For Kids · 3 min with a grown-up
God gives Ezekiel a message for the king of Egypt — and He paints him as a big, boastful river-monster.
Today's Story
Egypt had a great big river running through it called the Nile. The river made the fields green. The river brought the boats. The river was the best thing Egypt had.
And the king of Egypt loved to brag about it. He puffed out his chest and said, “The Nile river is MINE. I made it for myself!”
So God gave Ezekiel a picture to describe that proud king. God said he was like a giant monster lying in the river — like a huge crocodile, splashing around and saying, “Look at my river! Look how strong I am!”
Then God said something the king needed to hear. “You did not make that river. I did. I made the water. I made the fish in it. You can't even make one drop of rain. So how can the river be yours?”
God let the proud king know that bragging about a gift, as if you made it yourself, is a silly thing to do. The river belonged to the One who made it — God.
And God promised that one day everyone would learn the truth: He is the real God. He made the rivers and the seas and the whole wide world. Nobody can splash around and take the credit for what God made.
A Big Word
Memory Verse
Talk About It
- Have you ever seen a big river, a lake, or the ocean? What did it look like — and who do you know made all that water?
- The king bragged, “The river is mine!” What is something you sometimes feel like saying “That's MINE!” about — and how could you thank God for it instead?
- Why is it silly to brag about something you didn't actually make yourself?