David Bahn – Reflections

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Today’s readings: Ezekiel 28-30, Psalm 87.

Ezekiel 30:20-26

In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: ²¹ “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, it has not been bound up, to heal it by binding it with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword. ²² Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong arm and the one that was broken, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. ²³ I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries. ²⁴ And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him like a man mortally wounded. ²⁵ I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. Then 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. ²⁶ And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

These chapters weigh heavily on me. Chapter after chapter confronts Tyre and Egypt, and then, in 30:5, “Cush, and Put, and Lud, and all Arabia, and Libya, and the people of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.” No one will escape the judgment of God.

Part of the difficulty is that these nations and peoples are so far removed from us and our current world situation. Substitute Iran, Russia, North Korea, or China, and we might better understand how Israel heard these words. We might even cheer if one of our enemies got its comeuppance.

But there is a fly in that ointment. The United States is not God’s chosen nation in the way Israel was, nor are we God’s people living in exile in a foreign land. Sorry if you think otherwise. But even if we were God’s chosen nation in the same way Israel was, there would be plenty for us to fear. Too many people in our nation have abandoned faith in God and rejected his ways. Immorality, godless behaviors, and unbelief are everywhere. Just as God spoke words of judgment against Israel, we would have no reason to imagine ourselves exempt from his judgment.

So there is no direct correlation between Israel and the United States, or between Egypt, Babylon, and Tyre and North Korea, China, and Iran. But perhaps the comparison helps us understand something of how the people of Israel felt as they heard Ezekiel prophesy against the nations around them.

Yet there is a sadness in any harsh judgment, however it is meted out and upon whomever it falls. And well there should be. Judgment is the just response to sin, and sin has grave consequences. People are hurt. Faith is weakened. Hearts are broken. Lives are ruined. And even when God uses one nation to bring judgment upon another, those who wield the sword are not themselves immune from judgment.

The bright spot in all this is that God’s judgment is not his final word. His ultimate purpose is to heal what sin has broken and restore his creation. Sin has consequences. Sometimes they are grave and tragic. But the gravest and most tragic consequence of sin fell upon Jesus, when God laid on him the iniquity of us all. There, at the cross, the judgment our sin deserved fell upon the Son of God for us.

We long for the day when the full fruit of Jesus’ redemption will be enjoyed and the great enemies of sin and death will finally be put to an end. In the meantime, we live in a world crippled by sin and plagued by iniquity. Oh, for the Day of our redemption, when judgment gives way at last to the life of the world to come.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.