THE HIGH TREE AND THE LOW TREE

DEVOTIONAL 04/04/2023

Ezekiel 17:

22 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:

23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.

24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

In this passage set in Ezekiel 17, God commissioned Ezekiel to tell this story to children of Israel. Israel was considered a noble country that received God’s blessing and protection. God sent the king of Babylon to bring them to Babylon for preservation of their remnants. However, Israel was proud and preferred to seek help from Pharaoh and Egypt that God had long set them free from. Israel broke God’s covenant for them by insisting on return to their old bondage. God was not pleased with this move. He compared them to a high tree. Because of their disobedience, God decided to abandon this high tree and take its young twigs to plant them on “a high mountain and eminent” (Ezekiel 17: 22). God then blessed the “tender one” so it would bring forth “a goodly cedar” so large that flying creatures may gather under it (Ezekiel 17: 23). God has the power to destroy anyone that goes against him and raise up anyone as He sees fit, even if they start out as nothing.

What shall we learn from this lesson?

Once we become Christians, we may be caught up in the idea that we are better than other people. We may forget to daily examine ourselves to see if we are still measured up to God’s standard. Thus, we may fail to recognize our sins. That would be a terrible mistake if we do not fix it before the last day. God has favored us before, but that favor can soon be over if we do not repent. God has the ability to find new believers that become more dedicated to him than we can. God can build them up from a level of low tree to that goodly plant that is so fruitful. Be content not for the glory of the past, but look into the future with a heart of constant repentance. Look up to the example of Jesus Christ who maintained a holy life even with severe persecution.

Read Ezekiel 17 for more understanding.

Sam Christian

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Vocabulary and grammar checks were done with the help of Collinsdictionary.com, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs.

The Bible used is the King James Version by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA (King James Version Bible Large Print Thinline Edition, 2016). Some texts were inspired by boldfaced words from this Bible book.

Style of quotation followed partly the APA style-7th edition.