A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ez 17:22-24
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar,
from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot,
and plant it on a high and lofty mountain;
on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it.
It shall put forth branches and bear fruit,
and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it,
every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.
And all the trees of the field shall know
that I, the LORD,
bring low the high tree,
lift high the lowly tree,
wither up the green tree,
and make the withered tree bloom.
As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.
REFLECTION
As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.
In Ezekiel 17 we see an allegory--a story that has a hidden meaning. The Lord is the doer, the One who comes and "shakes" things up by establishing "new" from "old". It's a new twig from an old tree; He will replant it in a lofty and high mountain and it will bear fruit and become a new and bold big tree. And in this new growth, there will be many who will find shelter. The Lord tells all of His mighty power reminding them that He is the author of life and death. Nothing is impossible with God.
And with this bold reminder and announcement of who the great God is and what He can do, we are to find shelter in that which He has made for our safety in Him, and give praise and thanksgiving for Our God is our rock and the giver of all life.
