Ezekiel 25–30: When Success Produces Pride | A Bible Study for Christian Moms

What happens when talent, success, beauty, wealth, and achievement begin producing pride instead of praise?

In today's episode of The Dwelling Place Bible Podcast for Busy Moms, Stephanie Hickox continues through the chronological Bible reading plan in Ezekiel chapters 25–30. As God turns His attention from judging Jerusalem to judging the surrounding nations, one theme becomes impossible to miss:

God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.

Moab, Ammon, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt each experienced God's judgment for their rebellion, arrogance, violence, idolatry, or mistreatment of His people. Many of these nations were powerful, wealthy, influential, and strategically positioned—but their strength became a source of pride.

And that raises an important question for Christian parents:

Are we teaching our children to pursue greatness—or to glorify God with whatever gifts He has given them?

As moms, we naturally want our children to succeed. We celebrate their accomplishments, cheer them on in sports and academics, and want them to use their God-given abilities. But what if an opportunity that looks like success is quietly producing self-reliance, pride, or a love of worldly recognition?

Ezekiel reminds us that what matters most isn't how high our children climb.

It's who sits on the throne of their hearts when they get there.

In This Episode, We'll Study:

• Ezekiel 25: God's judgment against Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Philistia.
• How Edom's hostility toward Israel contributed to its judgment.
• The historical significance of the ancient Moabite cities mentioned in Ezekiel.
• Ezekiel 26–28: God's judgment against the wealthy and powerful city of Tyre.
• How Ezekiel's prophecy concerning Tyre was fulfilled through historical events.
• Ezekiel 28: The pride of the prince of Tyre and the debated passage that many interpreters understand as also pointing to Satan.
• The connection between pride and spiritual rebellion.
• Why Philippians 2 gives us the perfect contrast to the pride described in Ezekiel.
• Ezekiel 29–30: God's judgment against Pharaoh and Egypt.
• The repeated biblical declaration: “Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”
• God's promise of restoration and hope for His people.
• What the fall of powerful nations teaches us about God's sovereignty.
• How biblical parenting can help our children pursue achievement without making achievement their identity.

Christian Parenting Wisdom: Are We Raising Successful Kids or Faithful Kids?

Most of us want good things for our children.

We want them to work hard.

We want them to develop their talents.

We want them to succeed in school.

We want them to excel in sports, music, academics, or their careers.

We want them to have opportunities.

There is nothing inherently wrong with those desires.

But Ezekiel 25–30 reminds us that a gift can become dangerous when it begins producing pride instead of gratitude.

A child can receive a trophy and learn humility.

Or they can receive a trophy and begin believing they are better than everyone else.

A child can excel academically and use that ability to serve others.

Or they can begin finding their identity in being smarter than everyone around them.

A child can become successful and give God the glory.

Or they can begin believing, “My success proves that I don't need God.”

That is why biblical parenting isn't simply about helping our children become successful.

It is about helping them become faithful followers of Jesus.

Would You Rather Have a Humble Child or an Impressive One?

This is one of the questions Stephanie explores in today's episode:

Would I rather have my child humble with dirt on their knees because they bow to the lordship of Jesus Christ—or elevated on a pedestal with a gold medal around their neck?

That's a difficult question for parents because sometimes our own pride gets wrapped up in our children's accomplishments.

Their success can make us feel successful.

Their talent can make us feel proud.

Their recognition can make us feel recognized.

But our children don't belong on the throne—and neither do we.

The goal isn't to suppress our children's gifts or discourage them from pursuing excellence. Instead, we can teach them to hold their plans loosely and use their abilities for the glory of Christ rather than their own glory.

Teaching Children to Recognize the Danger of Pride

One of the gifts we can give our children is helping them recognize the early signs of self-reliance.

What happens when they win?

What happens when they lose?

How do they respond when someone else succeeds?

Do they need recognition?

Do they become angry when they're not the best?

Are they willing to serve when nobody notices?

