1. An eagle is over the house of the Lord (1-6)

The eagle hovering over the house of the Lord represents Assyria, the instrument of God's judgment on the kingdom of Ephraim. The first king of Northern Israel, Jeroboam, had set up two calf idols. It was a repeat of the sin of the Israelites when they set up the golden calf at Mount Sinai. Since Jeroboam's time, Israel had gone through one king after the other, not seeking God's blessing. God would finally put an end to their idolatry himself by sending the Assyrians.

2. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind (7-14)

Living for sinful desires is like sowing the wind-throwing away all our God-given gifts and potential. Then, when the whirlwind of life strikes, we have no foundation to stand on. Ephraim had sowed the wind by giving herself to idolatry and to foreign powers. All that the nation had built would be consumed in the judgment. The sinful life is the most fruitless life.