Ezekiel 31

Brendaonline.com

The Trees Who Thought Wrong!

And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 

Ezekiel kept up with the dates.

Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness? 

God uses an allegory or story to get the message to Egypt and her supporters from the surrounding areas.

Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. 

The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field. 

Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth. 

All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. 

Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters. 

The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. 

I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him. 

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; 

I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness. 

And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him. 

Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches: 

To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit. 

Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. 

I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 

They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. 

To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.

I find this story to be simple.  God speaks to Egypt by using someone Egypt could relate to or maybe someone she once looked over or up to. 

God wanted Egypt to understand that copycats get the same results.

The Assyrians were heathens who prospered.  They were strong and had many nations look to them for military and other support.  God allowed the Assyrians to become a strong nation over time.  However, God numbered the days of the Assyrians, and she finally was given her expiration date.  The judgment on the Assyrians from God was death.  God use a tall tree that stood above other trees to show Egypt a picture of the Assyrians, and also this picture was shown so that Egypt could see themselves. 

God sometimes uses a picture or a story to see what He wants us to know.

Egypt and Assyria were alike.  Both thought more of themselves than they should have.  Other smaller nations looked to them for support or wanted to be as they were; God showed both of them that fame, wealth, beauty even the longevity of life was not strong enough for any nation or person to take His place.  

God gives us the increase, glory, and the ability to do what we want to be done.  God will never share His glory with anyone, no matter how rich and famous we become.

Egypt's thoughts were evil like the Assyrians, and both nations received the same deadly consequences.

Both nations were pride driven.

Whether we are individuals or a group, we should remember that hard work produces gain.  But the gain of hard work of the gain we achieved will never be viewed by God other than reaping and sowing.  No matter how much we achieve, we are people, and God is God.  God provided the seed, made the seed to grow, and supplied the growth of the seed to produce.  Somehow some people think it was the hard work themselves and forget it is God who makes provision in all good things.  When we forget about God, we are destined to end up with the crew of Assyria and Egypt.  God has already judged these cases; we should learn to steer away from the conduct of these nations who were sentenced to death because they refused to look to God for all things.

Lord, we may not be as tall as the Assyrians or the Egyptians, but we can be prideful.  Show us how to stay humble in the thing you give us.  Help us to remember it is You who have made us and not we.  We are Your sheep, and You are our provider.  Help us not to lose sight of all You are and what you make happen in us.  In Jesus' Name,  Amen.