Can they receive correction?

Do they thank God for their abilities?

These seemingly small moments can reveal what is happening in the heart.

Biblical parenting isn't merely about correcting outward behavior. It's about helping our children see what is happening in their hearts and continually pointing them toward Christ.

Jesus Gives Us the Opposite Picture of Pride

Ezekiel 28 describes a ruler whose wisdom, beauty, wealth, and splendor became reasons for pride.

Philippians 2 gives us the stunning contrast.

Jesus, who truly deserved all glory, humbled Himself. He took the form of a servant and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.

The world tells our children:

Climb higher. Be noticed. Be the best. Make a name for yourself.

Jesus shows us something entirely different:

Humble yourself. Serve others. Give God the glory.

That is the kind of greatness we want to cultivate in our homes.

A Challenge for Christian Moms

As you think about your children's gifts and future, ask:

Is this opportunity producing more pride or more praise?

Sometimes the most loving parenting decision isn't simply asking, “Is this a good opportunity?”

It may be asking:

“What is this opportunity doing to my child's heart?”

We can encourage our children to pursue excellence while reminding them that their identity isn't found in a grade, trophy, position, talent, college acceptance, career, appearance, or accomplishment.

Their greatest achievement will never be what they accomplish for themselves.

Their greatest treasure is knowing Christ.

Scripture Mentioned

• Ezekiel 25–30
• Ezekiel 25:15–17
• Ezekiel 26:12–14
• Ezekiel 28:1–19
• Ezekiel 29–30
• Philippians 2:3–11

A Prayer for Christian Moms

Heavenly Father, help us to pursue humility rather than striving for our own glory.

Help us teach our children to use their gifts and abilities for Your glory. Give us wisdom to recognize when success is producing pride rather than praise. Help us not to overlook the small signs of self-reliance, arrogance, or love of worldly recognition in our children's hearts.

Teach our families to hold our plans loosely and remain surrendered to You. May our children grow not simply to be successful, talented, or accomplished, but to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

You alone deserve the glory.

Amen.

Resources Mentioned:

• Entrusted With a Child's Heart
• The Again Podcast: Interview with Chris McKenna Part 1, Part 2
• Full-Circle Discipline Resources
• Journey Through the Bible

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary

This is a Dwelling Place

from Entrusted Ministries.

2

I'm Stephanie Hickox, and in

today's reading of Ezekiel chapters

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twenty-five through thirty, we see

the jealousy of God on full display

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as His discipline moves from His

people to His protective retribution

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towards several nations around them.

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But what is most clearly seen

is that God opposes the proud

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and gives grace to the humble.

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For much of Ezekiel, God has been

forewarning of the fall of Jerusalem,

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but now he turns our attention to the

fall of the nations around Israel.

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In chapter twenty-five, Ezekiel

foretells the demise of the Moabites

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and the Ammonites who descended from

Lot and his two daughters, and the

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Edomites, who are from the line of Esau.

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The Philistines' downfall

is briefly mentioned as well

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Ezekiel 25:15-17 tells us, Thus says

the Lord God, Because the Philistines

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acted revengefully and took vengeance

with malice of soul to destroy in

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never-ending enmity, therefore thus says

the Lord God, Behold, I will stretch

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out my hand against the Philistines,

and I will cut off the Cherethites

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and destroy the rest of the seacoast.

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I will execute great vengeance

on them with wrathful rebukes.

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Then they will know that I am the Lord

when I lay my vengeance upon them.

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The Edomites were always a provoking

presence to the Israelites.

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And even when Jerusalem was being attacked

and some of the Israelites were seeking

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refuge, the Edomites refused to help them.

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Historically, they ceased as a nation

after the Romans weakened them and after

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the Maccabean Revolt Though everything

prophesied by Ezekiel doesn't seem

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to have occurred yet to them, they

have not been preserved as a nation.

