Ezekiel 31:1-18

The Lord continues to reveal His plans for Egypt to Ezekiel.  Those plans are not very favorable plans, but God has made it abundantly clear that He is determined to judge Egypt as He has judged the other nations.  We might wonder why God would spend so much time speaking of this judgment of Egypt.  Perhaps the answer is, that the remnant of people who were left in Israel after the city of Jerusalem fell they were supposed to stay in the land, but due to their fear they decided to flee to Egypt for protection.  God wanted to make it abundantly clear to His people that the choice to go the Egypt was a choice to face further war and judgment. God always wants us to trust Him and not in the strength of men.  Ezekiel makes a comparison between Egypt and Assyria that should have brought fear to all who heard it.

EGYPT IS LIKE ASSYRIA IN GREATNESS: Egypt considered herself to be one of the super-powers of the region that was too great to fall and too strong to be defeated.  God wants to make sure that they understand that there is no such thing.  All nations are under His sovereign power and they will rise and fall as He sees fit.  Like Assyria, Egypt was great in power.  Assyria was compared to a great tree in a well-watered garden.  The tree was larger than all the other trees and towered in the forest.  All the other nations looked to her for shelter and shade.  This was true of both Egypt and Assyria.  They stood out as nations of great strength and they were respected and feared by all the other nations who would look to them for protection and help in times of need.  Unfortunately this strength made the nations proud and God would not tolerate this arrogance.   It is a very dangerous thing to become powerful and prosperous because these qualities seem to foster much pride in our lives.


EGYPT IS LIKE ASSYRIA IN WEAKNESS: If Egypt was comparable to Assyria in strength, this truth should have caused great concern for the nation because Egypt was about to follow the same path as Assyria.  Just as God used Assyria to judge Israel, God used Babylon to judge Assyria and He would also use Babylon to judge Egypt.  The great tree in the garden that was taller than all the trees was chopped down.  All that was left was a stump and the tree lay flat on the ground with all of her branches broken.  God is able to bring down the strongest nations with His great power.  No nation and no man is above the power of God or greater than God’s ability to overcome.  Egypt should take note of this as God was about to chop her down as Assyria had already fallen.  All of us should take note of this when we are tempted to give into pride.  We must all recognize that we are under the mighty hand of God.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 2:1-7

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and   dignified in every way.    This is good, and   it is pleasing in the sight of   God our Savior,   who desires   all people to be saved and   to come to   the knowledge of the truth.    For   there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,   who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is   the testimony given   at the proper time.    For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying),   a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.   Prayer is one of the greatest privileges believers have and it should be one of our greatest priorities.  Too often our lives are more often marked by complaining about our circumstances and our political leaders than by prayers for them.  The government in Paul’s day
Read more