In The Word
Read: Ezekiel 29 – 30
Judgment of Egypt
29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 3 Speak and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
The great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers,
That has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.’
4 “I will put hooks in your jaws
And make the fish of your rivers cling to your scales.
And I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers,
And all the fish of your rivers will cling to your scales.
5 “I will abandon you to the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers;
You will fall on the open field; you will not be brought together or gathered.
I have given you for food to the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the sky.
6 “Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord,
Because they have been only a staff made of reed to the house of Israel.
7 “When they took hold of you with the hand,
You broke and tore all their hands;
And when they leaned on you,
You broke and made all their loins quake.”
8 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will bring upon you a sword and I will cut off from you man and beast. 9 The land of Egypt will become a desolation and waste. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I have made it,’ 10 therefore, behold, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene and even to the border of Ethiopia. 11 A man’s foot will not pass through it, and the foot of a beast will not pass through it, and it will not be inhabited for forty years. 12 So I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated lands. And her cities, in the midst of cities that are laid waste, will be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands.”
13 ‘For thus says the Lord God, “At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered. 14 I will turn the fortunes of Egypt and make them return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 It will be the lowest of the kingdoms, and it will never again lift itself up above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations. 16 And it will never again be the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing to mind the iniquity of their having turned to Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”’”
17 Now in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre; every head was made bald and every shoulder was rubbed bare. But he and his army had no wages from Tyre for the labor that he had performed against it.” 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry off her wealth and capture her spoil and seize her plunder; and it will be wages for his army. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor which he performed, because they acted for Me,” declares the Lord God.
21 “On that day I will make a horn sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth in their midst. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Lament over Egypt
30 The word of the Lord came again to me saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God,
“Wail, ‘Alas for the day!’
3 “For the day is near,
Even the day of the Lord is near;
It will be a day of clouds,
A time of doom for the nations.
4 “A sword will come upon Egypt,
And anguish will be in Ethiopia;
When the slain fall in Egypt,
They take away her wealth,
And her foundations are torn down.
5 Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all Arabia, Libya and the people of the land that is in league will fall with them by the sword.”
6 ‘Thus says the Lord,
“Indeed, those who support Egypt will fall
And the pride of her power will come down;
From Migdol to Syene
They will fall within her by the sword,”
Declares the Lord God.
7 “They will be desolate
In the midst of the desolated lands;
And her cities will be
In the midst of the devastated cities.
8 “And they will know that I am the Lord,
When I set a fire in Egypt
And all her helpers are broken.
9 On that day messengers will go forth from Me in ships to frighten secure Ethiopia; and anguish will be on them as on the day of Egypt; for behold, it comes!”
10 ‘Thus says the Lord God,
“I will also make the hordes of Egypt cease
By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
11 “He and his people with him,
The most ruthless of the nations,
Will be brought in to destroy the land;
And they will draw their swords against Egypt
And fill the land with the slain.
12 “Moreover, I will make the Nile canals dry
And sell the land into the hands of evil men.
And I will make the land desolate
And all that is in it,
By the hand of strangers; I the Lord have spoken.”
13 ‘Thus says the Lord God,
“I will also destroy the idols
And make the images cease from Memphis.
And there will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt;
And I will put fear in the land of Egypt.
14 “I will make Pathros desolate,
Set a fire in Zoan
And execute judgments on Thebes.
15 “I will pour out My wrath on Sin,
The stronghold of Egypt;
I will also cut off the hordes of Thebes.
16 “I will set a fire in Egypt;
Sin will writhe in anguish,
Thebes will be breached
And Memphis will have distresses daily.
17 “The young men of On and of Pi-beseth
Will fall by the sword,
And the women will go into captivity.
18 “In Tehaphnehes the day will be dark
When I break there the yoke bars of Egypt.
Then the pride of her power will cease in her;
A cloud will cover her,
And her daughters will go into captivity.
19 “Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt,
And they will know that I am the Lord.”’”
Victory for Babylon
20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, behold, it has not been bound up for healing or wrapped with a bandage, that it may be strong to hold the sword. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong and the broken; and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands. 24 For I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; and I will break the arms of Pharaoh, so that he will groan before him with the groanings of a wounded man. 25 Thus I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt.26 When I scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands, then they will know that I am the Lord.’”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Egypt’s judgment began with Pharaoh, yet another king who believed blessing came from his own hand and that his countries’ greatness came from him. “My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it” (Ezekiel 29:3), how arrogant can you become when you take the credit of creating a river as majestic as the Nile? The Egyptians would discover how great their king was when he was left for dead and was food for beasts and birds (Ezekiel 29:5-6). When the land would become desolate and waste, then the Egyptians would know who God is (Ezekiel 29:9). Egypt would be under siege and would begin to feel pain. They would take away her wealth, and her foundations would be removed (Ezekiel 30:4). Not only will Egypt fall, but those who supported her also (Ezekiel 30:6).
I think of the times I’ve seen great men accomplish great things but forget to thank the Lord God who helped it all come about. They begin to look at their own wisdom and knowledge, their own appearance and crowd appeal. They believe it is all about them and begin to slip away from the presence of God. No time for prayer, no time for praise, there is only time for more accomplishments. Without the presence of God, lines begin to be crossed; things never before considered are now pushed aside as pesky obstacles for others to observe. The fall is usually very hard. Businesses and families fail, scandals are revealed, and all because of the arrogance of man. When you are blessed, don’t forget to praise the one who provided, the Lord God!