Theological Commentary: Click Here
In this
chapter we have several images. First,
there are the eagles that break of sprigs and plant them. Notice that the branches become vines – not forgetting
the vine imagery from a few chapters back.
God is not impressed with the plantings of these eagles.
These
planting represent the breaking of Israel and the breaking of Jerusalem. They also represent the rebellion that Jerusalem
has in getting Egypt involved with the Babylonian occupation. God is not impressed by how the Hebrew people
try to save themselves.
On the other
hand, God Himself says that He will take a sprig and plant it on a high
mountain. In other words, the exiles
will be taken by God and planted. They
will prosper. Under God’s watchfulness,
these planted exiles will be refined and they will grow. It’s a trio of reasonable simple parables.
The message,
though, is clear. What God plants grows
and prospers. What humans plant turns
into schemes and machinations.
It’s easy to
think that the people who were pulled into exile had the hardship and were
being punished. Yet we see that it is
the exiles upon whom God has placed hope!
Thos who remain in Jerusalem continue to be the hopeless and
rebellious. Sometimes what we see as punishment
is actually God’s hand. Sometimes what
we see as grace is actually evidence of needed judgment.
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