An Empire’s Epitaph

“‘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.

“‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
Ezekiel 31:18 (NIV)

I, along with many other people, got swept up in the HBO series Game of Thrones a few years back. Based on the fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, it tells the story of a land called Westeros where a number of kingdoms compete for power and control of their world. It is based, of course, on the real life game of thrones that human kingdoms and empires have been playing throughout history.

The millennium between 1000 B.C. and the life of Jesus was itself a game of thrones and an age of human Empires that rose and fell and competed for power. The ancient nation of Israel and the Hebrew prophets like Ezekiel had front row seats to the competition. They were pawns in the game as Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Mede, Persia, Greece, and Rome all made their plays for conquest and power.

In today’s chapter, Ezekiel continues his string of prophetic messages to Egypt, using one of their competing empires as an example. By the time Ezekiel arrived on the scene, the Assyrian empire had already had its glory days and had recently crumbled into nothing. Ezekiel compares the Assyrian empire to a majestic Cedar tree of Lebanon. The Cedars of Lebanon were luxury items in that age of Empires. Every great emperor (including David and Solomon) had Cedars imported for their palaces, gardens, and temples. But in Ezekiel’s metaphorical message, the Cedar representing Assyria is felled and descends into the realm of the dead.

Pharaoh would have gotten the message. Assyria rose, Assyria fell, and Assyria was not going to rise again. The same thing, Ezekiel proclaims, is going to happen to the Egyptian empire. He tells Pharaoh that he and Egypt will ultimately lose the ancient game of thrones. Pharaoh will descend to the dead like Assyria and Ezekiel even proclaims his epitaph: “Here lies Pharaoh and all his hordes.” Ezekiel was correct. Egypt eventually did fall to the Persian empire followed by the Greeks under Alexander the Great and then to the Romans who held sway when Jesus entered the Story.

And, in the quiet this morning, I am reminded that this thousand year game of thrones and age of empires is a precipitous backdrop to the arrival of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Jesus looks nothing like a human emperor, pharaoh, or caesar grabbing power, conquering by force, and clinging to it through intimidation, fear, and violence. That’s what the Hebrews had hoped for and expected. They wanted to be the ultimate human empire and expected the Messiah to be the ultimate champion in a human game of thrones.

But God’s ways aren’t our ways.

Jesus arrived because He gave up His throne. Jesus,

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

The Kingdom of God, Jesus taught, is an eternal Kingdom that is not of this world. It is not a human empire bent on conquest and power, but a heavenly kingdom founded on humility and suffering. In God’s Kingdom, the greatest are not the powerful who claw their way to the top by climbing over others and eliminating the competition. The Messiah revealed that the greatest in God’s Kingdom are those who serve others and put others ahead of themselves. In God’s kingdom wealth is not determined by the amount of things we acquire and hoard, but by the amount we willingly and generously give away. In God’s Kingdom, the game of thrones is not won by clinging to the throne but by surrendering it.

I’m out on business the next two days.
I plan to return on Friday!