World arrogance. Oh… my… stars. It’s why I don’t watch the news and I avoid negative conversations around me. This world actually thinks that they can do whatever it is they desire, without repercussion and without accountability. Well, they thought the same thing in the days of Ezekiel. Which for me I found great solace in. Perhaps you need to hear this word today too.
Are you tired of seeing evil played out on an international, national and local level? Me too. It’s why I don’t miss my days of working in the courthouse of our not so fair county. I witnessed evil first hand, and grew weary and discouraged with each passing day in those halls. Not everyone was evil. But there was enough to suck the life out of me.
Ezekiel no doubt felt the same way. But when you’re a servant of God, which he is, and I am, it’s like being a fire fighter. You can’t just walk away. You have to do what the Lord tells you to do or there could be casualties on your watch. I don’t want casualties on my watch.
So as I read Ezekiel 38 this morning, determined to hear a word from the Lord that I could pass on to you, this is the word…
Names don’t matter, Positions don’t matter, and Numbers don’t matter. God’s promises matter. Just like the sparrow… God sees it all and He has us covered.
Ezekiel 38:1-3
1And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
Gog and Magog. Interesting names and there is some debate as to who they even are. I won’t even attempt to guess. And truthfully, it’s irrelevant to me for the word that God has given me. Because God’s first point for me to ponder is
Names Don’t Matter
How many times do we hear people say that someone was trying to make a name for themselves in a certain sphere? While obviously God and Magog thought they were of great power in the days of Ezekiel, scholar’s debate who they even were. So how important were they in the scope of those days? And when all is said and done how will we remember those who are our adversaries today?
I love that my grandbabies associate me with Jesus. Glory! That’ll put a shout in my soul. Because I know if I’m doing something in His name, it matters. If it’s in the name of anything or anyone else, not so much. So when I apply that theory to the world around me that is filled with so much evil, what I’m doing is so much more important.
Positions Don’t Matter
Ezekiel was speaking to the chief prince. I’m sure he thought he was all that and a bag of chips. But when the dust settled, it did not.
While I do not ever glory in anyone falling, I can’t say that I may not inwardly smile when evil is defeated. Even if evil has a name and a position. I’m tired of the arrogance of elected officials who do not regard the position’s for which they were elected to as an opportunity to do good. Woah… I may have went right into preachin’.
Numbers Don’t Matter
Scroll forward in chapter 38 and Ezekiel’s still laying it on.
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
I’m sure those mighty armies came with great confidence. So does the world and the political rhetoric when they make decisions on behalf of our Nation that causes God to go red in the face.
I actually just discovered that God does.
Verse 18 says “And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.”
I don’t think any of us wants to witness that. People who get red faced are usually about to explode. If God explodes, it’s going to get ugly quick! And no matter the number, you lose. So when I look at the odds that are against America on so many different fronts, it sometimes discourages my soul. But then I think about the fact that God hasn’t wiped us off the map yet and I believe it’s because He still has enough people who care. There are still a few Ezekiel’s out there willing to say what needs to be said. And that’s not our word, but rather the Word of God!
God’s Promises Matter
Ezekiel 38:19-23 sums up the matter. If God said it, it will come to pass.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. 21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. 22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
Even in the face of today’s evil we can take heart that God will be glorified. So turn that frown upside down! God has us covered church! We are covered by the blood of Jesus and He will have victory, and through Him, so will we.