Idols Out of Gifts – Eze 29

I’m reading a book called “Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World” by Tim Marshall. In the book, he talks about how geography affects the way the world works, influencing boundaries, wars, peace, economy, etc. So much of how nations function comes from their God-ordained boundaries and topography.

As God deals with various nations, we see Him exposing their trust in those geographical features that came to define them. The people of Tyre and Zidon lived on the Mediterranean and so their wealth and power came from shipping and trading. The nation of Egypt relied heavily on the Nile and seasonal flooding to give life to their land.

The problem is that all people tend toward rebellion against God the Creator and toward idolatry of that which is created. The Phoenicians became obsessed with shipping and the wealth and power it brought them. The Egyptians and Pharaoh said “My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself” (Eze 29:3). They took credit for something that was given to them by God.

We often want to make idols out of God’s gifts as well. Whatever advantage or skill we have can become a source of idolatry and take the place of God in our lives. In 2 Kings 18;4, we read that the brasen serpent that Moses made became an idol that Hezekiah had to destroy.

What gift of God has taken the place of God in your life? Are you taking credit for what God created? Do you love the gifts of God more than God Himself?

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