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many of the cities of Moab that are

mentioned here were confirmed on the Mesha

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Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone,

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the rule of King Mesha of Moab.

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It confirms these biblical

locations and events.

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But the Moabites and the Ammonites have

not survived today It wasn't the glory

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days of the Philistines during the days

of Ezekiel, but they have had a lasting

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impact on Israel, and I'd like to read to

you from my Moody commentary exactly how.

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by the intertestamental period, which

means the time between the Old and

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the New Testament, the Philistines

were no longer a political entity.

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However, their name continued to be

associated with the southern coast

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of Israel, and their five major

cities continued to be significant.

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After the Roman conquest of Israel

in AD seventy to one thirty-five AD,

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to humiliate the Jews and attempt to

wipe Jewish identity off the map of

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history, the Romans changed the name

of the land from Judea to to Palestina.

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This is Latin, but in English

translates to Palestine.

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And the name comes from Israel's

ancient army, the Philistines,

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But the Bible never uses the word

Palestine to identify Israel or Judah.

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Okay, let me summarize that quick.

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The word Palestine that you

and I know today was not

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mentioned by God in Scripture.

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The land was given that title by the

Romans when they conquered Jerusalem

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after the time of Jesus because they

were wanting to shame the Jews, take

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away their heritage, and give them a name

that actually belonged to their enemies

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Next in chapter 26, the chronicles against

the nations continue as Ezekiel sets

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his sight on the Phoenician city-state

of Tyre, which some pronounce Tyra.

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Do you remember Hiram, the king of Tyre?

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He had supplied materials to King David

and to Solomon for building the temple.

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But later, their name became

synonymous with idolatry, and these

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Phoenicians were widely known to

have practiced child sacrifice.

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God says that they will be

plundered and never rebuilt.

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Historically, I think it's

very fascinating to read what

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happened to this city-state.

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Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians

attacked them for thirteen years.

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Because of the Phoenicians' strong navy,

they were able to withstand the attack.

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their mainland fell, but they

had an island that survived.

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But again, during that inter-testimonal

period between the Old Testament and the

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New Testament, Alexander the Great, used

all of the rubble from the mainland that

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was still there from Nebuchadnezzar's

attack, and he built a mile-and-a-half

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causeway to their island stronghold.

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He used wood and rock and threw it in

the water so they would have a way to

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get to the island and attack it And

hundreds of years before it happened,

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Ezekiel described this very event.

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Beginning in 26:12, They will plunder

your riches and loot your merchandise.

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They will break down your walls

and destroy your pleasant houses.

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Your stones and timber and soil They

will cast into the midst of the waters

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And then God says, "You shall never

be rebuilt, for I am the Lord.

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I have spoken," declares the Lord God.

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And I'm sure you're not surprised to hear

that Tyre never really did recover, and no

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city has been rebuilt on its ancient ruins

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God continues his lengthy oracle

against this proud people, and chapter

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twenty-eight tells us more of why.

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The word of the Lord came to me, "Son

of Man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus

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says the Lord God: because your heart

is proud and you have said, " I am a

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God, I sit in the seat of the gods,

in the heart of the seas," yet you are

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but a man, and no God, though you make

your heart like the heart of a God.

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You are indeed wiser than Daniel;

no secret is hidden from you.

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By your wisdom and your understanding

you have made wealth for yourself

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and have gathered gold and

silver into your treasuries.

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By your great wisdom in your trade you

have increased your wealth, and your

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heart has become proud in your wealth

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This reveals the nation's arrogance,

and also shows us that Daniel was

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already well known for his wisdom.

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I want to remind you that when we study

prophecies, they often have a near future

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application and a distant application.

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And in the middle of Ezekiel

twenty-eight, we encounter some

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verses that seem to apply somewhat

to the king of Tyre, but many also

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believe they're pointing to Satan.

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The commentaries that I most heavily

rely on lean this direction, and

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honestly, it's been a teaching I've

heard since I was young, and it's hard

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for me to un-hear the ways that it

seems to point to the ruler of darkness.

