The Hook in the Jaw: God's Sovereignty on Display Text: Ezekiel 38:14-16
Introduction: The Director of History
We live in an age that is terrified of sovereignty. The modern mind, steeped in rebellion, wants a god who is a celestial butler, on call to meet our needs, but certainly not a God who is in charge of everything. The idea that God ordains and governs all things, including the councils of wicked men and the movements of vast armies, is offensive to the autonomous spirit of our day. Men want to be the captains of their own ships, the masters of their own fate. The problem with this is that the ship is sinking, and their fate, left to themselves, is damnation.
The Scriptures, on the other hand, present us with a God who is utterly and exhaustively sovereign. He is not a nervous spectator in the grandstands of history, wringing His hands and hoping His team pulls out a victory. He is the author, the director, and the central actor in the entire drama. He writes the script, He casts the characters, and He ensures that every scene unfolds precisely according to His eternal decree. This includes the scenes that are filled with violence, rebellion, and the arrogant strutting of wicked men.
Nowhere is this truth more starkly and uncomfortably displayed than in the prophecies concerning Gog of Magog. Here we have a picture of a massive, godless confederation from the north, a terrifying military force, descending upon the people of God. From a human perspective, it looks like chaos. It looks like evil is on the rampage, and that God's people are about to be annihilated. But Ezekiel pulls back the curtain of providence and shows us who is really in charge. God is not reacting to Gog; He is summoning him. God is not surprised by this invasion; He is orchestrating it. He has a hook in the jaw of this great beast, and He is dragging him onto the stage of history for a purpose that is entirely His own: the magnification of His own holiness before the eyes of the nations.
This passage is not fundamentally about identifying Gog with a modern nation on a map, though that is a fascinating discussion. It is fundamentally about the theology of history. It teaches us that God uses the wrath of man to praise Him. He takes the most malevolent intentions of His enemies and weaves them into the tapestry of His perfect plan, all for His own glory. This is a hard truth, but it is the bedrock of our comfort. If God is not sovereign over the Gogs of this world, then we have no hope. But if He is, then we can live securely, even when the clouds of war are gathering on the horizon.
The Text
“Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it? You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and numerous peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a numerous military force; and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It will be in the last days that I will bring you against My land so that the nations may know Me when I prove Myself holy through you before their eyes, O Gog.”
(Ezekiel 38:14-16 LSB)
The Providential Summons (v. 14-15)
The Lord begins by addressing Gog directly, revealing the divine setup that is underway.
"Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it? You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and numerous peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a numerous military force;" (Ezekiel 38:14-15 LSB)
Notice the structure here. God is speaking to Gog through His prophet, Ezekiel. This is a divine taunt. God is telling His enemy exactly what is about to happen, and He is making it clear that Gog is not the one in control. The first thing that triggers Gog's avarice is the sight of Israel "living securely." This security is not the result of a massive military or formidable walls; in fact, the previous verses describe them as living in "unwalled villages." Their security is a gift from God, a state of covenant blessing.
This is a crucial point for understanding biblical prophecy. The "Israel" of God, in the era of the new covenant, is the Church of Jesus Christ, comprised of Jew and Gentile. The security we have is not in political alliances or military might, but in the finished work of Christ. We dwell securely because our fortress is God Himself. And it is this very spiritual peace and prosperity that inflames the greed and hatred of the world. The world cannot stand to see the people of God blessed and secure in their God. It is a rebuke to their own chaos and rebellion.
God asks Gog a rhetorical question: "will you not know it?" Of course, he will know it. He will see this peaceful prosperity as an opportunity, a prize ripe for the taking. He will think the idea to invade is his own brilliant, strategic masterstroke. But God has already told us earlier in the chapter that He is the one who put the idea in Gog's head. "I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out" (Ezekiel 38:4). God is the ultimate cause. Gog's sinful desires are the secondary cause. God does not force Gog to be evil; Gog is already evil. God simply presents him with a situation that will activate his inherent greed and malice, and then steers that malice toward His own divine purpose.
