QT 25/09/2024 Wed. Ezekiel 29. Centre of the Universe? 宇宙的中心？

QT 25/09/2024 Wed. Ezekiel 29. Centre of the Universe?
https://www.esv.org/Eze+29/

MEDITATION: Economic prowess led to pride (Ezek 28). So did military powers of ancient Egypt (Ezek 29). Ezekiel's message kept on harping at the sin of pride, because it was a fundamental sin that led to many other sins, even today.

The LORD was the creator of the heavens and the earth, including the Nile River of Egyptian. When Pharaoh king of Egypt declared that "My Nile is my own; I made it for myself" (Ezek 29:3,9), he manifested his own pride by making himself the creator and the purpose for which the earth (and the Nile) existed.

REFLECTION: Do we frequently position ourselves as if we were at the centre of the Universe, where the stars, sun, organisations and system revolve around us to do our bidding? Or is the LORD the centre by which we do our planning, e.g. timetabling and budget?

Both the Pharaoh of Egypt and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, served the LORD's purpose and not vice versa.

APPLICATION: Frequently, even the things that happen in our lives today, remind us to subdue our pride and to submit it to the LORD, "Then they will know that I am the LORD". If this applied to the the great kings of the Ancient Near East, why not let the LORD be the king of our lives, even today?

星期三 2024年9月25日 今日读经：以西结书29章。宇宙的中心？
http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/eze/29/

默想：经济实力导致骄傲(结28)。同样的，古代埃及的军事力量也导致她骄傲(结29)。以西结的信息一直重提骄傲的罪，因为正是这最根本的罪导致了其它的罪，直到今天都是这样。

耶和华是天与地的创造者，包括埃及的尼罗河。当埃及王法老宣告“这河是我的，是我自己造的”(结29:3,9)，他自称是尼罗河的创造者，也是其世界为他存在的目的(包括尼罗河)，体现了他的骄傲。

反思：我们是否常常把自己摆在宇宙的中心，让星星、太阳和统管宇宙的各系都围绕着自己听我们的使唤？或是把神摆在中心，由祂来带领我们安排我们的计划，如时间的安排和财务的预算？

埃及的法老和巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒是为服务耶和华的旨意而存在，而不是相反的。

应用：很多时候，许多事情发生在我们的身上是为了要提醒我们要收敛自己的骄傲并臣服在耶和华的掌权之下，“他们就知道我是耶和华”。如果这个能够用在古代近东的大王身上，那么今天何不让耶和华成为我们生命的王。