Ezekiel 31:2 Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?
No One is Ever Static
Look at a picture of yourself from five years ago. Do you like the picture? How is it different from how you are today? Now, imagine you are looking at a picture of yourself five years from now. The point is that no one is ever static. You may be at a point where you think, “Nothing is changing. Things are moving so slowly.” The truth is, you are growing every day. No one is ever static until they are dead.
You know the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Well, neither was Egypt or Assyria. Pharaoh and his kingdom were growing, and the question God had was, “How are you growing, Pharaoh?” God tells His prophet to ask Pharaoh, “Whom art thou like in thy greatness?” Then God answers the question in verse 3, “Behold the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon.”
He goes on to talk about how these men and their kingdoms had grown just like a mighty cedar of Lebanon, the largest tree that anyone knew about at that time. He says, “Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs are multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.”
God said, “As his strength grew, so did his pride. I made him fair, but he made himself proud. So I cut him off.” Then God gives the purpose of this story, “That none of the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height.”
In what ways are you growing? Are you growing proud? Are you growing weary? Are you growing bitter? Are you growing discouraged? Are you growing strong? No one is ever static; so how are you growing?
The actions we take, even the small ones, and especially those that are habitual, are leading us somewhere. Look at history. God said to Pharaoh, “Look at Assyria.” Think about those who have come before. There are certain actions that lead to inevitable ends. As small as they may be, actions, attitudes, and decisions lead somewhere. So look at history.
Also, consider mortality. Verse 14 says, “To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height.” Why? It is because God said that they are all delivered to death. Everyone who has ever been born eventually died, so we have this slice of time in which to make decisions, take action, and grow in the direction that we should be growing.
What are you cultivating? Are you feeding bitterness and pride? Are you growing weary? No one is ever static, and all of us should be deliberate about the direction in which we are growing today. God is the One Who gives us life, choices, and the grace we need to make the right choices.