Ezekiel 29-30

Learn what God says to the nations, in this case Egypt.  But also learn that He is speaking to nations today, applying the same standard.  Let us also hear what He is saying to us personally.  This is profitable for maturity (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Ch. 29-32 address Egypt, the nation that Israel and Judah reached out to for help.  It comes in 7 messages given on 6 different dates, during and after the siege of Jerusalem.  They contain powerful truth and fulfilled prophecies.

·        29:1-16: The first message is foundational, directed toward Pharaoh who hears the ominous words from God, “I am against you!”  God’s ire is the result of another national leader given to self-deification.  The Pharaoh’s were considered gods and ruled as gods.  Pharaoh considered the Nile River to be his.  In addition when Israel and Judah came to Egypt for help, Egypt was not much help at all.  For these two oft seen reasons God would judge Egypt by scattering her for forty years.  Then Egypt would be brought back, but never again to the glory days. As has been the case ever since, she would be a weak power in the Middle East.  Egypt was not so much taken into captivity as she was weakened by Babylon, about 30 years into Judah’s captivity.  She regained some significance at the time of Cyrus’ decree for Israel to return.

·        29:17-21: Note that the date of this message is much later.  Perhaps it is inserted here because of the “40 years” reference though some suspect a scribal error.  The message points out God’s use of Egypt’s defeat as a means of rewarding His sword Nebuchadnezzar who had received little booty in the war with Tyre.  Verse 21 is understood either as a reference to the Messianic Age or to the time when, under Cyrus, Israel returned to the land.

·        30:1-19: Here we see that Egypt’s idolatry went far beyond Pharaoh as several idolatrous cities are identified and judged.  The theme is the day of the Lord (v3), the day when God uses the nations to cleanse Israel, and then judges the nations for cruelty to Israel. God also uses Babylon to judge Egypt and her allies, leaving the glorious kingdom desolate.

·        30:20-26: This fourth message indicates the desolation and scattering of Egypt had already begun.  It is interesting that at this same time the politicians in Judah were still trying to reach out to Egypt for help.

Are you hearing God in all this?  Can you see His sovereign, mighty and majestic power over all He has made, over all of mankind, over every nation?  Do you see His faithfulness to His word?  Do you understand then that in His holiness He must confront idolatry?  Do you understand why, given His choice of and promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He must deal with Israel, blessing those who bless her and cursing those who curse her?  Eight times in these two chapters is the key idea: they will know I am the LORD.  Are you learning God?