Today's Scripture Reading (September 25, 2026): Ezekiel 27
The Armenians trace the beginnings of their
nation to a very specific date in history: August 11, 2492 B.C.E. The day marks
King Haik's defeat of King Bel of Babylon, establishing a home for his people.
That home surrounded the mountains of Ararat. And it is there that the kingdom
has remained. Not surprisingly, the ancient beginnings are shrouded in mystery.
But we are beginning to understand that ancient Armenians may have been a
highly advanced civilization. For instance, the earliest known leather shoe and
wine-producing facility have been found there. But the significance of the
ancient Armenians for the biblical story is that King Haik was the son of
Togarmah. Ezekiel's "Men of Beth Togarmah" means the "Men of the
House of Togarmah," and the "House of Togarmah" is still a name
Armenia uses today.
As Ezekiel continues his description of Tyre's destruction,
he lists several nations that had contact with Tyre. Among the listed nations
are the "Men of Beth Togarmah." Beth Togarmah not only represented an
ancient civilization, but it was also the northernmost civilization about which
Ezekiel possessed knowledge. Beth Togarmah existed on the fringe of the Earth,
or the ends of the Earth, at least as far as Ezekiel knew. The things that Tyre
had imported from Beth Togarmah at the ends of the Earth were chariots and
horses, symbols of military strength, which Tyre had imported from the farthest
reaches of the Earth. Ezekiel's message
seems to be that even with help from the ends of the Earth, Tyre was still
going to fall. No military strength could fight what God had decreed, even one
from the exotic ends of the Earth.
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 28
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