Although I had him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh and all his hordes will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign LORD. – Ezekiel 32:32

Today's Scripture Reading (August 15, 2023): Ezekiel 32

Sometimes it is easiest to examine some of our beliefs by looking at their reflection in some of our fictional depictions. And many of our beliefs are reflected even in fantasy and science fiction stories. For instance, Star Trek fans recognize the name Gre'thor. It is the antithesis of Sto-vo-kor. Both are depictions of the Klingon afterlife, with Gre'thor representing Hell and Sto-vo-cor mirroring our idea of heaven. Gre'thor is the place of the dishonored, those who did not live their lives according to well-held Klingon values. Souls arrive in Gre'thor on the Barge of the Dead, a ship that Kortar captains. According to Klingon lore, Kortar became more powerful than the Klingon gods who created him, and as his punishment, he is condemned to take the dishonored Klingon souls to their final place of suffering in Gre'thor. The story of Kortar compares to that of Satan, who in pride thought he was greater than God and began a rebellion against God's rule, a revolt which continues today, but one day will end with Satan's condemnation to hell. One of many differences between Kortor and Satan is that Satan is condemned to hell; he is not just a transportation officer for souls headed for hell; hell is also his destination.

We need to understand that the Hebrew Bible's conception of hell is not fully developed, but there is evidently some idea of what hell might be like by the time of Ezekiel. And so, Ezekiel imagines all of the world's powers of which he is aware at the moment of their demise. And all of them, both because of the trouble they caused Israel and their ignorance of the law, were together in a place of punishment. They had gone down into the pit and lay in a position of dishonor. The name of that place is ultimately not important. This is the Gre'thor of the dishonored and the hell of the opponents of God.

Death has always been the great equalizer. Regardless of who we are in life, we will die. Our tombstone will bear two dates, one is our birth and the other our death, and the only difference is how long the dash between the dates might be. And, of course, what it was that we were able to do with that dash. All the wealth and power we might have achieved in life disappears at the moment that we die. In death, we are equal whether we are national leaders or janitors working the night shift. And we will find ourselves with the righteous or the dishonored, depending on how we live our lives. But "here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him" (2 Timothy 2:11).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 33

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful wife, Nelda.

Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high. – Ezekiel 31:3

Today's Scripture Reading (August 14, 2023): Ezekiel 31

The United States began as a group of colonies located in the New World in the 1600s. The Mayflower landed with its 102 passengers and 30 crew in 1620. As far as I can figure out, my first New World ancestors came from the Netherlands, about 30 years after the Mayflower landed in territory that would one day become the United States. More specifically, they landed in New Amsterdam, which correlates to the current island of Manhattan, New York.

In 1775, a conflict began between Britain and what was then its 13 American colonies. The war would solidify the formation of the United States in 1776, but the American War of Independence wouldn't end until 1783. An interesting trivia question, at least to me, is that while the United States was born in the early years of the Revolutionary War on July 4, 1776, George Washington, the nation's first President, did not take his place as the leader of the country until April 30, 1789. For almost thirteen years, the United States did not have a President. And even when Washington rose to power, becoming the first President of the United States, his authority was severely limited compared to contemporary Presidents.

During the War of 1812 (1812-1815), the United States took further steps toward being a nation, even though the results of the war were inconclusive. Maybe one of the significant American war losses was when the British, or soon-to-be Canadians, burned Washington, including the White House. However, the President, James Madison, wasn't home at the time.

Questions of the essential character of the nation led the United States toward its Civil War when brother picked up arms against brother to decide the nation's direction. The Union victory and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln left its scars on the country but also fostered its growth.

By 1900, the United States economy had made the nation a power on the world stage. Their entrance (late) into both World War I and World War II enhanced the nation's reputation as a World Power. And by the close of the Second World War, the United States and Russia emerged as the world's only, or at least most recent, superpowers. I have never known a world in which the United States was not a superpower. And it is hard for me to imagine what would cause the fall of the United States. Surely we would never allow things to get to that point. Right?

It was the question that Ezekiel was suggesting for Egypt. As Ezekiel considered his African neighbor, Egypt had been a world power for literally a couple thousand years. They had built the pyramids, the Sphinx, and other phenomenal buildings, proving their abilities as engineers and builders. And it was hard to imagine that Egypt could ever suffer the failure that Ezekiel predicted. But Ezekiel reminds his readers of the collapse of the Assyrian Empire, those remembered days not long past when no one believed that Assyria could fall. Assyria had been like a massive tree that spread its branches over the world's nations. And yet the tree that was Assyria had tumbled, and Assyria had disappeared. And the same could happen to any country, even those who believed they would never fall. And that included Egypt and any other nation that rose to a position of power on the world stage.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 32

I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him like a mortally wounded man. – Ezekiel 30:24

Today's Scripture Reading (August 13, 2023): Ezekiel 30

As the Russo-Ukrainian conflict continues, I keep wondering if the time will arise when the other shoe will drop, and the Russian military will step up their attacks against the Ukrainians. The Ukrainians have done much better than anyone believed they would at the beginning of the conflict, but I struggle with the question of what happened to the vaunted Russian military. Maybe the biggest surprise of the war is that beyond their nuclear capability, which no one questions, and which still possesses the power to hold their enemies at bay, the Russian military just isn't as good as we thought it would be. Or maybe it is just that the war is personal for the Ukrainians, while the average Russian soldier can't figure out why they are in Ukraine in the first place.

