By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher
Text: Ezekiel
30:20-26
Ezekiel
30:25
Thus
I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh
shall fall down; they shall know that I am the Lord,
when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it
out against the land of Egypt.
(NKJV)
We live in the age of the
mega-church or churches with massive congregations. While these churches may
have had a great harvest of souls, the truth is many of these churches, and I
use the term loosely, grew on a message designed to make congregants feel good
and not challenged to draw closer to God. In many of these churches, God fills
the role of Santa Claus, giving people whatever they want by saying it, claiming
it and contributing to the Church. Our sinful world needs more churches that
declare the truth of God’s word with lives transformed. Biblical Church growth
is not growth in numbers but growth in transformed lives transformed by the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ezekiel receives another
word from the Lord, this time directed at Pharaoh the king of Egypt (Ezekiel
30:20). The word to Pharaoh is that the Lord has broken his arm and not
bandaged it or put it in a sling so Pharaoh is not strong enough to hold a
sword (Ezekiel
30:21). The Lord lets Pharaoh know He is against him by breaking both his
arms so the sword falls out of his hand (Ezekiel
30:22). This loss of the sword for defense means the Egyptians will be
scattered among the nations and dispersed throughout the countries (Ezekiel
30:23). This prophecy foretells the fall of Pharaoh.
The Lord then foretells
the rising of another kingdom. While the arms of Pharaoh are broken and unable
to handle a sword, the arms of the king of Babylon are strengthened and with
the sword of the Lord in his hand causes Pharaoh to groan before the king like
a mortally wounded man (Ezekiel
30:24). The stretching out of the sword of the Lord by the king of Babylon
to Pharaoh will cause the Egyptians to know the Lord is God (Ezekiel
30:25). The Lord will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse
them throughout the countries where they will come to know the Lord is God (Ezekiel
30:26).
Once again, we see God
speaking to Egypt about the coming conquest by Babylon, but with Israel
contemplating fleeing to Egypt for protection, this prophecy also warns Israel
not to put their trust in Egypt. The prophet Isaiah also warned Israel not to
turn to Egypt for help (Isaiah
31:1). The prophet Jeremiah prophesied safety and peace for Israel in
Babylon (Jeremiah
29:4-14). The irony here is that the people looking for safety in Egypt are
seeking to escape Babylonian captivity, only to escape to a place the
Babylonians will destroy. The purpose of exile for Israel was to bring them to
repentance and trust in God and not the might and riches of the world.
Believers in Jesus as
Savior want to see the Church grow in numbers for it can indicate a harvest of
souls. However, Church leaders must resist the temptation to achieve numerical
growth through the compromising of truth and stick to the mission of spreading
the Gospel and making disciples (Acts
1:8; Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). Pastors are shepherds of a flock of
individuals they are to lead and teach according to the principles of the word
of God.
The Apostle Paul warned Timothy of a time when people would
have itching ears that are not interested in truth but in what helps them fulfill
their own desires (2
Timothy 4:3). The Church in Laodicea became lukewarm because it was
full of pride in its riches and wealth, believing it needed nothing when we all
need a Savior for we have all sinned (Revelation
3:14-22; Romans 3:23). Is this any different than the wealth and
prosperity gospel taught in many churches today? Those preaching this message
amas large congregations with an appearance of success but the teaching uplifts
self more than Christ. I pray that pastors and leaders of the Church would
repent of such false doctrine and return to the mission of the Church given to
it by Christ (Acts
1:8; Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). The harvest of souls is indeed
plentiful but the laborers are few (Matthew
9:37).
If you are reading this
and have not prayed for the forgiveness of your sins making Jesus the Lord of
your life, or have drifted away from your relationship with Christ, I invite
you to pray with me now,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23)
and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse
me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe
you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now
declare you Lord of my life.
May God challenge,
convict, and bless everyone reading this post.