Ezek 29:1-30:26 | PS 112:1-10 | Prov 27:17 | Heb 11:32-12:13
When the religious council was deciding what to do concerning Peter and some of the other apostles since they refused to remain quiet in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, the wise Pharisee, Gamaliel said in Acts 5:38-39, "So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!” God is sovereign, always has been and always will be. Every nation exalts itself above what it deserves to be. I love America. But, if we took off our rose-colored glasses we would realize from God's perspective we are not as righteous as we deem ourselves to be. Whether you be Conservative or Liberal, Republican or Democrat, etc., these are lesser designations. Are we godly? Is America godly? We need to stop comparing ourselves with other godless nations from a horizontal perspective. We need to assess ourselves vertically from God's perspective. This is the only perspective that matters. Sadly, unless we align our will to God's, it's not that judgment might happen, it must happen. It is time to stop despising God, which means to take Him lightly.
Egypt was full of pride, as we see in the statement which God could not ignore in Ezekiel 29:9, "...Because you said, 'The Nile River is mine; I made it.'" God created the Nile along with everything else. Understand that Babylon was not a righteous nation, but God was using them at this time as His instrument for His justice. Notice His sovereignty in 29:18-20, "Son of man, the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon fought so hard against Tyre that the warriors’ heads were rubbed bare and their shoulders were raw and blistered. Yet Nebuchadnezzar and his army won no plunder to compensate them for all their work. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He will carry off its wealth, plundering everything it has so he can pay his army. Yes, I have given him the land of Egypt as a reward for his work, says the Sovereign Lord, because he was working for me when he destroyed Tyre." We also see prophecy revealed in 29:13-15, "But this is what the Sovereign Lord also says: At the end of the forty years I will bring the Egyptians home again from the nations to which they have been scattered. I will restore the prosperity of Egypt and bring its people back to the land of Pathros in southern Egypt from which they came. But Egypt will remain an unimportant, minor kingdom. It will be the lowliest of all the nations, never again great enough to rise above its neighbors." And this is true, while Moab, Ammon, Edom, etc. cease to exist, Egypt is still in existence 2600 years after this prophecy was written, but has always been a secondary nation since their earlier years of dynasty. Babylon was God's instrument for a season, but lifted up in pride over time, they too met their judgment and downfall.
We need to adjust our gaze. We need to turn off the podcasts, the television sets, and focus on God's Word. We are all so distracted and so easily led. How do we do this? We read in Hebrews 12:1-2, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne." The hall of faith in Hebrews 11 is not filled with physical giants, but with those who could push away the distractions and set their eyes on God. We might not look the part, and we might seem beaten down, but we read in 12:12-13, "So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong." A life of faith is our only hope and is the only solution.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: