Hidden Dangers
Ezekiel
29 reminds me of working as a roofer for a time. Mistakes made on
the ground can cause injuries, but mistakes made in very high places
can be deadly. In new construction things are stable, but with old
buildings, wood rot or termites can make something that looks strong
crumble in your hand. Some real dangers are not easily spotted. In
today’s chapter God rebukes Egypt through the prophet for being a
false friend to Israel when the stakes were at the highest. He
begins, “Set your face against
Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all
Egypt“. First He describes
pharaoh as a Nile crocodile proudly declaring, “The
Nile belongs to me; I made it for myself“.
Too many of us have this attitude about our success. We build
accomplishments through hard work, discipline and intelligence, but
without thankfulness in our heart, we can look like a big mouth too.
God says, “But I will put hooks
in your jaws… I will pull you out from among your streams, with all
the fish sticking to your scales.
I will leave you in the
desert“. Even the fiercest
crocodile cannot survive long without water to cool down and feed.
“I will give you as food to the
beasts“.
Egypt’s
false friendship is at the heart of God’s rebuke. There are things
we would not attempt on our own, but with friends at our side we feel
secure. Being abandoned in those times can leave us alone in
perilous places. “You have been
a staff of reed for the people of
Israel.
When they grasped you with
their hands, you splintered…when they leaned on you, you broke and
their backs were wrenched“.
Egypt promised help against their mutual enemy Babylon, but when the
time came, the army returned to Egypt. False friends might have a
great smile, but if they disappear in times of need, their loyalty
might be a crock.
The
chapter closes with a judgment and a trophy. Even elaborate
buildings will deteriorate quickly if they are abandoned. Rebuilding
may become impossible. God promised, “I
will make the land of Egypt desolate among devastated lands, and her
cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities“.
The Babylonians destroyed Egypt in the year 586 BC. At the end of
the 40 years, the Persians overcame the Babylonians and the Egyptians
returned. But, “There they will
be a lowly kingdom… and
will never again exalt itself
above the other nations“. God
adds, they will “no longer
be a source of confidence for the
people of Israel“. It is much
safer to remove a faulty railing than to leave an illusion of safety.
God notes that Egypt was given to Babylon as a reward for the
destruction of Tyre, “he will
carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for
his army“.
The single greatest hidden danger today is that followers of Christ
will be divided. Crocodiles are everywhere trying to separate us by
race, politics, wealth, sex and nationality. Be careful of anyone
that divides, they may not be what they appear. Galatians 3:28
notes, “There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither slave
nor free, there is no
male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus“.
You can trust in that.