Ezekiel 31:10

Ezekiel 31:10 says, Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;  God now said that Egypt had become like Assyria was at the height of her power. Egypt believed herself to be more powerful than any other nation and therefore incapable of falling.  We should always beware of thinking that we by our own abilities are better than anyone else but should always give God the credit and praise for anything that we are blessed with.   

Verse eleven adds, I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.  God said that because of the arrogance and self-pride of the people of Egypt, that He had delivered them into them into the hand of a great heathen nation. Egypt was going to fall just as Assyria had.  God can work through even those who are not His people to bring about His will.   

Verse twelve continues, And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.  God said that the people of Assyria had been deserted by all other nations, some of which may have been viewed as friends.  This was also going to happen to Egypt.  What happened to Assyria and what was going to happen to Egypt was caused by God and was due to the sins of each nation for which they did not repent.  If we go away to everlasting destruction, it will be God Who sends us there because of our own sins that we have refused to accept His forgiveness for by accepting His gift of salvation.   

Verse thirteen states, Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches: God said that when the people of Assyria fell that the birds and animals remained.  The referring to Assyria in the past and to Egypt as a great cedar that fell didn’t affect the rest of God’s creation.  We may fall as people of a great nation, but the rest of creation in our land may just continue as though nothing has happened.   

Verse fourteen continues, To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.  God said that none of the other trees exalted themselves as the mighty cedar had, because they had seen it go down into the pit.   This was still an analogy to Assyria and Egypt.  When other nations saw them fall, they would mourn their passing but would not immediately try to elevate themselves to the same heights that these two nations had attained.  As followers of Christ, even if we see powerful nations that defied God fall, we should never aspire to be like them and take their place in power outside of God’s will.