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Let me read it for you, but you

can try to keep an open mind as it

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is a debated portion of scripture.

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Moreover, the word of the Lord came to

me, " Son of Man, raise a lamentation

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over the king of Tyre, and say to

him, ' Thus says the Lord God: You

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were the signet of perfection, full

of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

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You were in Eden, the garden of God.

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Every precious stone was your

covering, sardius, topaz, and

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diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper,

sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle.

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And crafted in gold were your

settings and your engravings.

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On the day that you were

created, they were prepared.

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You were an anointed guardian cherub.

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I placed you.

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You were on the holy mountain of God.

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In the midst of the

stones of fire you walked.

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You were blameless in your ways

from the day you were created till

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unrighteousness was found in you.

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In the abundance of your trade,

you were filled with violence

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in your midst, and you sinned.

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So I cast you as a profaned thing

from the mountain of God, and I

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destroyed you, O guardian cherub,

from the midst of the stones of fire.

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Your heart was proud

because of your beauty.

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You corrupted your wisdom for

the sake of your splendor.

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I cast you to the ground.

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I exposed you before kings

to feast their eyes on you.

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By the multitude of your iniquities

and the unrighteousness of your

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trade, you profaned your sanctuaries.

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So I brought fire out from your midst.

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It consumed you, and I turned

you to ashes on the earth in

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the sight of all who saw you.

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All who know you among the

peoples are appalled at you.

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You have come to a dreadful end

and shall be no more forever.'

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As you hear the reference to this guardian

cherub who was created in perfection

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and dwelt in the Garden of Eden and then

fell because of the pride he had over

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his beauty, you can see why many believe

it also portrays Satan There are other

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portions of scripture, and we'll get into

one soon in the Book of Daniel, where we

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can see that there are spiritual beings

who reign over nations and principalities

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But whether this refers to a spiritual

being or an earthly being or both

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Listen to this absolute contrast

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from Philippians two,

verses three through seven.

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Do nothing from selfish ambition or

conceit, but in humility count others

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more significant than yourselves.

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Let each of you look not only

to his own interests, but also

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to the interests of others.

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Have this mind among yourselves,

which is yours in Christ Jesus, who,

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though he was in the form of God, did

not count equality with God a thing

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to be grasped, but emptied himself

by taking the form of a servant,

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being born in the likeness of men.

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And being found in human form, he humbled

himself by becoming obedient to the

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point of death, even death on a cross.

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And because Jesus is worthy of all glory

and all praise in verse nine, God's

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rightful response is to highly exalt

Him and bestow on Him the name that is

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above every name, so that at the name

of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven

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and on earth and under the earth, and

every tongue confess that Jesus Christ

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is Lord to the glory of God the Father

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Jesus certainly deserved to be elevated,

and at his second coming, he will be.

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But there are some people

that God chooses and blesses

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even though they do not deserve it.

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And if we continue on in chapter

eight, we reach verse twenty-four,

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where God issues more promises

of hope to His chosen people.

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And for the house of Israel, there shall

be no more a brier to prick or a thorn

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to hurt them among all their neighbors

who have treated them with contempt.

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Then they will know

that I am the Lord God.

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Thus says the Lord God, When I gather

the house of Israel from the peoples

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among whom they are scattered, and

manifest my holiness in them in the

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sight of the nations, then they shall

dwell in their own land that I gave

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to my servant Jacob, and they shall

dwell securely in it, and they shall

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build houses and plant vineyards.

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They shall dwell securely when I execute

judgments upon all their neighbors

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who have treated them with contempt.

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Then they will know that

I am the Lord their God

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God's people were in an all-out rebellion

at this moment, And he continues to offer

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them a hope and a future If you've been

with us from the beginning, you know that

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any person and any nation that submitted

themself to Yahweh, was welcomed in.

