Sidon, be warned

The Lord God is finished dealing with Tyre, today it's Sidon's turn to be warned.

Destruction is headed her way so that they will know that GOD is the Lord God.

“Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,

I have to admit, I find this line interesting.    God is against Sidon BUT his plan is to manifest his glory in their midst.  

 
    and I will manifest my glory in your midst.

 So that they will know that HE is the Lord.

 
And they shall know that I am the Lord

This way when judgement comes there will be no excuse. They will simply know that it is from the Lord God himself.

 
    when I execute judgments in her
    and manifest my holiness in her;
²³ for I will send pestilence into her,
    and blood into her streets;
and the slain shall fall in her midst,
    by the sword that is against her on every side.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.

 The end result... For the House of Israel there will be left no thorns in the side, no nation that will treat her with contempt.

²⁴ “And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.

I read those words and I feel amazed. It's more that I am partly stunned.  These nations did wrong in the eyes of the Lord.   Setting themselves up as the best, the brightest, worshipping themselves, false Gods, money and the like.

But they also did something else.

They picked on Israel.  A bunch of little bully nations picking on the kid.

God wants that stopped.

So he disciplines the nations around Israel for their various faults.

But he also tells his people... see.. all that bullying will stop.    No thorns in your side will be left untouched.

This is what God does for his people.   He minds them, he watches over them, he sees what others do to his people, and though he doesn't always take immediate action HE WILL.   It's written down for us here in Ezekiel.

So take comfort the besieged among us believers.  Know that God will act.  He will stand for us.  He won't let us be bullied for ever.  So stand strong and firm in your faith.  STAND.