Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD. "'Because you said, "The Nile is mine; I made it," – Ezekiel 29:9

Today's Scripture Reading (July 1, 2020): Ezekiel 29

Herodotus wrote that "Egypt was the gift of the Nile." The river annually overflows its banks, depositing new layers of silt throughout the Nile Valley, and in the process, it makes the valley bloom. As a result, the valley produces enough crops to support the Egyptian civilization. The Egyptians believed that the goddess Hapi, in combination with the reigning Pharaoh, controlled the annual flooding season, keeping Egypt well-fed and prosperous. Egypt's existence, in ancient times, was made possible to this recurring process. The Nile river existed, and therefore, so did Egypt.

While Egypt was the gift of the Nile, the reverse is also true. The Nile was a gift to Egypt. One could argue that Egypt would exist without the Nile, but it wouldn't be as powerful, nor as productive. Everything in Egypt, the life, and prosperity of the country depended on the rhythm of the Nile. And when those rhythms stopped, very little was possible.

Ezekiel levels this charge at Egypt. You think that you are invincible because you have the Nile River. In fact, you somehow have come to believe that it was you who created the annual rhythms of the river that has allowed your civilization to flourish. You think that because your king, in consultation with the goddess Hapi, brings the yearly floods that fertilize the land and make them ready for planting, that you do not need for anyone else. What use is Yahweh to you; you declare that your needs begin and end with the Nile River that flows in your midst. But the truth is that not only did you not create the river, but you also don't even know where it begins. All that you are aware of is that the river ends where you are, annually overflowing its banks and bringing life to your shores.

But the day will come when that process will stop, even just for a short time. Your Pharaoh will not be able to call forth the waters from the river. The land will dry up and become desolate. And then, and only then, will you look for the real author of the river. On that day, it will not be Hapi that you find at the end of your search. At that moment, you will begin to realize that Egypt might be a gift of the Nile, but the true giver of the gift is the God of Israel. He is the one who allows the great river to overflow its banks annually, and he is the one that you will fall and worship.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 30

Happy Canada Day! God keep our land, glorious and free.