. DIVINE INDIGNATION. God himself appears upon the scene, and arms himself against the offender. Since the King of Israel had sworn, in God's name, to observe the covenant, the honour of God was involved. Therefore he will vindicate his own majesty. "As I live, saith the Lord God, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon iris own head." As the interests of a nation are greater than those of a private person, so the violation of a national compact is a sin of blackest hue. It was not simply his own pleasure and advantage Zedekiah was imperilling, but the interests and the lives of all his subjects. Therefore God himself was constrained to leave his secret habitation, and appear as the Avenger of crime.

VII. COMPLETE DESTRUCTION "All his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds." A series of lesser chastisements had been employed, but had proved unavailing to subdue the pride of Israel. Loss, defeat, public humiliation, dismemberment of empire, had in succession been tried. But the medicine had not taken effect. A more drastic measure must now be employed. The kindness, patience, and long suffering of God are signally displayed; and it ought to impress our hearts most deeply to observe with what reluctance he unsheathes the avenging sword. But Justice must have her due. Our God cannot be trifled with, for he is Judge of all. - D.

"The field" seems to set forth the visible Church of God; and "the trees of the field" seem to set forth all the professors of Divine truth, whether they are possessors or not. All these "trees of the field" shall know a certain truth. Now, what is tiffs certain truth? That the Lord will do a certain work in characters, which He Himself has delineated; and that it shall be visible to the Church of God what He does to those characters.

1. The first character of which the Lord speaks is "the high tree"; which "high tree" is to be "brought down." That expression — "a high tree" — seems to bear two significations.(1) There is the "high tree" — that is, a nominal professor who is destitute of the fear of God, who has nothing of the .grace of God in His soul, but stands in the visible Church of Christ in a profession of godliness whilst he is inwardly devoid of its power. In this wood of trees the first object that catches the eye is "the high tree," that soars above them all. You will find this nominal professor in the Church of Christ always ready to come forward; he never hangs back through a sense of his weakness and ignorance; he is never plagued with doubts and fears as to his state before God; he never puts his mouth in the dust from a deep sense of his vileness and baseness before Hint; but let him be present in any company, or on any occasion, he is ready to speak, to exalt himself, and to tower high above the family of God, who are mourning and sighing over the burden of sin, guilt, and corruption, and are suing after the Lord's manifestations of favour to their souls. Now the Lord says, "All the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree." Then this "high tree" must he "brought down"; and not merely brought down, but visibly brought down, — brought down in the sight of the trees of the field, laid low in the sight of all who have eyes to see, who have ears to hear, who have minds to understand what God's dealings are.(2) But the expression "high tree" bears another signification. Whence comes the presumption of self-confident professors? Does it not spring from an internal principle of pride in them? And are not all, without exception, possessed of the same "deceitful and desperately wicked" heart? Then, if the towering confidence of a presumptuous professor springs from innate pride, is there not the Same principle at work in the heart of a living child? But the Lord will never suffer His children to walk in vain confidence; He will never allow them, for a long season together, to stand in false liberty; and therefore He will "bring them down." He has but to look upon us with one frown, and He will bruise into nothingness all our presumptuous liberty. He has but to take the veil for a moment off our hearts, and discover to us what we are and discover to us what He is, and we shall fall down before Him, as Isaiah fell when he saw the glory of the Lord in the temple.

2. And now we come to the "exalting the low tree." Here we have a striking contrast. "The low tree is one who has always the lowest, meanest thoughts concerning himself; who can find in his heart nothing spiritually good; who is continually afraid of presumption; who starts back from every appearance of being more than he really is. Now, "this low tree" the Lord has promised to exalt. But He will never "exalt the low tree" in self. The wise man shall not "glory in his wisdom, the strong man shall not glory in his strength"; but "he that glorieth" shall "glory in this, that he knoweth the Lord." "In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." When "the low tree," therefore, is "exalted," it is by some sweet manifestation of the blood and love of Jesus to his soul; it is by lifting him up out of the mire, and out of the dunghill, and "setting him among princes," and making him "inherit the throne of glory"; it is by Jesus sweetly coming into his heart and conscience, sprinkling it with His atoning blood, bedewing it with the drops of His favour, discovering His glorious righteousness, and binding up every bleeding wound.

3. But consider another tree of which the Lord speaks, and another work which the Lord here promises to do. "I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree." Now, just in the same way as "the high tree" seems to shadow forth two characters (that is, the presumptuous professor, and a child of God drawn aside by Satan's subtlety into presumption), so "the green tree" seems to set forth both a professor of religion and also a child of God in the warmth of youthful zeal.

4. Oh! what a state it is in which to stand before God — a "dry tree"! To feel as though there was not a single particle of spiritual sap or heavenly moisture in us; to feel as though we had no religion worth the name; to feel as though we had no real work of the Spirit upon our soul, and no real grace in our heart given by God Himself! Now, to this "dry tree" the Lord has given a promise. He says this dry tree shall be "made to flourish." How He frustrates and disappoints all the expectations of nature! What! to "dry up a green tree," and to "make a dry tree to flourish"! Would not nature say, "Oh! the 'green tree,' make it greener still: oh! the 'dry tree,' cut it down, and cast it into the fire!" But the Lord's "ways are not our ways," neither are the Lord's "thoughts our thoughts"; but "as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts than our thoughts." Cut it down! No; "make it to flourish"! Then the Lord's work is made manifest, as much in "drying up the green tree" as in "making the dry tree to flourish." And how does He "make the dry tree to flourish"? Why, by dropping in His own blessed dew into it; by shedding his own Divine favour into the barren and parched heart; by dropping in some testimony from His own blessed and gracious lips, so as to cause the soul to "revive as the vine," and to flourish as the herb; by causing "showers of blessing" to fall upon the wilderness, and turn it into a standing pool, and so make the rose of Sharon sweetly and blessedly to blossom and flourish therein.

(J. C. Philpot.)