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God was not turning anyone away

because of their ethnicity, but only

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because of arrogance, malice, or a

lack of hospitality toward His people.

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In chapter twenty-nine, the sword

of judgment gets directed at the

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nation of Egypt and its pride.

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Thus as the Lord God, behold, I am against

you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great

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dragon that lies in the midst of his

streams, that says, 'My Nile is my own.

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I made it for myself.'

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I will put hooks in your jaws and make the

fish of your streams stick to your scales.

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God will cast the sea dragon into the

wilderness, and it will be scavenged

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upon this dragon may be referring to one

of the crocodiles that are so prevalent

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in the Nile, but certainly the last

place that a water creature wants to be

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is in the wilderness or in the desert

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God goes on to say that he will also

gather the Egyptians from the peoples.

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He will restore them in part, but never

again will they be an exalted kingdom.

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they will be the lowliest of

the kingdoms And they will never

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again rule over other nations.

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And Israel will never rely on them

again If you're a student of history or

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of current events, it doesn't surprise

you that this most long-standing

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of dynasties in the world has never

been a threat in our lifetime.

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From the days of Abraham, God's people

tried to align themselves with Egypt,

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and each time it led to dire consequences

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In chapter twenty eight,

Sidon is mentioned.

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This was another seaport in Phoenicia

about twenty miles north of Tyre.

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It was headquarters for Baal worship,

and it was an awful influence on

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Israel it also met its demise.

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In Ezekiel chapter 30, God describes

how he has broken the arms of Pharaoh

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so he can't even lift up his sword

to fight against the Babylonians

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And yet again, the phrase we keep

hearing over and over in regard to

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Israel and all the nations, " Then

they shall know that I am the Lord."

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Let's look back at the beginning

of chapter thirty as we think

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about how all of these fallen

kingdoms matter deeply to us today.

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Thus says the Lord God, " Wail,

alas for the day, for the day is

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near, the day of the Lord is near.

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It will be a day of clouds, a

time of doom for the nations.

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If you, like me, believe that every

word of the Bible is breathed out

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by God, perfect and without error,

then you know that judgment didn't

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just come for these wicked people.

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It will come for all people.

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One day, each of us will have an

opportunity to confess whether

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Jesus Christ is Lord or not.

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And in the meantime, we have the

opportunity to allow Him to be

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seated on the throne of our lives

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Today we read about nations that were

strong, wealthy, talented, and beautiful.

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But all of these accolades and

accomplishments led to their arrogance.

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And as we parent our kids, most

of us want them to be talented

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and achieve great things.

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There may be a lot of

goodness in our motives

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But may we be abundantly careful

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That we truly are pointing them

to glorify Christ through their

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attitudes and their abilities.

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There may be times where you're noticing

that an opportunity is producing more

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pride in your child's heart than praise.

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It may be a reason to step back and

say, " I would rather have you humble

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with dirt on your knees because you

bow to the lordship of Jesus Christ

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than to be elevated on a pedestal

with a gold medal around your neck."

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Let's remind our kids what really

matters, and let's not brush aside

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when we see those little chinks

in their character that might be

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pointing towards self-reliance,

pride, or a lust for worldly things.

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Heavenly Father, we thank you for the

peace that comes from elevating you rather

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than striving to succeed on our own.

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We pray that our families and our

hearts would be marked by humility

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that rejoices in your holiness and

perfection instead of elevating ourselves.

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for those that already feel humbled

by motherhood, marriage, aging, or

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health struggles, I pray you would

help us to have true humility, that

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we would think less of ourselves

and more of you and more of others.

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And for our kids that are often

planning their lives with every

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thread of optimism and hope,

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Guide us in how to teach them

to pursue plans yet to hold them

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loosely, being surrendered to

however you may direct them.

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Jesus, we thank you that

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you emptied yourself.

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You became a servant.

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And we're so grateful that you became

obedient to the point of death.

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You deserve all the glory and the

praise, and it's in your name we pray.

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Amen.