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Ezekiel 30 (ESV)
20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, it has not been bound up, to heal it by binding it with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong arm and the one that was broken, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries. 24 And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him like a man mortally wounded. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. 26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
REFLECTION:
God declared twice “put my sword in his hand” (v24) and “put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon” (v25). This is to remind the people: Babylon’s sword is a tool of God’s discipline, Egypt is the object of God’s punishment. God used Babylon to discipline Judah and punish the nations. Egypt not only could not stay out of the matter, but also had to be severely punished. Because Egypt tempted Judah to rebel against Babylon, not only did it fail to provide help, but it aggravated the suffering of the people, tempted the people to take refuge in the world and refuse to trust their own God. God declared twice that he would strengthen the “arms of the king of Babylon” (v. 24, 25) and four times that he would break the “arms of Pharaoh” (v. 21, 22, 24, 25). This is also a reminder to the people: In the past, Israel was a nation chosen by God because they were led by God with power and outstretched arms. But now, they have forgotten the “arms of the Lord”, and instead sought salvation from Egypt, relying on the “arms of Pharaoh” to fight against the “arms of the king of Babylon.” Therefore, God wanted to strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and break the arms of Pharaoh, and use the arms of the enemy to discipline the people’s disobedience. Today, many believers also want to rely on political methods to solve spiritual problems, hoping to use the arms of Pharaoh to break the arms of the King of Babylon. The result is futile because they cannot understand God’s will and cannot see the purpose of the judgment. If we forget the source of our strength, we will lose strength without knowing it, and become weak and incompetent in spiritual warfare. History tells us that only “the arm of the Lord” is powerful and reliable. Therefore, no matter what the trouble is, we should look to God, “for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.” (Psalm 98:1).
PRAYER:
Pray for God to give you the faith and courage to let go of the “arms” of the world you are grasping and dare not let go. Instead, seek God’s help, so that you will be able to face all difficulties, especially in spiritual warfare, that you can rely on the power of God to overcome the flesh and the world, so as to experience more deeply that He is the omnipotent God and the God of salvation.
HYMN:
God of Salvation (I Still Believe) – youtu.be/-hICOMgm