But maybe one of Russia's mistakes is its apparent dependence on foreign mercenaries. It is hard for any country to be strong when they don't have the loyalty of the army. It is a question that Ukraine has never had to ask; the soldiers, even the foreign fighters, fighting for Ukraine believe in the nation's sovereignty. For some Russian fighters, it is just a job they do for a paycheck or some other reward.

Egypt had a problem. It depended on foreign mercenaries. The Pharaoh in question in this passage was Hophra or Apries, different names for the same Pharaoh, who reigned in Egypt from 589 until 570 B.C.E. Apries was essentially a builder. Militarily, he had few successes. His forces were rebuffed when he tried to help Jerusalem in their fight with Babylon. He was able to instill fear in the coastal cities, but only for a short time before he was defeated again by Nebuchadnezzar's forces. When Apries tried to help defend Libya against Greek invaders, his efforts failed, and the Greeks mauled his army. And when Apries got home, he walked into a civil war between the indigenous troops and the foreign mercenaries. The indigenous troops rallied behind Amasis II, and the indigenous forces, people fighting for their homes, won the war. Amasis II became Pharaoh, ruling over Egypt for the next forty-four years. Amasis II was the last Great Pharaoh before the Persians defeated Egypt and took over the rule of the country.

Babylon mortally wounded Apries, and the Persians defeated Amasis II. The arms of the Pharaohs had indeed been broken. And the would-be Pharaohs groaned, wondering if there was any other way that Egypt could have moved forward.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 31

Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered. – Ezekiel 29:13

Today's Scripture Reading (August 12, 2023): Ezekiel 29

Ptolemy I Soter was the Emperor of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt. I have written Emperor, but his actual title was Pharaoh. But Ptolemy wasn't an Egyptian. He was a Macedonian Greek and a contemporary and partial successor of Alexander the Greek. But as Ptolemy began to try to raise the Egyptian Empire, he styled himself as the successor of the Egyptian Pharaohs. But there were differences. For one, Ptolemy and his successors didn't speak the local Egyptian language, instead choosing to speak Greek. The only exception to this rule was the last of the Ptolemaic Pharaohs. She spoke Koine Greek, the language of the New Testament, but also used the Egyptian language during her time as the Egyptian leader. And her name you know, even if you didn't know that she was the last of the Ptolemaic Pharaohs. Her name was Cleopatra, the Egyptian leader who committed suicide after the death of her lover, Mark Antony.

One of the notable achievements of the Ptolemaic Pharaohs in Egypt was the development of Alexandria as a cultural center. The city became the Capital of Egypt, in place of Memphis, in 305 B.C.E. at the decision of Ptolemy I Soter. But it also became an important center for the Jewish Diaspora and, eventually, the Christian Church. The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, was produced in Alexandria. And some of the Christian leaders that led the church in Alexandria include Mark the Evangelist, likely John Mark, the cousin of Barnabas and one of the companions of Paul, and Athanasius, the Bishop that gave us the first list of the books of the New Testament with none of our current list of books missing and no extra books included. It was a critical moment in Christian history.

Prophecies are often tough to understand, and a number seldom means what we think it should mean. Still, this resurrection of Egypt during the Ptolemaic dynasty is often seen as the fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy of the restoration of Egypt. Egypt is the only nation Ezekiel promises would be restored other than Israel and Judah. But Egypt would never regain its splendor and be the seat of an Empire that would dominate the nations.

It is also this resurgence of Alexandria and Egypt that is prophesied by Isaiah centuries earlier.

In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them. The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance" (Isaiah 19:19-25).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 30

No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. – Ezekiel 28:24

Today's Scripture Reading (August 11, 2023): Ezekiel 28

I recently finished Kathy Reichs novel "Cold, Cold Bones," part of her Temperance Brennan series of books; Brennan is the main character from the "Bones" television series. And part of the drama in the book is a conflict that Temperance has with one of her neighbors. The conflict with the neighbor is over a garden statue that resides in Brennan's garden and bothers his son. And the conflict carries its way through the rest of the novel. (I won't say anything more, just in case you want to read the book.) But conflict with neighbors is something that might be a reality in a lot of our lives. I admit that I am lucky. I have lived in my current residence for over two decades, and most of my neighbors are also long-timers. And, at least for the most part, there has been very little drama in the neighborhood. There have been a couple of exceptions, but I love the community in which I live.

But I know it isn't always that way. Sometimes, we have unreasonable neighbors. (And no, we are never "the unreasonable neighbor.”) One of my neighbors across the street continually reminds me of the wonderful people living to my left and right. For him, his neighbors must care for their property. He wants the curb appeal of their properties to match the care he puts into his home. But, unfortunately, a series of people have moved in and out of those houses, and few have been able to live up to his expectation of property care. But he approves of how my right and left neighbors care for their properties.    

