‘Whom are you like in your greatness?
‘Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon
With beautiful branches and forest shade,
And very high,
And its top was among the clouds.
Ezekiel 31:3
God gave a warning to Ezekiel for the nation of Egypt, a history lesson and a parable of sorts. Egypt was powerful and magnificent, secure in its pride, but God said Assyria used to be that way too. God compares these nations to lush, gigantic trees flourishing and even taking nourishment from other trees. I included this picture of a tree that looks pretty lush and stands taller than the others around it, like both Assyria and Egypt did in their times. But if you look closely, you’ll see some birds in the branches. The passage in Ezekiel talks about birds nesting in the tree, but these aren’t just any birds … As far as I can tell these are vultures.
Farther along, in Ezekiel 32, we read this:
“These Pharaoh will see, and he will be comforted for all his hordes slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his army,” declares the Lord God. “Though I instilled a terror of him in the land of the living, yet he will be made to lie down among the uncircumcised along with those slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his hordes,” declares the Lord God.
Not sure why Pharaoh would be comforted by this, but the lesson is clear. If you get proud, and get greedy, you get to lie down among the dead. I see America as having become proud and greedy. I think the vultures are already nesting in our trees. I don’t want to see us end up like Assyria and Egypt.
FINDLEY FAMILY VIDEO 
My mother used to have a saying: No bird flies so high it doesn’t have to come down to the ground. She was right. God calls us to be humble.
So true, Onisha!
This excellent stuff Mary. I’m so glad I know someone is posting fresh thought to the old truths of pride, arrogance and the fact that we only need to turn to the scriptures to understand what is a happening in the world to come. If you recall when Jerry Falwell implied, only implied that the twin towers falling could be a harbinger for us, he was roundly criticised by politicians and clergy. Yet the book Harbinger is a best seller. Together we can change the world one spirit-filled word at a time.
Thank you, Stan! Feel free to root around in the blog. Hubby posts lots of great stuff, too!