Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezekiel 29-31.

Ezekiel now turns his attention (or, has it turned there by God) to Egypt.  The first reason God gives for the disaster which Egypt is about to experience is that its ruler thought he was the creator of the Nile River, and it was the Nile which was the root of Egypt’s greatness.  Therefore the ruler of Egypt thought that Egypt’s greatness was because of himself.  This echoes God’s condemnation of Tyre because Tyre’s king thought he was a god.  In both cases I do not think it was just the ruler taking undo credit for the success of their nations.  I believe that God was condemning the people for sharing their ruler’s belief in their own divinity.  They took credit for what God had done.  In the same way, many people in the United States think that the success of the United States owes nothing to God’s blessing (and I am sure that the same is true of people in other countries).  Ezekiel tells us that God is bringing judgement upon Egypt so that all who live there will know that He is God.  Let us not think that we are gods and thus inspire God to demonstrate to us that He alone is God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 29-31.

As I start to write my thoughts on today’s passage I am not sure how I will be able to say as much as I like out of them.  My wife always laughs when I start out this way because so often once I start writing it goes from one thing to another.    In any case, Ezekiel prophesies the downfall of Egypt.  He tells that the pride of Egypt’s rulers led to that downfall.  The Pharaoh had come to believe that he deserved credit for the Nile and the benefits it brought Egypt.  The people of Egypt had become proud and arrogant.  They had promised to support other peoples then when those peoples needed their support had failed to provide it.  All of this led to Egypt’s downfall.  And God said that when Egypt’s downfall happened, then they would know that He is Lord.  The people of Egypt saw tragedy and destruction because they thought that they need not listen to God.  If we do not freely acknowledge that God is our Lord, we will suffer terrible things so that we come to understand that He is.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 29-31.

My lovely wife married me 22 years ago on the 23rd of this month.  So I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary every day from now until then.

Happy Anniversary, Darling!

Another passage about which I am never quite sure what to write.  However a few aspects about it strike me as noteworthy, but I am not sure I can tie them together into one coherent thought.  So, I will write about my thoughts and see where that leads me (not necessarily in the order the parts of the passage which inspire those thoughts appear in the passage).  First, Ezekiel warns that trouble will befall Egypt because Pharaoh had put himself in the place of God.  Pharaoh believed that the benefits of living in the Nile River valley resulted from his own actions.  Second, Egypt had presented itself as a power which could protect Israel against Babylon, but, when the time came, Egypt failed to provide that protection.  Both of these things led to the overthrow of Egypt as a world power.  Any nation which is guilty of these two things will find itself facing similar destruction.  I could spend some time writing about how these two behaviors lead to the downfall of a nation, but the important thing is that God tells us that we can expect any nation which follows Egypt’s example will fall.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 29-31.

Ezekiel prophesies here against Egypt.  The rulers of Egypt thought that the power of their land, which derived, in part, from their geographic location, was a result of their own actions.  This prophecy is a warning to all who believe that their power is a result of their own greatness.  God will bring down those whose pride leads them to believe they are accountable to no one.  I find myself struggling with this post.  When I began writing I had a clear idea of what this prophecy meant for us today, but I am finding it impossible to put that idea into words.  I will end with this, which will perhaps capture the thought I had when I started. God will use the fall of the great and mighty to bring glory to His name and to cause people to recognize that He is the true ruler of all.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

In the year 2000, on the 23rd day of this month, my wife married me.  So I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary here for 20 days to celebrate 20 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary Darling!

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezekiel 29-31.

As I said yesterday, I never really know what to think about Ezekiel’s prophecies against Judah’s neighbors.  Today’s passage covers Egypt.  Today’s passage tells us that Egypt came to believe that its geography was its own great accomplishment.  The rulers of Egypt became arrogant and made promises which they could not fulfill.  They became convinced that their own skills had provided them with the advantages which came from being located along the Nile and that they could use those advantages elsewhere.  Their arrogance led to their downfall.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezekiel 29-31.

The first thing I want to note about this passage is that it tells us it is written AFTER the Babylonian siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar.  This leads me to think that the writer considered his prophecy against Tyre to have been fulfilled, despite the fact that the island portion of Tyre never fell to Nebuchadnezzar.  That would also lead me to believe that the prophet would have considered his prophecy against Egypt to be fulfilled even though Babylon never fully controlled Egypt.  I want to note that the prophecies against Tyre and Egypt were not directed to the people of those nations.  They were directed to the people of Israel.   The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem had allowed the leaders of Tyre and of Egypt to convince them to rebel against Babylon despite the prophets of God warning them not to do so.  The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem turned to the might of Tyre and of Egypt rather than turning to God.  In yesterday’s passage, Ezekiel reminded everyone that Tyre, for all of its wealth, could not defend its mainland city from Babylon, let alone come to the aid of Jerusalem.  In today’s passage he shows how Egypt was unable to stand against Babylon despite its natural defenses.  When we rely on humans rather than on God, they will fail us.