1Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,
2“Son of man, propound a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel,
3saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “A great eagle with great wings, long pinions and a full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.
4“He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders.
5“He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil He placed it beside abundant waters; he set it like a willow.
6“Then it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine with its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and yielded shoots and sent out branches.
7“But there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and sent out its branches toward him from the beds where it was planted, that he might water it.
8“It was planted in good soil beside abundant waters, that it might yield branches and bear fruit and become a splendid vine.”‘
9“Say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers–so that all its sprouting leaves wither? And neither by great strength nor by many people can it be raised from its roots again.
10“Behold, though it is planted, will it thrive? Will it not completely wither as soon as the east wind strikes it–wither on the beds where it grew?”‘”
i love this verse, and so being, its probably one of my favorites in the bible. this hits home to me, and may also for many of you. God takes us from our natural state, our environment, our school, home, work, whatever it is, and snips us off that crowd. taking us from the mundane, he replants us, relocates our very foundation, thus being ultimately separated from the crowd. he gives us plentiful life, “planting us by the river” so that our “roots can be fed.” how many times do we look back on the world, and see that bigger, better deal coming along? whether its a better job, money, or that girl/guy that may seem like they can offer us simple gratitude, we take our eyes off God. we start to transfer our roots to that image, instead of staying where God planted us, by his life-giving river. then, when that job doesnt work, and we get laid off, or demoted, and the money is spent, and that girl or guy has hurt us, we wither like starving plants in the hot sun. we dry up and life becomes empty. See, since we aren’t part of that “group,” that “big tree” that we were once part of, we can never return. we may try, but the pain and conviction will only make it worse. i have a personal testimony on this subject, not once, but of two major times. is it worth looking back to the world, to something that gives us temporarily happiness? is it worth waiting to grow into that bold tree that God had ordained by planting us by his river, or is it worth the heartache to dive into a quick fix for now?
