“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.

Devotion based on Ezekiel 17:22,23

It had been 480 years of a continual dynasty as one son after another followed his father as king in Jerusalem. There had been long reigns and monarchs who sat on the throne for only weeks. Jerusalem had been home to kings who had followed the commands and decrees of the Lord and also those who were wicked and brought much suffering upon the people. Through all the ups and downs, the great dynasty had continued, but now it was finally coming to an end. Zedekiah would fall and be the last king. All of Zedekiah’s sons were killed, and Zedekiah himself died in captivity, and along with him, the dynasty was over—or so it seemed.

Even as the mighty tree of David’s line fell, God was breaking off a tender sprig to plant in a high and mighty place. It would start small and humble; few would notice or pay attention. However, this humble sprig would become a great tree that would bear fruit and provide rest and shade not just for a single nation but for many people.

That sprig was planted as Joseph and Mary journeyed to David’s hometown of Bethlehem, “and the time came for the baby to be born.” His birth was small and humble, but through his death and resurrection, David’s greatest descendent would bear fruit and provide rest for all people. Not food or physical rest, but the gifts that come from Jesus defeating sin, death, and the devil.

The mighty tree of David’s dynasty would fall. In Jesus, God would plant a greater tree from that same line who would bring true peace and rest.

Prayer: