Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest

 Ezekiel 30:20-31:18

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break both his arms, the good arm as well as the broken one, and make the sword fall from his hand. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him like a mortally wounded man.

In the eleventh year, in the third month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes: 

‘Who can be compared with you in majesty? Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage. The waters nourished it, deep springs made it grow tall; their streams flowed all around its base and sent their channels to all the trees of the field.

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height, I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside, and the most ruthless of foreign nations cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys; its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it. All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches. Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined for death, for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.

‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.

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以香柏樹比喻埃及。神興起巴比倫征服埃及，希底加王結盟埃及，要埃及來援助猶大，也真的出兵要幫助猶大，結果卻被巴比倫打敗，以後埃及不再強盛，直到如今。現在的埃及是阿拉伯人，不是以前的埃及人。

香柏樹特色：1)高大茂盛，勝過神園中的樹，2)很大的影響力，3)很榮美。

因為眾水使他生長；深水使他長大，這是看不見的。神愛自己的百姓，也愛外邦人，人在認識神以前，神已經先愛他們了。

因他高大，樹尖插入雲中，心驕氣傲，所以被審判。所以神審判埃及是給猶大看，也是給我們後代的人看。

我們所有擁有的都是領受的，都是神所賜的。

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Why?

Egypt will be like Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, but will be destroyed and broken. They will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below.

The pride of a nation will be the downfall to everyone and every nation.

How?

Be aware of being humble in life for the Lord is watching everyone doing in the world!