{"id":11010,"date":"2020-08-19T20:00:03","date_gmt":"2020-08-20T03:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/ezekiel-30_1-26-copy\/"},"modified":"2020-08-19T20:59:52","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T03:59:52","slug":"ezekiel-31_1-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/ezekiel-31_1-18\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use History To Your Advantage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ezekiel 31:1-18 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Ezekiel 31:1-18.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Ezekiel 31:1 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0In the eleventh year, in the third month on the first day, the word of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0came to me:<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 1:\u00a0\u00a0Scholars say that this date is June 21, 587 B.C.\u00a0\u00a0The prophecy concerns the defeat of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.\u00a0 Ezekiel receives this prophecy two months after having received a prophecy about Pharaoh\u2019s arms being broken in chapter 30:20-26.<\/p>\n

Ezekiel 31:2-18 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes: “‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The waters nourished it, deep springs made it grow tall; their streams flowed all around its base and sent their channels to all the trees of the field.
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So it towered higher than all the trees of the field; its boughs increased and its branches grew long, spreading because of abundant waters.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0All the birds of the air nested in its boughs, all the beasts of the field gave birth under its branches; all the great nations lived in its shade.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0It was majestic in beauty, with its spreading boughs, for its roots went down to abundant waters.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, nor could the pine trees equal its boughs, nor could the plane trees compare with its branches– no tree in the garden of God could match its beauty.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I made it beautiful with abundant branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden in the garden of God.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0says: Because it towered on high, lifting its top above the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height,
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I handed it over to the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside,
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and the most ruthless of foreign nations cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys; its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0All the birds of the air settled on the fallen tree, and all the beasts of the field were among its branches.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined for death, for the earth below, among mortal men, with those who go down to the pit.
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“‘This is what the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0says: On the day it was brought down to the grave I covered the deep springs with mourning for it; I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained. Because of it I clothed Lebanon with gloom, and all the trees of the field withered away.
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I made the nations tremble at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the grave with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all the trees that were well-watered, were consoled in the earth below.
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Those who lived in its shade, its allies among the nations, had also gone down to the grave with it, joining those killed by the sword.
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword. “‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign\u00a0LORD.'”
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 2-18:\u00a0\u00a0In his pride Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt considered himself to be in a class all by himself, secure in his wealth and military prowess.\u00a0\u00a0To warn Pharaoh not to be so prideful, in this message the Lord reminds Pharaoh of another kingdom that was once extremely powerful: Assyria.\u00a0 The mention of Assyria would have struck a chord with Pharaoh and Egypt, for less than 50 years prior, Assyria had invaded Egypt in 633 B.C. and laid waste to Egypt\u2019s capital Thebes.\u00a0 Eventually however, powerful Assyria was eventually brought down by the Babylonians as well.<\/p>\n

Using highly poetic language, this prophecy paints the picture of Assyria as a large, powerful and beautiful tree (v3-7), which towered above all other trees (v8) and was blessed by God (\u201cI made it beautiful\u201d God says in verse 9).\u00a0\u00a0Because Assyria \u201cwas proud of its height\u201d (v10), God handed Assyria over to \u201cthe ruler of the nations\u201d (v11) \u2013 that is, King Nebuchadnezzar \u2013 and to \u201cthe most ruthless of foreign nations\u201d (v12), Nebuchadnezzar’s nation of Babylon.\u00a0\u00a0Verse 13 depicts prideful Assyria cut down and fallen.\u00a0\u00a0Verses 15-17 communicate how all the other nations felt the impact of Assyria\u2019s downfall.<\/p>\n

In verse 14, continuing with the imagery of the nations being like trees in a garden, God declares what seems like an overarching principle in the way He deals with nations and kingdoms: \u201cno other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined for death, for the earth below, among mortal men, with those who go down to the pit.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0In other words,\u00a0God will cut down to size any kingdom that becomes overly proud of itself<\/strong>\u00a0(v14).<\/p>\n

Having finished this poetic history lesson about how Assyria fell because of pride, God turns the attention back on to Pharaoh and Egypt directly.\u00a0\u00a0In verse 18 He repeats the same question He asked Pharaoh earlier in verse 2, effectively asking, \u201cWhat nation can compare to Egypt in splendor and majesty?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0God asks this question not as a compliment but as a warning, that because of Egypt\u2019s pride, just like Assyria, Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt would be cut down as well.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When you think you are doing well, be careful not to become prideful and complacent.\u00a0\u00a0Always stay hungry and humble.\u00a0\u00a0For God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.<\/strong><\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When you are tempted to think that your situation is unique, search the past.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Find people who have experienced a similar journey as the one you are on.\u00a0\u00a0Learn from their experiences, their victories and their mistakes.\u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s how we use history to our advantage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Father, thank You that the Bible and history generally are filled with the real life experiences of people who have gone before us.\u00a0\u00a0Please give me wisdom and humility to learn from their experiences, their victories and their mistakes.\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Ezekiel 31:1-18.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Ezekiel 31:1 (NIV)\u00a0
\n1\u00a0\u00a0In the eleventh year, in the third month on the first day, the word of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0came to me:<\/p>\n

On verse 1:\u00a0\u00a0Scholars say that this date is June 21, 587 B.C.\u00a0\u00a0The prophecy concerns the defeat of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.\u00a0 Ezekiel receives this prophecy two months after having received a prophecy about Pharaoh\u2019s arms being broken in chapter 30:20-26.<\/p>\n

On verses 2-18:\u00a0\u00a0In his pride Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt considered himself to be in a class all by himself, secure in his wealth and military prowess.\u00a0\u00a0To warn Pharaoh not to be so prideful, in this message the Lord reminds Pharaoh of another kingdom that was once extremely powerful: Assyria.\u00a0 The mention of Assyria would have struck a chord with Pharaoh and Egypt, for less than 50 years prior, Assyria had invaded Egypt in 633 B.C. and laid waste to Egypt\u2019s capital Thebes.\u00a0 Eventually however, powerful Assyria was eventually brought down by the Babylonians as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11013,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11010"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11011,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11010\/revisions\/11011"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}