God's Sovereignty Displayed in Empowering His Enemies

Once again, we see God using His enemies to accomplish His purposes in today’s Bible reading*. This time, God displays His sovereignty by empowering Babylon to rise up and defeat Egypt. He says that in Babylon’s conquest, people would come to know Him as God. (Ezekiel 30:26)

I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall. They will know that I am the LORD when I place my sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he wields it against the land of Egypt. When I disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries, they will know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 30:25–26 (CSB)

Application

Throughout the book of Ezekiel, we’ve seen a recurring phrase, “Then they will know that I am the LORD.” We’ve seen God say this regarding all of the nations that surrounded Israel and Judah, and including those two countries. It seems that it took a lot to get the attention of sinful, rebellious people. It took a lot to convince that God is God.

How much does it take to get our attention today? To what lengths does God have to go to get our attention? Perhaps, it’s financial hardships. Perhaps it’s personal relationships. Perhaps, it’s a health crisis. Do you recognize God’s voice? Do you know when He’s trying to get your attention?

We don’t call them “wake-up calls” for nothing!

But we don’t have to have wake-up calls. Perhaps God doesn’t need to bring about major calamities to get your attention because He already has it. That’s how we need to live!

* Chapters covered in today’s reading:
Ezekiel 29
Ezekiel 30
Ezekiel 31
Ezekiel 32