9th April 2025

9th April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ezekiel 31:1-18)


Message (Alan Burke)


History is a subject that we ignore at our peril. I had a teacher, Mr Wilkinson who gave me a love for history and he would often quote from George Santayana, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." The quote is in my mind spot on. When we look back we see that nothing stays the same, nations rise and fall, companies like Kodak that were once a household name disappear, the strong become weak and we ourselves as the Lord puts it; As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more (Ps 103:15–16). In today’s prophecy that we are focusing on the Lord uses the example of the Assyrian Empire to make a point to his people that he is indeed sovereignly in control. 


Two months have now passed since the last prophecy about Egypt and the Lord asks who can be compared with Egypt in majesty, though it moves to consider the king of Assyria who is compared to a cedar of Lebanon. What this prophecy does is that it recounts the fall of Assyria. While Assyria was located in the northern region of modern day Iraq and spread over much of the ancient near east which included Lebanon, Israel and Judah were all parts of the Assyrian empire. The  cedars of Lebanon would have been well known to the people of God, they were used in the building of the temple and they were renowned for their height. The cedars of Lebanon grew taller than any other tree, the imagery that is used here how one tree towered higher than all the tries of the field. 


What it is doing is speaking of the Assyrian empire in parabolic language. Speaking of it’s strength (v5), how it spread how it its reached across the ancient near east. The birds of the air nested in its boughs is figuratively speaking of the nations that were reliant on it for their own existence. Assyria was a nation that none could compare with or rival it (7-8).  In this the Lord is making it clear that it was he who had given Assyria her elevated position. So much so that the Assyrian empire was the envy of all the trees of Eden, in the garden of God is speaking of how in all the created order there was none like Assyria. While Egypt were a world power there was no comparison to the strength of Assyria in its time.  


The Lord though brought down to the grave Assyria, they were consigned to the pit. The Lord brought the nations against it and aided them in cutting it down. Assyria was dealt with in accordance with their wickedness. As a result the nations trembled at what had happened to Assyria for it was such that to all who looked upon it, it was too strong, too powerful, too mighty to fall but nothing can withstand the Lord’s judgment and when it fell the nations were left in fear because of what happened. 


I wonder how the Assyrian Empire are reacting to Trump’s Tariffs? Oh wait they are not because they are reconciled to the pages of history by none other than the Lord himself. We need to be aware that the Lord is sovereign over all and that includes our very life. All we have comes from the Lord, let us be humble, and thankful to the Lord our God for all that he has give us. He had reconciled Assyria to the grave and Egypt would join them. This is what we all deserve, to join them there in Hell, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ (Rom 6:23). It is him that we must look to as our hope and help. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q53 Which is the third commandment?
A.The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
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