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14 And my
hand [yad] hath found [matsa'] as a
nest [qen] the riches [chayil] of the people: [`am] and as
one gathereth ['acaph] eggs [beytsah] that are left, [`azab] have
I gathered ['acaph] all the earth; ['erets] and there was none that moved [nadad] the wing, [kanaph] or
opened [patsah] the mouth, [peh] or peeped. [tsaphaph] KJV-Interlinear
14 And my
hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, And as one gathers
abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; And there was not one that flapped
its wing or opened its beak or chirped." NASB
The Assyrians looked at their adversaries as birds, and their lands as empty nests for the taking.
Their attitude is that they can and did move in with ease. They destroyed any and all they attacked, and they took what they may, at their will.
As a predator collects eggs from an abandoned nest, when the bird has left and is nowhere to be found, so too, the Assyrians moved in and took at their leisure.
People had either run away, or were captured or killed and therefore posed no threat, and certainly no barrier to taking the loot left behind. There was no opposition, not even a peep.
But the underlying current of this thought pattern is that the Assyrians presumed that it was they who made this opportunity for themselves. That it was they who destroyed their enemies. That it was they who managed and controlled all of their success in the invasion and battle.
But that is not the case.
God saw these events in eternity past. God brought to bear all who would be born, all who would grow up, all who would participate. It was God who directed these events even through the decisions of men.
It is God who gives life. It is God who removes life.
It is God who gives success. It is God who removes success.
God controls history, not you.
God placed you and every individual into history at a time of His choosing, not yours.
God provided for all circumstances, not you.
God gave every person free will and free volition, and the right to decide for themselves. And God allows everyone to drive their own life.
But it is God also, who knows your heart and your course, and it is God who will allow you to proceed, or who will derail you.
All things work together for good. Good is the ultimate outcome of everything, regardless of the temporary setbacks that seemingly come along from time to time.
You can either work within Gods plan, or you can fight it through your own opinions and attitudes and whining complaints or indifference.
Even nations and empires have invaded and taken and enslaved at their leisure. Who in this world or throughout history has greater power than an empire? No one. And yet they are all gone.
Technology does not make empires of today any greater than the empires of old.
Philosophy does not make the politics of today any greater than the rulers of old.
Economics does not make the business of today any greater than the powerful traders of old.
God has foreseen everything. God has planned for everything. God has made provision for every possibility.
And man, and especially you, have none of these things at your disposal.
The big question for you is, are you going to presume your superiority or eliteness because of that which God did and does? Or, will you use your success or talent or ability or circumstances, whether they are good or bad, to do Gods bidding, because it is He who gave you that opportunity, great or small, to serve His plan and will, and not your own?
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