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CHAPTER 29 • When Joseph was sold into slavery, who would have known that he would end up in Egypt and become the 2nd most powerful man, next to Pharaoh • But then arose a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph and he enslaved the people of Israel • From this point forward, Egypt was an enemy of Israel • Except for a short time during Solomon’s reign when he made an alliance with Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter • But generally speaking, Egypt opposed Israel… either by allying with Israel’s enemies or seeking to make Israel a vassal state of Egypt • So, by the time we come to Chapter 25… only a few years have passed since Pharaoh Neco invaded Palestine, conquered Jerusalem, carried away King Jehoahaz and set up his brother, Eliakim, as a puppet king • When Pharaoh Neco does this, he changes Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim • The rise of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar was considered a threat to Egyptian supremacy in the region • So Pharaoh sought to resist Babylon’s efforts to conquer the region, but they were soon put on the defensive • Thus we have this prophecy concerning Egypt that was given around 587 B.C. Ezekiel 29:3–6 (NKJV) 3 Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, Who has said, ‘My River is my own; I have made it for myself.’ 4 But I will put hooks in your jaws, And cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales; I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, And all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales. 5 I will leave you in the wilderness, You and all the fish of your rivers; You shall fall on the open field; You shall not be picked up or gathered. I have given you as food To the beasts of the field And to the birds of the heavens. 6 “Then all the inhabitants of Egypt Shall know that I am the LORD, Because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. God describes Pharaoh as a great crocodile, a monster • The crocodile god was Sebek, the protector of Egypt Ezekiel © 2015 Holland Davis

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• Something we need to understand is when God judges a nation, He is actually judging the false god of the nation • God describes what he is going to do to Pharaoh, who is the human representative of this false god • God says that Pharaoh will be caught and the dead body will be left on the land for food • Now why is God judging the false gods of Egypt? So that the people will know who the One true God is… Egypt will know that I am the Lord Ezekiel 29:8–16 (NKJV) 8 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will bring a sword upon you and cut off from you man and beast. 9 And the land of Egypt shall become desolate and waste; then they will know that I am the LORD, because he said, ‘The River is mine, and I have made it.’ 10 Indeed, therefore, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Ethiopia. 11 Neither foot of man shall pass through it nor foot of beast pass through it, and it shall be uninhabited forty years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and among the cities that are laid waste, her cities shall be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.” 13 ‘Yet, 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 bring back the captives of Egypt and cause them to return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom. 15 It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore. 16 No longer shall it be the confidence of the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity when they turned to follow them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” ’ ” • The Pharaoh at this time is Hophra and apparently he was claiming to be the owner and creator of the Nile River • God says… so you’re claiming to be the owner and the creator? • Okay… then I’m against you and your rivers • God says He will bring a sword upon them… a reference to the Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzar • Vs. 12 says that Egypt will be scattered among the nations for 40 years Ezekiel © 2015 Holland Davis

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VANTAGE POINT: EZEKIEL

 

• Historical records tell us Babylon conquered Egypt around 568 B.C • Vs. 13 says Egypt will be resettled which happened 40 years after Egypt was conquered when the Persians instituted a policy of resettlement for many of the people dispersed by Babylon • And as history confirmes, Egypt has never become a world power again Ezekiel 29:18–21 (NKJV) 18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,’ says the Lord GOD. 21 ‘In that day I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to spring forth, and I will open your mouth to speak in their midst. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.’ ” • God is saying that Nebuchadnezzar was his servant and He destroyed Tyrus and neither he nor his army got paid for it • So God says that when they conquer Egypt, they can have the spoils as payment for their lack of pay in the destruction of Tyrus Chapter 30 Ezekiel 30:2–4 (NKJV) 30 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Wail, ‘Woe to the day!’ 3 For the day is near, Even the day of the LORD is near; It will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles. 4 The sword shall come upon Egypt, And great anguish shall be in Ethiopia, When the slain fall in Egypt, And they take away her wealth, And her foundations are broken down. Chapter 30 is a lamentation… • The sword of Nebuchadnezzar has come to Egypt and not only Egypt, but the nations surrounding it… Ethiopia, Put, all the mingled people (Arabia), Chub (Lybia) and all the nations who are allied (Judah) • We only see the natural, but often what we see in the natural is a reflection of the spiritual Ezekiel © 2015 Holland Davis

