Ez. 30-32
There is a lot of prophecy against Egypt and Pharaoh too. I wish I understood some of the deeper meaning behind these prophesies. To me, it all just looks like an extremely long winded, poetic way of saying that the nations were high on pride and God was going to take them down and put them in their place. I have a suspicion there is more to it than that, though. The Bible is full of symbolism, and it seems that everything means something, whether I can see it or not. One thing is for sure, though – God is God and there is no other like Him.
1 Pet. 4
Nobody likes to suffer. I don’t know about you, but I especially don’t like getting fussed at (“suffering”) when I didn’t do anything wrong. I have been in situations where I got fussed at whether I tried to do right by the other person or just went and did whatever I wanted, and I think, “If I’m going to get in trouble, I might as well get in trouble for a reason”. Point is, it is hard to keep trying to do the right thing when it reaps negative consequences.
Peter tells me that isn’t the right mindset. Christ did nothing at all wrong yet endured great suffering. He was able to look past the short-term negative consequences to the ultimate, eternal result. Peter says I am to “arm [myself] with the same way of thinking” (1 Pet 4:1b). I need to focus on living for God, leaving the old ways behind, no matter what the short-term consequences. If I suffer as Christ suffered, for doing what is right, then I will also share in His ultimate glory. This concept carries right on down to when that boss or coworker or friend or spouse fusses at me when I thought I did the right thing. Instead of being insulted, I should rejoice at the opportunity to display a Godly attitude in the face of unwarranted conflict.