1. The parable and its explanation (1-18)

The first great eagle was Babylon, who conquered Jerusalem and took many people into exile. The uprooted and replanted people flourished. The Babylonians appointed Zedekiah king in Jerusalem. He 'stretched out his branches to Egypt for help.' This was rebelling against Babylon (2Ki 24:20 ff). He lost everything, including his sons and his eyesight. (Read the lament in Eze 19.)

2. A covenant with the Sovereign Lord (19-24)

The Sovereign Lord is the one who controls history. Zedekiah did not suffer in exile just because he broke his covenant with the king of Babylon; it was because he broke his covenant with God. God would plant another shoot from David's family--a faithful man. It would grow into a great tree. This was a promise to send the Messiah. God is faithful to keep his covenant. A calculating pragmatist cannot be faithful to man or to God.

Application: Lord, help me to be faithful in my commitment to you and to your people.
One Word: God keeps his promises.