God likens Assyria in her greatness to a TALL tree. TIMBER; she falls at His hand. Egypt will do no less. Her grandeur doesn’t even come close to Assyria’s.
God gives this prophecy to Ezekiel for Pharoah, king of Egypt, but He spends most of the time talking about Assyria. He does this so that Egypt will clearly understand His sovereignty. Assyria couldn’t stand against Him. What makes Egypt think they could survive?
Assyria and Egypt had the same sins; pride and arrogance. God says that He strengthened Assyria so she could reach her height. He made her beautiful. More beautiful and powerful than all the nations around her. He likens her reign and reach to the bows of a tree where all the nations ‘take shelter’. Even the ‘trees of Eden’ were jealous of her beauty and stature. But, like the story of Icarus, she ‘grew’ too close to the sun.
Assyria began to believe her greatness was achieved on her own. ‘Look what I have built!’ So, the time had come to lay the axe to the tree. TIMBER! And what a fall it was. All those who trusted in her fell too. Her ‘branches’ lay scattered and broken. Scavengers picked at her as she lay on the forest floor, helpless to rise again.
God said that this is the fate of ALL the ‘trees’ that stretch to the sky. All those that are prideful and push their way past the clouds. Even the trees of Eden that attempt this, suffer the same result. They are cut down.
Egypt will be joining the ranks of the fallen trees. She too is raising her head, thumping her chest, and saying ‘Look what I have done’. Yes. Look what they have done. They have chased after every conceivable false god. They have proclaimed that their leader has godlike qualities. They even bow to him as a god. They believed themselves superior to ALL their neighbors.
If God didn’t spare the nations HE made great, what makes you think he wouldn’t take down others that sinned against Him? Assyria tried to BE God. Israel and Judah turned away from God. And Pharoah is trying to be God too. She WILL have the axe laid to her root too.
God was using the nation of Babylon at that time to wield His ‘axe’. There would come a time when Babylon too would reach too far. God would lay them bare, when He was done using them. NOT because ‘He was done playing with that toy’ but because He knew their hearts, even before He started using them. He knew they would be ruthless with His people. He KNEW how many would die at the hands of these people. But He also KNEW how many more would be saved by His using Nebuchadnezzar. He was bringing a lesson Israel and Judah would NEVER forget.
Did you notice that this prophecy came with a date? It was the date that God spoke to Ezekiel, NOT the date the prophecy would be fulfilled. Something I noticed about the date was its matching up with the destruction of Jerusalem. This only works though if they were using the same starting point for their calendars.
Something else that struck me from this passage is that Assyria essentially did the same thing Satan did as Lucifer. He started ‘believing his own press’ and exalting himself, even above God. I have no doubt that he took credit for ALL that went right. I bet he even believed he acquired his beauty and status by his own hand. He didn’t so, he was laid low too for his sin.
DON’T fall in that trap. Yes, you can be happy for your accomplishments. But, remember, that you did NOT get here on your own. God raises each of us up. Therefore, we HAVE to return the glory to Him instead of grabbing it for ourselves.
Father God, don’t let me ‘grow too tall’. I want to always remember Who made me and give You ALL the glory. I am marvelously and wonderfully made. I did NOT make myself. And I will stop ‘putting down’ Your handiwork.
