Ezekiel 32:22-27: a reflection

22“Asshur is there with all her company. Her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword, 23whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the pit, and her company is around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who caused terror in the land of the living. 24“There is Elam and all her multitude around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised into the lower parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living, and have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit. 25They have made Elam a bed among the slain with all her multitude. Her graves are around her, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for their terror was caused in the land of the living, and they have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit. He is put among those who are slain. 26“There is Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitude. Their graves are around them, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they caused their terror in the land of the living. 27They will not lie with the mighty who are fallen of the uncircumcised, who have gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war and have laid their swords under their heads. Their iniquities are on their bones; for they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.

In a solemn lament over fallen nations, God shows even those who once caused terror in the land of the living brought low in death, lying among the slain, a reminder that earthly power and terror end at the grave. There is Asshur, the lament says, and Elam, and Meshech and Tubal, all of them slain, who caused their terror in the land of the living, now lying in the grave. These had been nations that struck terror, whose power made others tremble in the land of the living. Yet the lament shows them all brought down to the same place: the grave, lying among the slain, their terror ended. However great and fearsome they had been, they came to the grave like all others; death leveled them with the rest. This shows that earthly power and terror end at the grave. Earthly power and terror do not exempt anyone from the grave. The great and fearsome come to the same end as all. Do not fear or envy earthly power, which ends at the grave. Live for what outlasts death, not for what ends at the grave.

Notice what this lament reveals about even the greatest and most fearsome. It names nations that had once caused terror in the land of the living, whose strength made others tremble, who seemed great and fearsome and beyond challenge. And it shows them all in the same place: the grave, lying among the slain, their power and terror ended. However great, fearsome, and dominant they had been in life, death brought them low, leveling them with the rest of the dead. Their earthly power did not exempt them from the grave; their terror did not save them from death. This holds a sobering but freeing truth. The powers of the world that seem great and fearsome, whether nations, forces, or people, that dominate and strike fear, that seem beyond challenge, do not escape death. However great their power in life, they come, like all, to the grave; earthly power and terror end at the grave, leveled with everyone else. This frees us from two things: from fearing the great and fearsome powers of the world as though they were permanent and beyond reach, for they too will come to the grave; and from envying such power, for it ends where all earthly things end. And it turns us toward what matters: not earthly power and terror, which end at the grave, but what outlasts death. We do well not to fear or envy earthly power and terror, which end at the grave, but to live for what outlasts death. Do not fear or envy earthly power and terror, which end at the grave like all else. The great and fearsome come to the same end as everyone. Live for what outlasts death, not for what ends at the grave. Earthly power does not exempt anyone from the leveling of death.

That is worth taking to heart, for earthly power and terror end at the grave, and we do well not to fear or envy them but to live for what outlasts death, as the lament shows the fearsome nations brought low. We can fear or envy the great and fearsome powers of the world; but the lament shows even those who caused terror brought down to the grave. Power ends. Do not fear or envy earthly power and terror, which end at the grave like all else; live for what outlasts death. Do not fear or envy earthly power and terror, which end at the grave and do not exempt anyone from death, but live for what outlasts the grave, as in a solemn lament over fallen nations God showed even those who once caused terror in the land of the living brought low in death, lying among the slain, a reminder that earthly power and terror end at the grave, naming Asshur, Elam, Meshech, and Tubal, all slain, who had caused their terror in the land of the living and now lay in the grave; for these had been nations that struck terror and whose power made others tremble, yet the lament shows them all brought down to the same place, the grave, their terror ended, so that however great and fearsome they had been they came to the grave like all others and death leveled them with the rest, which holds a sobering but freeing truth, that the powers of the world that seem great and fearsome, whether nations, forces, or people that dominate and strike fear and seem beyond challenge, do not escape death but come like all to the grave, earthly power and terror ending there and leveled with everyone else, which frees us from fearing the great and fearsome powers of the world as though permanent and beyond reach, for they too will come to the grave, and from envying such power, for it ends where all earthly things end, and turns us toward what matters, not earthly power and terror which end at the grave but what outlasts death, so that we do well not to fear or envy earthly power but to live for what outlasts death.

Lord, in a solemn lament over fallen nations, you show even those who once caused terror in the land of the living brought low in death, lying among the slain, a reminder that earthly power and terror end at the grave. There is Asshur, the lament says, and Elam, and Meshech and Tubal, all of them slain, who caused their terror in the land of the living, now lying in the grave. These had been nations that struck terror, whose power made others tremble in the land of the living. Yet the lament shows them all brought down to the same place: the grave, lying among the slain, their terror ended. However great and fearsome they had been, they came to the grave like all others; death leveled them with the rest. Show me what this lament reveals about even the greatest and most fearsome. It names nations that had once caused terror, whose strength made others tremble, who seemed great and beyond challenge. And it shows them all in the same place: the grave, their power and terror ended. However great and dominant they had been in life, death brought them low, leveling them with the rest of the dead. Their earthly power did not exempt them from the grave; their terror did not save them from death. This holds a sobering but freeing truth. The powers of the world that seem great and fearsome, that dominate and strike fear, that seem beyond challenge, do not escape death. However great their power in life, they come, like all, to the grave. This frees me from two things: from fearing the great and fearsome powers of the world as though they were permanent and beyond reach, for they too will come to the grave; and from envying such power, for it ends where all earthly things end. And it turns me toward what matters: not earthly power and terror, which end at the grave, but what outlasts death. Take that to my heart. Keep me from fearing or envying the great and fearsome powers of the world, which end at the grave like all else; help me live, Lord, for what outlasts death, not for what ends at the grave, remembering that earthly power does not exempt anyone from the leveling of death.