“ Hooking the Sea Monster”


BIBLE READING: Ezekiel 28-31
DISCUSSION                                      
                Ezekiel 29-32 contains 7 messages that God has given to Ezekiel to deliver to the Jewish exiles and the Egyptians.  Strangely enough, even after the harsh treatment that the Egyptians inflicted on the Israelites while they were slaves in Exodus, the Israelites have always looked to Egypt for help when they needed it.  Warren W. Wiersbe, in his commentary of Ezekiel, states that “the longer the Jews were away from Egypt, the more they idealized their experiences and forgot about the slavery and toil” (Wiersbe, 157).  God had already warned them not to trust in the Egyptians for help through the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 30.1-2; 31.1) and he continues with the warning through Ezekiel.  Within these four chapters God is using metaphors to describe how HE will deal with the Egyptians.  Specially in Ezekiel 29.1-16, God is revealing what will happen to Hophra, the Egyptian Pharaoh.  Hophra is compared to a giant crocodile (sea monster) that is roaming around the Nile River like he owns it.  God then places hooks in the mouth of this creature and drags him onto the surface to die and allow the wild beast of the field and the birds to devour him.  The reason for this punishment of Hophra, is due to his prideful heart.  Hophra had not only claimed to own the Nile River, but to have been the god that created it.  As we know, God created the Nile, so this pride did not set well with God; He was going to punish him to show the Egyptians and the Jewish exiles just how powerless he was compared to God.  Pride is a sin that most of us struggle with in some capacity.  We must continue to be reminded that we are the creature and He is the creator.  Sure, we may not face the same punishment of Hophra; ours will be worse (Hebrews 10.26-31).
Prayer Requests:___________________________________________________________________________________

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