Daily Manna 20 November
KEY VERSE: “Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.” – (Ezekiel 17:9)
TEXT: Ezekiel 17:1-10
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
Full of feathers of various colors,
Came to Lebanon
And took from the cedar the highest branch.
4 He cropped off its topmost young twig
And carried it to a land of trade;
He set it in a city of merchants.
5 Then he took some of the seed of the land
And planted it in a fertile field;
He placed it by abundant waters
And set it like a willow tree.
6 And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature;
Its branches turned toward him,
But its roots were under it.
So it became a vine,
Brought forth branches,
And put forth shoots.
7 “But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers;
And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him,
And stretched its branches toward him,
From the garden terrace where it had been planted,
That he might water it.
8 It was planted in good soil by many waters,
To bring forth branches, bear fruit,
And become a majestic vine.” ’
9 “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“Will it thrive?
Will he not pull up its roots,
Cut off its fruit,
And leave it to wither?
All of its spring leaves will wither,
And no great power or many people
Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.
10 Behold, it is planted,
Will it thrive?
Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it?
It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.” ’ ”
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
A preacher once said, “Sometime ago, we noticed that a tree planted at the sunny end of a house had large and beautiful flowers and fruits. It was a feast to the eyes but what an amazing difference in some of the branches that trained round the corner of the house where they got less sun. The blossoms were drooping and there was little promise of fruit. They had the same root and stem in common but while one part of the tree was in full glorious light, the other branches were in the shade”.
In our text, God sent Ezekiel to put a riddle to Israel after they had despised the oath in breaking His covenant in the preceding chapter (Ezekiel 16:59). Israel had enjoyed the gracious works of God in their history as a nation. They had been brought as a tender vine from Egypt to be planted in the land flowing with milk and honey. They had been nourished and protected by God until they took deep root and filled the whole land. Their shadow covered the hills and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
Israel had spread to the sea and her branches extended to the rivers. But because of idolatry and disobedience, the root was pulled up. The parable illustrated the treachery of Israel in breaking the covenant with the Lord and going into idolatry.
Many people remain cynical about the love of God for them. They only measure their success by their political, social and economic standing. If they face problems, they immediately conclude that God does not love them and seek solutions elsewhere. They forget His covenant and promises for them. Apostle Paul says only in Him we move, live and have our being. God loves you and in Him only will you prosper.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Without God, we are nothing!
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 32-35
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – No True Prosperity Outside God – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 20 November 2021
