Ezekiel 31:8-9 – “No other cedar in the garden of God could rival it. No cypress had branches to equal it; no plane tree had boughs to compare. No tree in the garden of God came close to it in beauty. Because I made this tree so beautiful, and gave it such magnificent foliage, it was the envy of all the other trees of Eden, the garden of God.”
Years are passing by and God is still using Ezekiel to talk about Egypt. What struck me in today’s chapter was the references to trees in the Garden of Eden. If you go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible and read Genesis 1-3, you’ll see the biblical account of the creation of the world and a description of the Garden of Eden. This place was God’s intention for humanity until we chose to walk a different path.
The most beautiful tree in the Garden in Genesis was right in the middle, and God warned Adam and Eve not to eat its fruit. Satan, in the form of a serpent, convinced them to try it anyway. Evil wormed its way into the world. Similarly, Ezekiel is describing a tree that has appeared to be the most beautiful, but through it destruction will come.
Here’s your freedom for today:
Things are not always as they seem.
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Not all that glimmers is gold.” Beautiful things can lead us astray, and sometimes going after the biggest and best (by the world’s standards) leads us down the wrong road. Ask yourself today, “What am I chasing?” Watch out for running after the things of this world as they always fade. Fill your life with faith, hope, and love — three things that will remain eternally.