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• As God is judging Egypt, He is really judging the idols, which represent the demonic powers of Egypt Ezekiel 30:13–19 (NKJV) 13 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also destroy the idols, And cause the images to cease from Noph (a center of idol worship); There shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt (from this time until today, no prince of Egyptian blood has ruled Egypt); I will put fear in the land of Egypt. 14 I will make Pathros desolate, Set fire to Zoan (the land of Goshen where the people of Israel were located), And execute judgments in No (Thebes, a center of idolatry). 15 I will pour My fury on Sin, the strength of Egypt; I will cut off the multitude of No, 16 And set a fire in Egypt; Sin shall have great pain, No shall be split open, And Noph shall be in distress daily. 17 The young men of Aven and Pi Beseth shall fall by the sword, And these cities shall go into captivity. 18 At Tehaphnehes (a place where the Jews gathered) the day shall also be darkened, When I break the yokes of Egypt there. And her arrogant strength shall cease in her; As for her, a cloud shall cover her, And her daughters shall go into captivity. 19 Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt, Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ” • (Vs. 20-26) God says that any attempt that Egypt makes to defend himself will be futile • Egypt will be scattered among the nations and they will know that He is the Lord Chapter 31 • In Chapters 29 & 30 God is judging the nation of Egypt, but Chapter 31 is God’s judgment against Pharaoh himself • Ezekiel uses a parable in which he likens Assyria to a great cedar tree in Lebanon (Lebanon was famous for cedar trees) • Assyria included the location of the garden of Eden which was between the two rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris • And just as Assyria was dependent on these rivers, so Egypt was dependent on the Nile • As Assyria grew in power, it also grew in it’s own sense of superiority and dependency on their false idols • So God judged them… Nineveh and all the cities of Assyria fell before vast floods and invading armies • God compares the fate of Assyria to Egypt’s fate Ezekiel © 2015 Holland Davis

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Ezekiel 31:10–12 (NKJV) 10 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have increased in height, and it set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was lifted up in its height, 11 therefore I will deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations, and he shall surely deal with it; I have driven it out for its wickedness. 12 And aliens, the most terrible of the nations, have cut it down and left it; its branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys; its boughs lie broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the peoples of the earth have gone from under its shadow and left it. • The reason that God gives for the judgment is his pride… his heart was lifted up • It’s extremely difficult for men to handle a position of power or authority • Especially when they are ruling over other men • You remember that Jeremiah warned Judah against trusting in Egypt and now we know why • They will be judged by Babylon and their former glory will come to an end Ezekiel 31:18 (NKJV) 18 ‘To which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the depths of the earth; you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,’ says the Lord GOD.” • The reference to the trees of Eden has to do with the fact that the location of Eden was in Assyria • As long as Pharaoh lifts himself up against God, he will face the same doom as Assyria Chapter 32 • God sent message after message to Pharaoh through Moses • But Pharaoh hardened his heart towards God which eventually resulted in judgment • God gave a series of warnings through Ezekiel to Pharaoh… but Pharaoh refuses to repent • God laments over his unrepentant heart Ezekiel © 2015 Holland Davis

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Ezekiel 32:2–8 (NKJV) 32 2 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him: ‘You are like a young lion among the nations, And you are like a monster in the seas, Bursting forth in your rivers, Troubling the waters with your feet, And fouling their rivers.’ 3 “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘I will therefore spread My net over you with a company of many people, And they will draw you up in My net. 4 Then I will leave you on the land; I will cast you out on the open fields, And cause to settle on you all the birds of the heavens. And with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth. 5 I will lay your flesh on the mountains, And fill the valleys with your carcass. 6 ‘I will also water the land with the flow of your blood, Even to the mountains; And the riverbeds will be full of you. 7 When I put out your light, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, And the moon shall not give her light. 8 All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you, And bring darkness upon your land,’ Says the Lord GOD. • Interesting that the judgment that God brings against Egypt is reminiscent of the previous judgment during the time of Moses • While other nations are watching from a distance the defeat of Pharaoh • They have no idea that God will also judge those who are allied with Egypt through His servant Nebuchadnezzar… which would include them Ezekiel 32:11–12 (NKJV) 11 “For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you12 ‘By the swords of the mighty warriors, all of them the most terrible of the nations, I will cause your multitude to fall. “They shall plunder the pomp of Egypt, And all its multitude shall be destroyed. • Apparently the destruction would be so total that even the animals (Water Buffalos) will be destroyed beside it’s great waters (vs. 13) Ezekiel 32:17–21 (NKJV) 17 It came to pass also in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 18 “Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, And cast them down to the depths of the earth, Her and the daughters of the famous nations, With those who go down to the Pit: 19 ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down, be placed with the Ezekiel © 2015 Holland Davis

