Ezekiel 38:14-23: a reflection

14“Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and tell Gog, ‘The Lord GOD says: “In that day when my people Israel dwells securely, will you not know it? 15You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you, and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16You will come up against my people Israel as a cloud to cover the land. It will happen in the latter days that I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me when I am sanctified in you, Gog, before their eyes.” 17“‘The Lord GOD says: “Are you he of whom I spoke in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for years that I would bring you against them? 18It will happen in that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that my wrath will come up into my nostrils. 19For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath I have spoken. Surely in that day there will be a great shaking in the land of Israel, 20so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, all creeping things who creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the surface of the earth will shake at my presence. Then the mountains will be thrown down, the steep places will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground. 21I will call for a sword against him to all my mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22I will enter into judgment with him with pestilence and with blood. I will rain on him, on his hordes, and on the many peoples who are with him, torrential rains with great hailstones, fire, and sulfur. 23I will magnify myself and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”’

In this vision of a great enemy rising against God's people, God assures that no army raised against them can finally prevail, for he himself will act to protect and vindicate them, making himself known. In that day when my people Israel dwells securely, God says, though a great company and mighty army come up against them, I will act; I will magnify myself and sanctify myself, and make myself known in the eyes of many nations, and they will know that I am the LORD. A vast force is pictured rising against God's people, who dwell securely; but the outcome does not rest on the strength of the enemy or the weakness of God's people. God himself acts to protect and vindicate them, and to make himself known. No army raised against God's people can finally prevail against the God who defends them. This shows that God protects and vindicates his people; no force raised against them can finally prevail. God himself protects and vindicates his people. No army raised against God's people can finally prevail. God acts to defend his own and make himself known. Your security rests not on the enemy's weakness, but on God who defends you.

Notice where the outcome rests in this vision. A vast and formidable enemy is pictured rising against God's people: a great company, a mighty army, coming up like a cloud to cover the land. By the look of it, God's people, dwelling securely, seem exposed to overwhelming force. But the vision makes clear that the outcome does not rest on the strength of the enemy or the weakness of God's people; it rests on God, who himself acts. God declares that he will act against this enemy, will magnify and sanctify himself, and will make himself known, so that the nations will know he is the LORD. The enemy raised against his people cannot finally prevail, because God himself defends them and acts to vindicate them. This holds assurance for God's people. There are forces that rise against God's people, that seem formidable, overwhelming, more than we could withstand. But our security does not rest on our own strength against them, nor is it overthrown by their strength; it rests on God, who protects and vindicates his people, and against whom no force finally prevails. God acts to defend his own; and what rises against his people ultimately serves only to make his greatness known. We do well to rest our security not on the weakness of what opposes God's people, but on God himself, who protects and vindicates his own, and against whom no army can finally prevail. Rest your security on God, who protects and vindicates his people. No force raised against God's people can finally prevail against him. God himself acts to defend his own and make his greatness known. What rises against God's people cannot overthrow the God who defends them.

That is worth resting in, for God himself protects and vindicates his people, and no force raised against them can finally prevail, as God declared he would act against the great enemy. Formidable forces can rise against God's people, seeming overwhelming; but the outcome rests on God, who acts to defend his own and make himself known, against whom no army finally prevails. God defends you. When formidable forces rise against God's people, do not rest your security on their weakness or fear their strength; rest it on God, who protects and vindicates his own. Rest your security on God, who himself protects and vindicates his people, against whom no force raised against them can finally prevail, as in this vision of a great enemy rising against God's people God assured that no army raised against them could finally prevail, for he himself would act to protect and vindicate them and make himself known, saying that though a great and mighty army came up against his people who dwelt securely, he would act, magnify and sanctify himself, and make himself known in the eyes of many nations so that they would know he is the LORD; for a vast force is pictured rising against God's people, but the outcome does not rest on the strength of the enemy or the weakness of God's people but on God himself who acts to protect and vindicate them, so that no army raised against his people can finally prevail against the God who defends them, which holds assurance for God's people, since there are forces that rise against them that seem formidable and overwhelming, but our security does not rest on our own strength against them nor is it overthrown by their strength but rests on God who protects and vindicates his people and against whom no force finally prevails, God acting to defend his own so that what rises against his people ultimately serves only to make his greatness known, and we do well to rest our security not on the weakness of what opposes God's people but on God himself.

Lord, in this vision of a great enemy rising against your people, you assure that no army raised against them can finally prevail, for you yourself will act to protect and vindicate them, making yourself known. In that day when my people Israel dwells securely, you say, though a great company and mighty army come up against them, I will act; I will magnify myself and sanctify myself, and make myself known in the eyes of many nations, and they will know that I am the LORD. A vast force is pictured rising against your people, who dwell securely; but the outcome does not rest on the strength of the enemy or the weakness of your people. You yourself act to protect and vindicate them, and to make yourself known. No army raised against your people can finally prevail against you who defend them. Show me where the outcome rests in this vision. A vast and formidable enemy is pictured rising against your people: a great company, coming up like a cloud to cover the land. By the look of it, your people, dwelling securely, seem exposed to overwhelming force. But the vision makes clear that the outcome does not rest on the strength of the enemy or the weakness of your people; it rests on you, who yourself act. You declare that you will act against this enemy, will magnify and sanctify yourself, and will make yourself known, so that the nations will know you are the LORD. The enemy raised against your people cannot finally prevail, because you yourself defend them. This holds assurance for me. There are forces that rise against your people, that seem formidable, overwhelming, more than we could withstand. But my security does not rest on my own strength against them, nor is it overthrown by their strength; it rests on you, who protect and vindicate your people, and against whom no force finally prevails. Take that to my heart. When formidable forces rise against your people, keep me from resting my security on their weakness or fearing their strength; help me rest it on you, Lord, who protect and vindicate your own, against whom no army can finally prevail, and who act to make your greatness known.