Gog and Magog - part 1

A while ago I posted about the idea that Gog - גוג - is the opposite of Dovid - דוד. What this means is that whereas Dovid represents complete התבטלות (self-nullification) - דלות ודלות, Gog represents complete and absolute pride - גאווה וגאווה. The more we associate ourselves with the attribute of humility, the more we give power to משיח בן דוד, Moshiach who is descended, and of the same stock as Dovid. The more we associate ourselves with pride and are unwilling to bend to another's will, the more power we give to the powers of evil, represented by Gog.

I think it is especially significant to note that the place of Gog is called Magog. Gog completely represents the place that he is from. He is from the land that is completely full of itself, believing that its ideology and its outlook on life is the only way possible. Not only that, but its ideology, by definition, completely excludes Hashem from the picture, because the ultimate בעל גאווה (one who is completely prideful) does not acknowledge any other power than his own. This is the power that needs to be destroyed completely before Moshiach's advent when Hashem's Hand will be apparent to all and this land's power will be shown to be exactly what it is - hot air. There is certainly a strong resemblance to Sodom whose utter and complete arrogance and selfishness led to its ultimate downfall. Sodom's destruction set the stage for Lot fathering Moav who would be the great-grandfather of Moshiach. Gog and Magog's destruction set the stage for the ushering in of the one human being who so humbly represents Hashem's full control of the world - Moshiach ben Dovid.