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uncircumcised.’ 20 “They shall fall in the midst of those slain by the sword; She is delivered to the sword, Drawing her and all her multitudes. 21 The strong among the mighty Shall speak to him out of the midst of hell With those who help him: ‘They have gone down, They lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’ • If you noticed, before each of the lamentations there is a date given • God is recording each warning He gives Egypt, building a case against them and this is the final message • He not only speaks of Egypt, but He speaks of the various nations that God is dealing with at this time • Ezekiel is told to wail for the multitude of Egypt • They had forgotten God, their time on earth has come to an end and they are about to be sent to Sheol Ezekiel 32:22–23 (NKJV) 22 “Assyria is there, and all her company, With their graves all around her, All of them slain, fallen by the sword. 23 Her graves are set in the recesses of the Pit, And her company is all around her grave, All of them slain, fallen by the sword, Who caused terror in the land of the living. • Assyria is already there, Elam (Ancient Persia) is there, Meshech and Tubal are there, Edom is there… all conquered by Babylon Ezekiel 32:31–32 (NKJV) 31 “Pharaoh will see them And be comforted over all his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army, Slain by the sword,” Says the Lord GOD. 32 “For I have caused My terror in the land of the living; And he shall be placed in the midst of the uncircumcised With those slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude,” Says the Lord GOD. • God is speaking through the destruction of these nations to Pharaoh to let Him know that he will be added to the list • Basically, this list includes all the nations that refused to heed the voice of God’s prophets • This ends the 2nd section of Ezekiel Chapter 33 • God begins to instruct the captives in Babylon Ezekiel © 2015 Holland Davis

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VANTAGE POINT: EZEKIEL

 

Ezekiel 33:2–6 (NKJV) 2 “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’ • God is holding Ezekiel responsible for speaking the Word of God to them • He likens Ezekiel to a watchman that has been sent to warn the people of an impending invasion • If the watchman sees the enemy coming and he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then he’s done his job • How the people respond to the watchman is not his responsibility • It’s the responsibility of the people • But if the watchman doesn’t warn the people, then God says He will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths • But it you warn them, they are responsible for themselves. As representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are like watchman • God has sent us to warn the people that Jesus is coming soon • Now, what they do with it is up to them • It’s not my job to strong arm people into heaven, it’s my job to simply share the love of God with them and leave the results to God • The only way I can do that is to realize that the Holy Spirit is the One who does the work of conviction and drawing people to Christ So God says to Ezekiel… you’re a watchman Ezekiel 33:7–11 (NKJV) 7 “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Ezekiel © 2015 Holland Davis

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Me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. 10 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?” ’ 11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’ • The House of Israel had become hopeless • They were saying that God was determined to judge them, what could they do about it? • But Ezekiel answers… God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked • He wants everyone to live… and that is true Ezekiel 33:12–13 (NKJV) 12 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’ 13 When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die. • One of the complaints against God is how can a God of love send a man to hell? • The complaint is wrong • God doesn’t send anyone to hell, they go there by their own choice • God has given us free will • He doesn’t force me to love Him. He doesn’t force me to serve Him. • He gives me a choice • God will do everything short of violating my choice to bring me into His kingdom. • But if I refuse His love, He isn’t going to make me go to heaven • Now some people will still say it’s not fair Ezekiel © 2015 Holland Davis

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Ezekiel 33:17–20 (NKJV) 17 “Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the LORD is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair! 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it. 19 But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it. 20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the LORD is not fair.’ O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways.” • Man is prone to making excuses, but God says there will be no excuse • The remaining part of this chapter forms a section of prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem (Vs. 21-22) The news finally arrives that Jerusalem has been captured • During this time, the Lord told Ezekiel that he would be mute • So in verse 22 we read that Ezekiel was no more dumb (my theme verse) (Vs. 23-29) Ezekiel is telling those in captivity the cause of Judah’s ruin Ezekiel 33:25–26 (NKJV) 25 “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You eat meat with blood, you lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land? 26 You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you defile one another’s wives. Should you then possess the land?” ’ • They were saying… hey the land was given to Abraham and we deserve it • God says, just because you’re a descendant of Abraham doesn’t mean you’re entitled to anything • However, because of your idolatry the land will be desolate (Vs. 30-33) Really the problem is they are hearers and not doers Ezekiel 33:31–33 (NKJV) 31 So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. 32 Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can Ezekiel © 2015 Holland Davis

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play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them. 33 And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.” • Everyone loved listening to Ezekiel, but they weren’t interested in obeying God’s Word… it was entertainment for them • For many, church is entertainment… big business • But really, church is a place to meet with God

Ezekiel © 2015 Holland Davis