Judgmental hope part 2

INTRO

Good morning if you have your Bible your can turn to Ezekiel 29 but also be read to flip around in your Bible today. We will continue looking at these judgmental prophecies towards the nations that actually brought hope to the Israelites.

How many were here last week? Okay so I didn’t totally scare you away. Or you are giving me one more chance!

A quick recap is Ezekiel is turning away from speaking to the Israelites in exile and God wants to give prophecies to the nations. What nations do you ask? Well these are the ones that he confronts through Ezekiel: Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre and Sidon. Why these nations? Well they were laughing at the downfall of Israel, and hoping that they would benefit either economically or geographically from Israels fall.

MAP 1

But none of these nations will actually hear these declarations. They don’t care about what this crazy prophet Ezekiel has to say. So all of these messages are being heard by Israelites in exile about their enemies going to be destroyed, without them doing a thing. Even in their disobedience, God is still going to take care of them. Even in their disobedience, God is bringing them hope to remind them that he is still the creator of all nations, of all people, and he sees everything that goes on.

We focused in on the king of Tyre where God rebukes him for his pride. Thinking that, because of the wisdom that God gave him, he was a God. He stepped outside of what God created him to be and started to take things into his own hands. And God was having none of that. And how Ezekiel describes this, because Ezekiel was training to be a priest, he uses Genesis 1-3 imagery to show how this king fell. He had everything as an image bearer and was even raised up to be a leader and yet, he bought into the lie that he could do things his own way rather than following the living God.

Pretty good summary? If you want more go back and listen to it, because there was a lot more.

Today we are going to look at the seventh nation that God brings judgment on and that is Egypt. If you are familiar with the Bible at all, you know that Egypt has been the big, mean supervillain of Israel for a long time. And even while Babylon is taking over the world, Egypt is still one of the biggest super power military’s and thinking they are good.

Which, makes me pause for a moment to ask a question that I’m going to leave open-ended for you to think about.

WHY DID GOD NOT GIVE ANY JUDGMENT TOWARDS BABYLON?

Any way back to Egypt, God spends four whopping chapters to tell of Egypts downfall, so buckle up as we read all 4 chapters. I’m kidding.

We are only going to look at a little of Ezekiel 29 today but I do encourage you to read through the four chapters on your own. Spend time in his word, especially after this message that is going to explain everything for you. Kidding.

Okay first let’s get a map to transport us to understand where Egypt is in relation to Jerusalem.

MAP 2

This is in your notes and I would encourage you to look at it as your read through chapter 30 where God lists specific places in Egypt. I think, at least for me, this is helpful to see what God is communicating to places I really have no idea about unless I look at the map.

Now, as I said last week, these are the chapters that many people read and just want to close and go read a psalm or proverb because they can be so confusing. Right? However, something that will be extremely helpful, hopefully, like last week, is understanding why Ezekiel is writing the way he is writing. Why is he using these pictures and images in a way to describe the fall of these nations.

So lets go head first into the confusion and then I want to try and help us understand what is going on here. Sound good?

BODY

English Standard Version Chapter 29

29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt; 3 speak, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD:

“Behold, I am against you,

Pharaoh king of Egypt,

the great dragon that lies

in the midst of his streams,

that says, ‘My Nile is my own;

I made it for myself.’

4  I will put hooks in your jaws,

and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales;

and I will draw you up out of the midst of your streams,

with all the fish of your streams

that stick to your scales.

So Pharaoh is a great dragon, or a sea monster some translations say and God is some kind of fisherman that is going to capture him. Okay… Let’s keep reading to see if it get’s any better.

English Standard Version Chapter 29

5  And I will cast you out into the wilderness,

you and all the fish of your streams;

you shall fall on the open field,

and not be brought together or gathered.

To the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens

I give you as food.

Nope, did not get better. Now God has throne the sea monster into the desert for animals to feed on. Strange? Ok, but important. I’ll explain in one moment, let’s turn over to chapter 31 to see more strange writing with Ezekiel.

English Standard Version Chapter 31

31 In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude:

“Whom are you like in your greatness?

3  Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon,

with beautiful branches and forest shade,

and of towering height,

its top among the clouds.

Okay, so Egypt is supposed to look to Assyria, a previous nation that was large and in charge like Egypt and there are supposed to picture them as a tree. Let’s do one more and then I promise you we will discuss what in the world is happening. Turn to chapter 32

English Standard Version (Chapter 32)

32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

“You consider yourself a lion of the nations,

but you are like a dragon in the seas;

you burst forth in your rivers,

trouble the waters with your feet,

and foul their rivers.

3  Thus says the Lord GOD:

I will throw my net over you

with a host of many peoples,

and they will haul you up in my dragnet.

4  And I will cast you on the ground;

on the open field I will fling you,

and will cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you,

and I will gorge the beasts of the whole earth with you.

This Ezekiel has had too much bread over a poop fueled fire, if you get what I’m saying. That is our first thought, right? But this is where I want to help connect the dots for us today and then I promise again I will show you how this actually helps our walk with Jesus today.

So let’s look at why is Ezekiel using this imagery to explain the fall of Egypt. Some of you may already know because 1)You know Ezekiel was training to be a priest and therefore 2) his mind is consumed with Genesis 1-6 as his worldview. So let’s look at this graph to hopefully help us understand more of what is happening.

So all of this IMAGERY is pointing back to things that have already happened in God’s word and have basically an inversion of Eden.

Remember in 29 the sea monster that God was hunting and then gave to the animals food? It is an inversion of Genesis 1:11 where God gives food to eat to the animals but through vegetation and trees.

