God’s wrath is coming in judgment, but the targets of His judgment might surprise you.
Today’s reading: Ezekiel 29-31; James 5
8 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will bring a sword upon you, and will cut off from you man and beast, 9 and the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
“Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I made it,’ Ezekiel 29:8-9
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. James 5:1-3
Who will be the target of God’s judgment?
In Ezekiel’s day, the Lord pronounced judgment on Egypt. What had they done? It was not so much what they had done or not done, but their arrogant attitude. They prided themselves in the things that God had done. They did not glorify Him, but made idiotic statements like “The Nile is mine, and I made it…” Those who refuse to give God the glory He is due are in special trouble with Him. He would bring His judgment on them and they would know that He is the Lord.
Another target of judgment will be the fraudulent and heartless rich. These are the people James singled out for a stern warning. In the day of judgment, they would be in misery. The riches they trusted in would not serve them at all, but be rotted, moth-eaten, and corroded. There may have been a time when they could buy their way out of trouble but no longer. But take note, it is not the fact that they are rich but that they cheated their workers to expand their wealth. Furthermore, they trusted in their wealth and not in the Lord.
Pride and self-sufficiency robs God of His glory and brings His judgment. Beware of any tendency toward these quiet ways of rebelling. Do not be found among those who have attempted to exalt themselves on that coming day of God’s wrath.
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