“I will destroy the idols "

 

Ezekiel 30:13-19

 

January 13, 2024

 

“Thus says the Lord God: “I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis; there shall no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt; so, I will put fear in the land of Egypt. I will make    Pathros a desolation and will set fire to Zoan and will execute judgments on Thebes.  And I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and cut off the multitude of Thebes.  And I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium shall be in great agony; Thebes shall be breached, and Memphis shall face enemies by day. The young men of On and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword, and the women shall go into captivity.  At Tehaphnehes the day shall be dark, when I break there the yoke bars of Egypt, and her proud might shall come to an end in her; she shall be covered by a cloud, and her daughters shall go into captivity. Thus, I will execute judgments on Egypt.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

 

As one studies Scripture, it is wise to look up words, such as Memphis, so that is what I have done.  “Memphis was an idolatrous city, the site of many heathen temples and practices. Because of the many evils committed by Memphis, God cursed it, bringing Divine judgment on the city and its people. It was destroyed and eventually abandoned.”

 

When it comes to these cities in Egypt, we also see God’s judgment, Pathros, Zoan, and Thebes.  “Pelusium, the city at the easternmost mouth of the Nile (modern Tell el-Farama) which formed the natural entry to Egypt from the north-east, on the route upriver to *Memphis. It was near this strategic entry-point that *Cambyses defeated the Egyptians in 525 BC.” 

 

What does it take to make a people listen to God, and to acknowledge Him as God?  What about a nation like the great nation of Egypt, which was brought low by her idol worship?  And you who go by the name of Christian, who are your idols?  And you are quick to say we have no idols imagines we worship, but God has spoken on what an idol, is anything you put before Him.  

Does your nation, those you love have to have God say, “Now they will know that I am God”?  My mind always goes back to Jonah's hate for the sinful people of Nineveh and not wanting to share God's message with them, in fear they would repent, and they did when they heard it.

If you are a follower of Christ, you have been called to be His ambassador to your nation, tell them about God’s love for them, and call them to repent.  I believe we are in the last days, and that put me in good fellowship with Paul, Peter, and John, and the disciples of Jesus.

The question, for each of us, is what will we do with Jesus?  He came to give your life in the full, and those idols only come to bring you pride, arrogance, and fear, they cannot give you hope, real joy, or peace, but Jesus can.  Maybe you need to encounter Jesus for the first time by faith in His written word, Romans 10:9-10, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved.”

I encountered Jesus in a hotel room in Victoria, Texas, 55 years ago, it took a week before my mouth confessed, what God had done for me.  My wife said you are different, what happened to you, and I shared what God had done for me.  I had lived for 27 years getting my needs met outside of Christ, and it has taken a long time to learn how to be His follower.  Your flesh what to be in charge, but you must learn how to allow the Spirit of Christ that lives in you to be.  He is the Master, and you and I who are in Christ, and He in us are the servants, is it not time to serve Him, and receive His blessing?  Speak out to those you come in contact with about how God has brought you peace, and life in the full.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice