Ezekiel 29:9-10 – “The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, ‘The Nile River is mine; I made it,’ I am now the enemy of both you and your river. I will make the land of Egypt a totally desolate wasteland, from Migdol to Aswan, as far south as the border of Ethiopia.”
Israel and Egypt have had a complicated history. If you have read the book of Exodus, you know that the Israelites were slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years and Pharaoh wouldn’t let them go. God sent plagues and after ten ugly episodes, God’s people were set free.
God’s angry with a new Pharaoh in today’s passage because once again the king thinks he’s a god. Have you ever made something or done a project that someone else ended up taking credit for? Here Pharaoh is claiming he made the Nile River, and God’s understandably upset about it. God will oppose this Pharaoh and his silly river. Then the world will know the real truth.
Here’s your freedom for today:
Destruction isn’t the end of the story.
Even with all of the trouble with all of the Pharaohs, God’s still willing to restore them. If you read verses 13 and 14, God promises to bring the Egyptians back to their land. However, he will not restore them to dominance, lest the Israelites trust them once again. In the end, God isn’t really all about destroying things. He’s about protecting. He doesn’t want his Israelites to be harmed anymore, and he wants the world to turn to him. What’s your story right now? In what ways is God tearing apart pieces of your life and restoring others?