The description of Gog's army is meant to be terrifying from a human standpoint. It comes from "the remote parts of the north," a "great assembly and a numerous military force," "all of them riding on horses." This is the ancient equivalent of a massive, mechanized armored division. It is overwhelming force. The world looks at this and sees an unstoppable horde. God looks at this and sees a stage prop that He is about to use for a dramatic display of His power.
The Divine Purpose (v. 16)
In the final verse of our text, God states His ultimate purpose in this divinely orchestrated invasion. It is not about Israel, and it is not about Gog. It is about Yahweh.
"and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It will be in the last days that I will bring you against My land so that the nations may know Me when I prove Myself holy through you before their eyes, O Gog.” (Ezekiel 38:16 LSB)
The imagery of a "cloud to cover the land" emphasizes the sheer scale of the invasion. It will seem like a total eclipse, a final darkness descending upon the people of God. This is the moment when faith is tested. Will God's people trust in what they see, the overwhelming power of Gog, or will they trust in what God has said?
God explicitly says, "I will bring you against My land." There is no ambiguity here. God is not merely permitting this; He is actively bringing it about. This is His doing. This is the same principle we see in the story of Joseph, whose brothers sold him into slavery. "You meant evil against me," Joseph said, "but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20). It is the same principle we see at the cross of Christ, where wicked men, by their own free and evil choices, crucified the Lord of glory, yet it was all according to the "definite plan and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23).
And why does God do this? What is the ultimate goal? It is stated with perfect clarity: "so that the nations may know Me when I prove Myself holy through you before their eyes, O Gog." The entire event is a cosmic object lesson. The world is the classroom, the nations are the students, Gog is the visual aid, and the subject is the holiness of God.
How does God prove Himself holy through Gog? He does it first by demonstrating His absolute sovereignty over Gog, by showing that this great enemy is nothing more than a puppet on a string. Second, He will prove Himself holy by utterly destroying Gog. The subsequent verses in this chapter and the next describe a supernatural annihilation of this vast army. God will rain down fire and brimstone. There will be pestilence, bloodshed, and panic. God will dismantle this mighty force so completely that the world will have no choice but to acknowledge that it was the hand of Yahweh that did it.
God's holiness is His separateness, His majestic otherness, His absolute moral purity and sovereign power. When He acts in history, He is putting that holiness on display. He is sanctifying His own name. The chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy Himself forever. And the chief end of all history, including the dark and violent chapters, is for the glory of God. He is willing to use the rebellion of a wicked king and the destruction of his army as the backdrop against which the diamond of His holiness will blaze forth for all the world to see.
Conclusion: The Security of the Saints
So what does this ancient prophecy about a northern invader have to do with us? Everything. We are living in the "last days," the era between Christ's first and second comings. The Church, the true Israel of God, is dwelling in the world. We have a spiritual security in Christ that the world cannot touch. And because of this, the world hates us. The spirit of Gog is not dead. There will always be hostile powers, ideologies, and movements that see the Church's peace as a provocation and her blessings as plunder.
These forces will gather. They will come against the people of God like a cloud. It may be through political pressure, cultural hostility, or outright persecution. From our vantage point, it can look overwhelming and terrifying. It can feel as though the darkness is about to extinguish the light for good.
But this is where we must be catechized by Ezekiel. We must see the hook in the jaw. We must understand that the forces arrayed against us, no matter how formidable they appear, are on a leash. They are not acting autonomously. Our sovereign God is bringing them against His people for the exact same reason He brought Gog against Israel: so that through it all, He might prove Himself holy. He is setting the stage for a demonstration of His power, His justice, and His faithfulness to His covenant people.
Our job is not to tremble in fear of Gog, but to trust in the God who controls Gog. Our security is not in the absence of enemies, but in the presence of our sovereign King. He will use the very opposition we face to sanctify His name in the world. The fiercest assaults of the enemy will ultimately become the occasion for God's greatest victories. He will be proven holy, the nations will see His salvation, and His people will be vindicated. Therefore, let us live securely, not because the world is safe, but because our God reigns.