January 15, 2023: Ezekiel 17:23 - On the Mountain Height of Israel God Will Plant
“On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.” - Ezekiel 17:23
Through Israel, God sent His Son, Jesus. In this passage of Scripture, God likens the sending of His Son Jesus to the planting of a tree, where God cropped a tender young twig from the highest branches of a high cedar on a high and prominent mountain. That tree, Jesus, would grow into a majestic cedar, bearing fruit. Under the shadow of its large branches, birds of every sort would dwell or abide.
God sent Jesus to the world to offer salvation to all of us. As Simeon would later proclaim to God when Joseph and Mary had brought the Child Jesus to be presented before God, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:30-32)
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we abide in His shadow:
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’” (Psalm 91:1-2)
The apostle John told us in 1 John 4:15, “If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” When we abide in Jesus, then we are under His protection through the trials of life. Through Him we endure, like birds weathering a storm or escaping the heat of the day, finding shelter in Him. When we abide in Him, He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1) Psalm 31:19-20 reminds us that He will protect us if we fear Him, not man, and if we put our trust in Him: “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion [shelter] from the strife of tongues.”
When we abide in Him, through His Holy Spirit, we can bear fruit. We tell others about Him and how they too can be forgiven of all their sins because of His deep love for us; how they too can find shelter in Him, find new life in Him.
The days in which we live truly are perilous times, as foretold in the Bible by Paul the apostle in 2 Timothy 3:1-9. I truly believe, based on what I read in Scripture and my understanding of it, that we are living in the last days before Jesus calls up His bride - all who have put their faith and trust in Him - to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and the time of great upheaval, the 7-year tribulation period begins. If you have not put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, if you are not abiding in His shelter, in Him, I urge you that today, you would do so, for you are not guaranteed another day or even another minute of life. Turn to Him today and let Him be your shelter, before the storms of life sweep you away in your sin, never to be forgiven. ✝️