Ezekiel 25 & 26 -- Eerily Echoing Our World Today

Our world is in such upheaval today that we find it hard it believe some of the events that are transpiring.  All the governments in the Middle East that have been relatively stable over the years are suddenly in disarray.  Israel, who has enjoyed protection and relative peace, is beginning to feel abandoned and subject to attack.  The nations of the European Union and their joint currency are battered.  Japan faces economic ruin caused by earthquakes and nuclear disasters.  Even in the U.S., we see protesters breaking windows to gain entry into government buildings, while their legislators flee the state to avoid having to vote on legislation!  All this when just eleven years ago, the world was peacefully celebrating the turn of the century!

That’s the feeling of incredulity I got as I read the prophecies God was giving Ezekiel in these chapters.  The nations mentioned were guilty of bashing God’s people, and He was going to show them what happens to those who even gloat over the problems of the people He considered the apple of His eye.

The citizens of Tyre enjoyed their strategic location on the Mediterranean coast, firmly rooted as a trade hub.  God told them to get ready.  “I will scrape away her ruins and make her a bare rock.”  That’s all that’s left today.

Ammon had been thrilled when the Temple was ruined, in much the same way I saw Palestinians two weeks ago handing out sweet baked cakes to their citizens, celebrating the brutal murder of a Jewish family.  God said, “I will wipe you out of the lands so you will no longer BE a nation, and I will destroy you.  Then you will know that I am the Lord.”  He did it!

Moab and Edom started denigrating the people of Israel, denying that they should claim any special favor from God.  God said, “Moab will not be a nation anymore … The Edomites will know what My revenge feels like.”  Their cities were destroyed by the Babylonians.

Like the Palestinian hatred of Israel, Philistia’s hatred of them brought the vengeance of the Lord upon the Philistines.  “They will know that I am the Lord when I take revenge on them.”

God’s description of what He was about to do to Tyre sounds eerily like what happened in Japan last month:  “I will bring the deep ocean waters over you … the sea will cover you … Other people will be afraid of what happened to you and it will be the end of you.”

Nothing of God’s word ever fails to happen.  He says it, and it’s history.  In all of these ancient tragedies, God was dealing with national pride and sin against Him and His people.  If nations today become so emboldened as to believe they can spit in His face, or act as if He does not exist, or even claim that He has a character different from that He has already revealed to us in Scripture, they invite their own destruction.

Father, thank You for bringing to life these ancient passages and for allowing us to be forewarned about the consequences of abandoning You or of supporting those who already have.  Father, show us how to quickly help our government to change the things we are doing that may be heading us down the path that we don’t need to take.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford