“Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. And I will turn you about, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords.’” —Ezekiel 38:2–4
There is a war coming, the likes of which we have never
seen. God says He will put a hook in the nostrils of those coming against His
beloved Israel. It’s a battle I will not be here to witness, even from a far
away shore because I will be safe in Heaven with my Jesus by then. I pray all
those I know and love have a personal relationship with our Savior so they,
too, do not have to suffer the world to come, a world gone totally array in the
hands of the antichrist. This, however, is not the intent of my writing today.
While reading Ezekiel’s prophesy, the phrase “by hook or by
crook” suddenly came into my mind. I’ve always understood this to mean
something will happen, one way or another. As I believe God is sovereignly in
control of timetables past, present and future, I know His will is accomplished,
one way or another – in my life because I choose the crook; in others lives
because they continually choose the hook. In the case of this end-times war it
will be by hook, or by force and against the will of those waging war because
God’s plans will be accomplished. At times in my own life when, kicking and
screaming all the way, I ended up right where God’s plans intended because He
knows I am not His enemy, but a sheep in His pasture, under His protection and
care. It wasn’t His preferred method of moving me, though.
As “by hook or by crook” flittered through my mind I saw a Shepherd’s
staff – that S-curved handle on a straight, strong, sturdy implement, and I
know the shepherd uses his staff to rescue sheep from harm, to haul them out of
streams when they get too close to raging waters ending upside down and helpless,
weighted by their heavy frock, and to pull them out of briar and bramble. The
shepherd also uses the crook to ward of predators, and to hook a lamb to keep
it from wandering off. The shepherd’s hook is a steadying rod as well.
Would I rather be forced by hook - a symbol of servitude and
conquest, or by crook – a symbol of rescue and protection? Would I rather experience
the Good Shepherd’s leading and care . . .
The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me
lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my
soul. He leads me in paths of
righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me. Your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil. My cup runneth over. Surely, goodness and mercy
will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the
LORD forever. Psalm 23
Or constantly be afraid of that cruel hook found in God’s
Ezekiel warning? When we get to know the Shepherd, we see His staff with eyes
of understanding – we know we are protected, we know we are rescued, we know we are
led safely to succulent pastures and rest. I will follow the Shepherd. I choose
the Crook.
