Verses 22-23
The Lord Himself would also snip a tender twig from the top of the tall cedar tree that represented the Davidic line of kings. (The eagle is no longer Nebuchadnezzar but Yahweh in this parable.) Yahweh would plant this twig on a high mountain in Israel so that it would grow there, produce sheltering boughs, and bear fruit. Birds of every kind would come and take refuge in its shady branches. People would dwell securely under the protection of this great kingdom (cf. Hosea 14:5-7; Daniel 4:12; Daniel 4:21; Matthew 13:32; Mark 4:32). [Note: For discussion of the ancient mythological "cosmic tree," of which Ezekiel’s tree is a variation, see Block, The Book . . ., p. 551.]
"Israel will protect surrounding nations rather than being their pawn. . . .
"Ezekiel compared God’s future actions to those of the two eagles (Babylon and Egypt) already mentioned. Neither of those eagles had been able to provide the security and prosperity Israel desperately longed for, but God would succeed where they had failed." [Note: Dyer, "Ezekiel," p. 1259.]
The tender twig seems clearly to be a messianic reference (cf. Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Jeremiah 33:14-16; Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah 6:12-13). The high mountain is probably Mount Zion, the place where Messiah will set up His throne in the Millennium (cf. Psalms 2:6). Then the cedar tree (messianic kingdom) will be very stately and fruitful.
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