Ezekiel chapter 17

vs 13

It sounds like a fairly forced treaty we're talking about. It's very common to take a member of the royal family who isn't far off succession and make them king, then force them to make a treaty with you since you made them king instead of the rightful king, who you killed or something.

The idea of taking leading men of the land is not uncommon for the age - basically you take the best and brightest (usually indicated by wealth and rank - it's not like they did IQ and skills tests beforehand) and you educate them and make them your own, get them to work for your cause, hence weakening the vassal state further. In other words, the country in question is boned.

vs 14

There you go, that's pretty much what I was talking about. Skim off the cream of the population, and the workers pretty much just keep doing what they're doing.

vs 15

This is one of those stupid things puppet kings can do to get themselves into a world of trouble. The rhetorical questions I think here are to be answered in the negative. Little vassal states don't survive when they try to break free and are still weak. And even if they did, they would only become a vassal to Egypt.

Now we can get a little theological. God had told Israel not to go back to Egypt, not to get horses from them, not to ask them for help. So this vassal is now doubly boned, because he's rebelling against both God and Babylon.

vs 16

Hey, look, an answer to a rhetorical question. Yay!

vs 17

The only reason Egypt would go to war to save Israel is because they were looking for an excuse to fight Babylon.

vs 18

The funny thing is that God is upset that, even though the Israeli king was forced into the treaty more or less against his will, he didn't stick to it. I can't say for sure why, but my opinion is that people always have a choice. He could have said, "I'd rather die than sign this treaty" - and then been killed - but at least that's a choice. Christians have had to make that decision in the past, and have died rather than bowing to Allah or the emperor or whatever. You might think that's not exactly the same as keeping a treaty here, but the politics of Israel is very much wed to her allegience to God, so I think this is legitimate.

vs 19

You see, the leader of Israel is not just a breaker of treaties and covenants with other nations - he has broken his treaty with God. All the people have, really. So this picture is of what has actually already happened I believe, or is going to happen soon, but God is using it to describe why he is also angry with his people. And if you would expect Babylon to be angry, then you should expect God to be angry too.

vs 20

God will in fact use Babylon as his punishment sphere, so that Babylon and God get their just desserts at the same time. Efficient!

vs 21

So this is going to happen, it seems, and God is making a proclamation about the result. Israel will lose all its good troops, whether it be her own or those she borrows of Egypt, and will be scattered and broken.

vs 22

God is like an eagle that does horticulture, you see.

vs 23

He's talking about Israel. He might even be talking about Mount Zion, and talking about the future Israel where all people will come to him. We'd call it heaven.

vs 24

As nation trees go, the heavenly tree will be the most glorious. I think I can safely say that it's heaven and a new Israel, because Israel has not really become a jewel of nations again, like it was under Solomon. If Israel goes through a second golden age, then I'll be proved wrong. But I would honestly be surprised, because my view is that Israel as a nation is passed, and Israel as a "people of God" is now Christianity, the new Israel. And our hope is in heaven, not in an earthly city.