Remember the tree that was raised up in 31 but it went to the clouds? This should make you think back to the tower of Babel (Gen 11) where they wanted to build a tower up to the heavens, to make a name great for themselves. The opposite of what God created us to do. We were made in his image and made to produce and multiply.

So I could keep going but before I glaze your eyes over too much, lets make this really simple to understand if you are lost in this analogy talk.

Understanding Ezekiel’s Judgmental Prophecies Today

Kingdoms rise and fall but God’s Kingdom never fails.

Egypt, Assyria, even Babylon are kingdoms that have risen and fallen. But look at where God’s kingdom is today. I said it last week and I’ll say it again to help you remember, He’s go the whole world in his hands. He is the one that raises up kings and kingdoms. He is also the one that brings them down. This is why we hold on to the commands of Jesus to seek first the Kingdom of God. To lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, not here on earth. We call ourselves citizens of heaven, we follow king Jesus and know that no matter what comes in the days ahead, God’s kingdom will forever reign. Doesn’t that give you hope? Doesn’t that let you breathe a little lighter, to know that God’s kingdom never ends and you are a part of it. This should do to us what it did to the Israelites hearing this in exile. It should explode hope in us that God is in control and we should follow after him.

There is nothing new under the sun.

Ezekiel uses imagery from things that have already happened because that is his worldview. But it also shows us that when other nations, kingdoms, bosses, companies, whatever you want to put there, looks like a sea monster causing chaos. Or a Tree that is being raised up to the sky and succeeding, at least to the eyes of man, that we have no need to fear. We have a God who has already taken care of things like this before. Some of us have a terrible theology thinking that God is somehow caught off guard by what is happening the world and in your world. Like he is wringing his hands and asking Michael the arch angel to bring him a stress ball because he is worried. No. How big is your God? How big is the greater of heaven and earth to you? Lift your eyes up to the hills and see your help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth.

But let’s look a little deeper into this rather than the whole world and God raising kings and kingdoms up. Let’s look at these prophecies of all the nations through the lens of all of scripture. We have seen kings and kingdoms be judged because they have stepped out of bounds so to speak and have thought of themselves as god. They were proud. They did not walk in the way God created them.

APPLICATION

And so, as I promised, I believe these passages can help us love and follow Jesus in a deeper way because these prophecies of judgment towards the nations and the kings of the nations show us how Jesus is the true king. He is the best king and when we follow him, we become more like him. I know this is a well known passage regarding Jesus and his humility but turn with me to Philippians 2.

English Standard Version (Chapter 2)

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

So Jesus, being fully God and could have easily said and truthfully said what pharaoh and the king of tyre were proclaiming that they were god actually didn’t even consider it a thing to be grasped. He actually became a servant, humbled himself even to the point of death on a cross instead of being raised up to the heavens, he humbles himself to the place of Sheol. AND from there, God then raises him him. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. But Paul makes sure this isn’t just a theological statement for us because he continues on.

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain

So Paul makes a connection between the life of Jesus and his humility and how we as Christians should life and walk. And this has great connection to the judgmental prophecies because it shows how we as humans were created. We were not made to exalt ourselves and our own kingdoms. We were not created to be sea dragons and creating chaos. So I want to give some simple and practical tips to how following Jesus, the true humble king creates humility in us.

HOW FOLLOWING HUMBLE JESUS CREATES HUMILITY IN US

And this is important because, even though you may never be the king of Tyre or the pharaoh of Egypt, we all have the temptation to be prideful. To think “I am god” even though we would never say it. Our selfishness can rise up, our sinfulness if not put to death by the Spirit in us, can rise up and create some nasty things in out life. So these are important applications today.

1.It causes us to grow in obedience. (verse 12)

a. Walking in obedience to God is humility.

You are not your own God, God is your God.

This is how we work out our salvation, but obeying, doing our part and also trusting God to work in us

b. Jesus was obedient to the point of death, but God raised him up. This creates confidence in us that our obedience, no matter the cost, will be met with God’s grace for a resurrection.

2. It tames our tongue (verse 14)

a. if there was anyone who should be complaining and grumbling about his circumstances, it’s the Lord. These people just don’t understand me father! I walk on water, they still have no faith. I feed their thousands, they are saying I havn’t done a sign. I heal their sick, cast out their demons, and even raise their dead but think that I’m the one with a demon. Not only that I am going to be brutally murdered by these people that I created…. But we don’t hear that in Jesus do we? So he shines in the midst of suffering and hardship. and we are supposed to be Christlike

b. Paul tells us to not grumble and complain so that we may become blameless and pure children of God in a crooked and perverse generation so that we can shine. Hey Josh, how am I supposed to shine? How do I be salt and light? Don’t complain. Don’t grumble. I’m not saying stuff your emotions, but let’s step back and look at the reality of what we are living in. What do we have in Christ? What do we have for a hope and future? What do we have in this life that we are lacking? Our perspective changes when our eyes are on Jesus.

3. It helps us hold fast to the word of life. (verse 16)

a. What is the word of life? The Bible or Jesus? Yes. He is the Word. But he has given us the word.

b. It is humility to read the Word. To humble ourselves and spend time searching the Word and communing with God so that we can know him.

4. It helps us live a resurrected life

a. Jesus’ humility lead him from obedience to death and then to resurrection. Why? because when we live in humility, we are actually free and have joy, peace, and hope. We lay ourselves down before the Lord and he raises us up. He is the one that helps us get out of the pit, out of the grave, and brings us into new life.