Day 250

Two Eagles and a Lioness

Read: Ezekiel 17-19

Ezekiel is given a riddle by the Lord. An eagle representing Babylon came to a cedar tree and took the top twig representing Jehoiachin, king of Judah, and carried it away. He then takes Zedekiah and plants him and he becomes a vine. The vine then turns to a second eagle, Egypt, and in doing so breaks his covenant with Babylon. God is so opposed to someone not keeping a covenant that he will punish Zedekiah for doing so. Let us make sure we keep the vows we make (especially with our spouses and with God). God will not take it lightly if we fail to do so.

Chapter 18 deals with blaming parents for one’s behavior. While parents have great responsibilities, each person is responsible for the decision that he or she makes about how to live life, regardless of how parents have acted. Environment, especially home environment, is an important factor in life, yet each person must choose to act as God wants us to act, and not make excuses.

In chapter 19, we find a poem lamenting the fate of the last kings of Judah. The lioness is Judah who has mothered these kings. Human institutions seem to carry within them the seeds of their own destruction. We, too, are to lament the tragic results of sin which we see in our present society. But we must do more than this. We must proclaim, as did Ezekiel, the solution: returning to the Lord our God.

PRAYER
Father, help us to see where we are making excuses for our behavior and to accept responsibility. In Jesus’ name. Amen.