When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, Sweden and Finland applied for membership in NATO. And it’s easy to see why: with Russia making such a brazen attempt to conquer a neighboring state, it makes a lot of sense for those two countries to join forces with their powerful friends to the west. In the same way, when the Babylonian Empire began to expand its control over the Ancient Near East, it was only natural for the Kingdom of Judah to look to Egypt, its wealthy and powerful neighbor to the south, for protection.

And yes, Pharaoh Hophra did indeed send an army to provide support for King Zedekiah of Judah. But they were unable to turn back the might of the Babylonian war machine, which eventually crushed Judah and destroyed Jerusalem. Yes, the house of Israel had leaned on Egypt like a staff, but no matter how strong that staff may have seemed to be, it broke, tearing all of them to pieces (Ezekiel 29:6-7).

But why did such a powerful alliance prove to be so helpless? Because the Lord said, “Surely I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Ezekiel 30:22). Moreover, the Lord said, “I will strengthen the arms of the King of Babylon” (Ezekiel 30:24, 25). And why did the Lord say He would be the One to pick the winners and the losers, the One Who would ultimately determine the rise and fall of even the most powerful of empires? To display His overwhelming power and might to them, so that they would know that “I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 30:25, 26).

And it still doesn’t matter how fearsome our foes or how powerful our allies may be. No, the only thing that matters is whether we are on the Lord’s side. For if we are, we have nothing to fear. And if we are not, then there’s nothing that can possibly help us.

Ezekiel 30:20-26 (NASB)

20 And it came about in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me saying,
21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, behold, it has not been bound up for healing or wrapped with a bandage, that it may be strong to hold the sword.
22 “Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong and the broken; and I will make the sword fall from his hand.
23 ‘And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands.
24 ‘For I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; and I will break the arms of Pharaoh, so that he will groan before him with the groanings of a wounded man.
25 ‘Thus I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt.
26 ‘When I scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands, then they will know that I am the LORD.'”