Ezekiel 17

Ezekiel 17:15 ESV

But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and a large army. Will he thrive? Can one escape who does such things? Can he break the covenant and yet escape?

God uses a parable in this chapter to express his disappointment with Israel. The point of the parable is that in his judgment against his people he was also using the Babylonians to preserve his people. Rather than recognizing the judgment as coming from God, they looked to Egypt to bail them out. God's assessment is that Egypt will not help them at all, but that God will ultimately preserve and restore Israel at some point in the future.

It makes me wonder how often I have sought to avoid God's discipline in my life only to dig a deeper hole for myself. How often do we look to the world for solutions to events God has orchestrated in our lives to get our attention and direct us back to him? Israel had clearly been told that judgment was coming through Babylon. They had been told not to resist, and not to look to Egypt for help. They preferred false prophecies and false hope over truth.

Father forgive me for the times I have chosen false hope over truth. Today may I listen carefully, follow closely and not look to the world for that which only you can offer.

By His grace,
Rick Weinert