Around 595 BC The Lord spoke a word through the Prophet Ezekiel that Egypt would be destroyed. He said he was against Pharaoh because of his pride but he also says the following:
"Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord, Because they have been only a staff made of reed to the house of Israel. When they took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore all their hands; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins quake. Ezekiel 29:6-7.
There are a couple things we can learn from these verses. Egypt was being destroyed and it was, at least partially, because of it's relationship with Israel. Egypt was not a staff that Israel could rely on. They were a staff of reed, one easily broken, injuring Israel in the process. The Lord wanted (and still wants) Israel to trust Him and Him alone, not any other nation or any other person, and Egypt was suffering because of Israel's trust in them.
Does that mean Egypt should have just left Israel alone? Well, it says when they "took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore all their hands; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins quake." God didn't want Israel to trust in Egypt in place of Him, for that would be trusting in something that really can't hold up when put to the test. Egypt was not to give Israel a false sense of security--whether intentionally deceiving them or ignorantly thinking they were their protector. Yet they should have supported Israel as much as possible, if Israel made any agreement with them and then needed help.
Does that mean Egypt should have just left Israel alone? Well, it says when they "took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore all their hands; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins quake." God didn't want Israel to trust in Egypt in place of Him, for that would be trusting in something that really can't hold up when put to the test. Egypt was not to give Israel a false sense of security--whether intentionally deceiving them or ignorantly thinking they were their protector. Yet they should have supported Israel as much as possible, if Israel made any agreement with them and then needed help.
The United States should take heed. If Israel reaches out to us, we don't want to just appear that we support them, but then not really do so when the pressure is on (like a flimsy staff of reed). At the same time, we need to realize that we are not to take the place of their trust in the Lord, and we should encourage them to trust in Him over us, rather than arrogantly thinking we are the fixer of all things. Yes we should support Israel, but that in no way means that they can't survive without us. We both need to look to the Lord as our God--our defense, our help in trouble, our provider, healer etc.
Egypt was to "never again be the confidence of the house of Israel," (vs 16) and the United States should never think that Israel needs us to survive. We need them, and we both need the Lord.
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