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price of escape

Ezekiel 17:11-15 (JDV)

Ezekiel 17:11 The word of Yahveh happened to me. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 17:12 “Now say to that rebellious house, ‘Don’t you know what these things mean? ‘ Tell them, ‘Notice, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.
Ezekiel 17:13 He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he took away the leading men of the land,
Ezekiel 17:14 so that the kingdom would be humble and not exalt itself but would keep his covenant in order to endure.
Ezekiel 17:15 However, this king revolted against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt so they might give him horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still escape?

price of escape

We have been looking at Ezekiel’s parable of the eagles and the vine for two days now. Today’s text reveals its meaning. The royal family of Judah had sought to escape its covenant with Babylon by seeking help from Egypt.

What struck me as I pondered these words today is how quickly families are destroyed by those who encounter trouble and seek to escape it by breaking covenant with their spouse. In a fallen world like ours, some marriages may be destined to fail, but every divorced person also knows that escape comes at a heavy price.

LORD, give us strong marriages that honor you and respect and cherish each other.