Ezekiel 17:2 Cross References

Ezekiel 17:2

2: "Son of man, tell this story to the people of Israel.

Then I said, "O Sovereign LORD, they are saying of me, `He only talks in riddles!'"

He used many such stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they were able to understand.
In fact, in his public teaching he taught only with parables, but afterward when he was alone with his disciples, he explained the meaning to them.

Once upon a time the trees decided to elect a king. First they said to the olive tree, `Be our king!'
But it refused, saying, `Should I quit producing the olive oil that blesses both God and people, just to wave back and forth over the trees?'
"Then they said to the fig tree, `You be our king!'
But the fig tree also refused, saying, `Should I quit producing my sweet fruit just to wave back and forth over the trees?'
"Then they said to the grapevine, `You be our king!'

Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty plain linen robes and thirty fancy robes.
But if you can't solve it, then you must give me thirty linen robes and thirty fancy robes.All right," they agreed, "let's hear your riddle."
So he said: "From the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet." Three days later they were still trying to figure it out.
On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Get the answer to the riddle from your husband, or we will burn down your father's house with you in it. Did you invite us to this party just to make us poor?"
So Samson's wife came to him in tears and said, "You don't love me; you hate me! You have given my people a riddle, but you haven't told me the answer.I haven't even given the answer to my father or mother," he replied. "Why should I tell you?"

So the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: "There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor.
The rich man owned many sheep and cattle.
The poor man owned nothing but a little lamb he had worked hard to buy. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man's own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter.
One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing a lamb from his own flocks for food, he took the poor man's lamb and killed it and served it to his guest."

That is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don't really see. They hear what I say, but they don't really hear, and they don't understand.
This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: 'You will hear my words, but you will not understand; you will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning.

Then show these rebels an illustration; give them a message from the Sovereign LORD. Put a pot of water on the fire to boil.

This fulfilled the prophecy that said, "I will speak to you in parables. I will explain mysteries hidden since the creation of the world."

Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.

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