Mungu anafananisha Uashuru katika ukuu wake na mti mrefu. KITI; yeye huanguka mkononi mwake. Misri itafanya vivyo hivyo. Utukufu wake hauwezi hata kulinganishwa na ule wa Ashuru. Mungu alitoa unabii huo kwa Ezekieli kuhusu Farao, mfalme wa Misri, lakini alitumia wakati mwingi akizungumzia Ashuru. Anafanya hivyo ili Wamisri waelewe waziwazi enzi yake kuu. Ashuru haingeweza kusimama dhidi yake. Ni nini kinachowasababisha Wamisri wafikiri kwamba wangeweza kuishi? Waashuru na Misri walikuwa na dhambi zilezile; kiburi na kiburi. "Mungu alitoa nguvu kwa Waashuru ili waweze ""kufikia kilele chao.""" Alimfanya awe mrembo. Mtukufu na mwenye nguvu kuliko mataifa yote yaliyomzunguka. Yeye hulinganisha utawala wake na kufikia kwa mapigo ya mti ambapo mataifa yote <unk>kuchukua kimbilio<unk>. Hata'miti ya Edeni' ilikuwa na wivu kwa uzuri na kimo chake. Lakini, kama hadithi ya Icarus, yeye 'alikua' karibu sana na jua. Ashuru ilianza kuamini kwamba ukuu wake ulifanywa kwa nguvu zake mwenyewe. <unk>Angalia kile nilichojenga!<unk> Kwa hiyo, wakati ulikuwa umefika wa kuweka shoka kwenye mti. Mbao! Na ilikuwa ni kuanguka kwa njia gani. Wale wote waliomtegemea pia wakaanguka. "Matawi" yake yalikuwa yamegawanyika na kuvunjika. Wanyama-mwitu walimchoma alipokuwa amelala kwenye sakafu ya msitu, bila uwezo wa kuinuka tena. Mungu alisema kwamba hii ni hatima ya "miti" yote ambayo inaenea hadi angani. Wale wote wenye kiburi na wanaojitahidi kupita mawingu. Hata miti ya Edeni inayojaribu kufanya hivyo, hupatwa na matokeo yaleyale. Zinamekatwa. Misri itajiunga na safu ya miti iliyoporomoka. Yeye pia anainua kichwa chake, anapiga kifua chake, na kusema ‘Tazama kile ambacho nimefanya. Ndio, nina hakika. Angalia walivyofanya. Wamefuata kila mungu wa uongo anayeweza kufikiriwa. Wametangaza kwamba kiongozi wao ana sifa kama za Mungu. Hata wanamsujudia akiwa mungu. Walijiona kuwa bora kuliko majirani zao wote. Ikiwa Mungu hakuwahurumia mataifa aliyoyafanya kuwa makubwa, ni nini kinachokufanya ufikiri kwamba hangewaangamiza wengine waliomkosea? Waashuru walijaribu kuwa Mungu. Israeli na Yuda wakamgeuka na kumwacha Mungu. Pharaoh pia anajaribu kuwa Mungu. Yeye pia atawekwa shoka kwenye mizizi yake. Mungu alikuwa akitumia taifa la Babiloni wakati huo kutumia <unk>shoka<unk> lake. Wakati utakuja ambapo Babeli pia itafikia mbali sana. Mungu angewafunua waziwazi, alipomaliza kuwatumia. Si kwa sababu 'Alimaliza kucheza na kichezeo hicho' bali kwa sababu alijua mioyo yao, hata kabla ya kuanza kuitumia. Alijua kwamba wangekuwa wakatili kwa watu wake. ALIJUA ni watu wangapi wangekufa kwa mikono ya watu hao. Lakini pia alijua ni wangapi zaidi wangekuja kuokolewa kwa kutumia Nebukadneza. Alikuwa akileta somo ambalo Israeli na Yuda hawangeweza kusahau kamwe. Je, uliona kwamba unabii huo ulitia ndani tarehe? Ni tarehe ambayo Mungu alizungumza na Ezekieli, sio tarehe ambayo unabii huo ungetimizwa. Jambo moja nililogundua kuhusu tarehe hiyo ni kwamba ilifanana na uharibifu wa Yerusalemu. Hii inafanya kazi tu ingawa kama walikuwa kutumia hatua hiyo ya kuanzia kwa ajili ya kalenda zao. Jambo lingine ambalo lilinishangaza katika kifungu hiki ni kwamba Ashuru ilifanya kile ambacho Shetani alifanya kama Lucifer. Alianza "kuamini vyombo vyake vya habari" na kujikweza, hata juu ya Mungu. Sina shaka kwamba alishukuru kwa kila kitu kilichotokea. Nadhani hata aliamini kwamba alipata urembo na hadhi yake kwa mkono wake mwenyewe. Yeye hakufanya hivyo, yeye pia aliwekwa chini kwa ajili ya dhambi yake. Usianguke katika mtego huo. Ndiyo, unaweza kuwa na furaha kwa ajili ya mafanikio yako. Lakini, kumbuka, kwamba HUKUJA hapa kwa nguvu zako mwenyewe. Mungu anatuinua kila mmoja wetu. Kwa hiyo, tunapaswa kumrudishia utukufu badala ya kuutwaa kwa ajili yetu wenyewe. Baba Mungu, usiniruhusu 'kukua mrefu sana.' Nataka daima kukumbuka Nani alifanya mimi na kukupa utukufu wote. Mimi nimeumbwa kwa njia ya ajabu na ya ajabu. SIKUJIFANYA mwenyewe. Na nitaacha 'kuweka chini' kazi yako ya mikono.