Only one pair of neighbors living close to my home have what might be called an active feud. One of the unfortunate features of my neighborhood is that the space in the back of the homes, between two rows of houses, seems to have created a bit of a sound tunnel. Hearing what others might be saying in their backyards is very easy. And one night, someone made a careless comment about a neighbor, and the feud began, a fight that becomes obvious on hot summer evenings when some have had a little too much to drink.

Ezekiel speaks of a time when Israel will no longer have neighbors that only want to plot their destruction, a time when the feuds between Israel and her neighbors will end. I can't imagine a better blessing than to have neighbors who are not painful briars in our lives, neighbors who care about us and about whom we care.

Unfortunately, as violence continues to rock the Middle East and neighbors throw accusations at each other, I am not sure that Israel has ever felt the fulfillment of this prophecy. It seems to continue to exist as an Island amid neighbors who seek its destruction. Occasionally, someone who wishes the nation well appears, but those friends have been few among Israel's neighbors. But someday, friends will be the rule instead of the exception. And we will continue to know that God is still on his throne.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 29

Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin and lead for your merchandise. – Ezekiel 27:12

Today's Scripture Reading (August 10, 2023): Ezekiel 27

In the opening of the story of Jonah, the reader is told that God called Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh. Instead, the prophet boards a ship heading for Tarshish. It doesn't matter, but I have frequently thought it was a weird place to go if you were running from God. Tarshish was located on the south coast of Spain. Maybe in Jonah's day, it was at the edge of the world, but throughout most of human history, the South of Spain has been a vacation spot for the rich and famous. And I don't see the logic of Jonah thinking that God wouldn't look for him in a popular vacation spot.

Many years ago, I had a similar reaction when some friends admitted to me that they felt they were being called into missionary work. Many places come to mind when I think of missionary work, so as the conversation progressed, I asked my friends if God had laid a region of the world on their hearts. My friends smiled and said yes, and then hesitantly confessed that they had been called to be missionaries in Hawaii. I responded, "Well, I guess someone has to go." What went unsaid was that I know a fundamentalist Baptist Church on the Island of Maui that could use missionary help, reteaching them about what God has called his people to do, but that would have been mean. But the truth is that Hawaii has already been reached, and the islands have many very successful ministries working hard to provide the Islands a Christian Witness in the American State. What they don't need is a bunch of white people from the American continent to help them. They are doing great.

Tarshish, on the Southern Coast of Spain, was a place that needed all the luxury goods that they could get their hands on to sell to the people who frequented its shores. They had an abundance of metals, which Tyre needed. There was a perfectly valid reason for trade between the two cities, enriching both of them, even if they were at opposite ends of the Mediterranean Sea, about as far away as two cities could be and still claim to be Mediterranean coastal cities.    

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 28

This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Tyre: Will not the coastlands tremble at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan and the slaughter takes place in you? – Ezekiel 26:15

Today's Scripture Reading (August 9, 2023): Ezekiel 26

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? The question is a philosophical thought experiment about the power of observation and perception. Still, I am amazed at the number of people who have undertaken to answer the question. Factmyth.com answers the question this way.

According to physics, if a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, it still makes a sound. Sound is a mechanical wave of pressure and displacement through a medium such as air or water. We don't have to perceive a sound to know the laws of physics are in play.

Of course, that is true. But if our definition of sound includes a receiver of the sound, then there could be no sound if no one is there to hear it or receive it. The same would be true in a world where everyone is deaf. In such a world, there could be no sound, or sound would be inconsequential because no one was present to receive the sound. In the same way, sounds at a frequency that is above or below the portion of the frequency range that the human ear can hear technically doesn't exist because we can't perceive them, despite the effect these sounds might have on our immediate environment (such as driving the neighborhood dogs crazy.) These sounds do not impact us; therefore, most don't know or care if they are present.

Ridiculous? Yes, but most philosophical arguments seem that way, especially when stretched to an ultimate conclusion. In University, I once wrote a philosophy paper on the subject "How do I know that I am awake?" And after writing the paper, I wasn't sure I wanted to be awake. Maybe my paper was proof of my status because no dreamer would spend the required time trying to write such a paper.

Jerusalem has fallen to the Babylonians. But it would not be the only city to fall to the Babylonians. About the same year that the Siege of Jerusalem ended with the destruction of the Judean capital, the Siege of Tyre began. The Siege of Tyre lasted thirteen years and ultimately failed, but Tyre agreed to pay tribute to the Babylonians anyway. As a direct result of the siege, the economy of Tyre was almost completely destroyed. Instability is never the friend of business, and thirteen years of instability destroyed the commercial dreams of the coastal city. And this journey of the city from a prosperous place of commerce to a city struggling to survive was a crash loud enough to make the Mediterranean coastland tremble. And those living in the area heard the end come to Tyre.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 27