Read Ezekiel 29
A Prophecy Against Egypt
Judgment on Pharaoh
29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 3 Speak to him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
you great monster lying among your streams.
You say, “The Nile belongs to me;
I made it for myself.”
4 But I will put hooks in your jaws
and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales.
I will pull you out from among your streams,
with all the fish sticking to your scales.
5 I will leave you in the desert,
you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open field
and not be gathered or picked up.
I will give you as food
to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky.
6 Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.
“‘You have been a staff of reed for the people of Israel. 7 When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.
8 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will bring a sword against you and kill both man and beast. 9 Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
“‘Because you said, “The Nile is mine; I made it,” 10 therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush. 11 The foot of neither man nor beast will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.
13 “‘Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered. 14 I will bring them back from captivity and return them to Upper Egypt, the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations. I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations. 16 Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence for the people of Israel but will be a reminder of their sin in turning to her for help. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’”
Nebuchadnezzar’s Reward
17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bareand every shoulder made raw. Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre. 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lordsays: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for his army.20 I have given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign Lord.
21 “On that day I will make a horn grow for the Israelites, and I will open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Go Deeper
Ezekiel 29 marks the beginning of another one of Ezekiel’s long-running prophecies–this time concerning Egypt. Much like the King of Tyre, Egypt’s pharaoh (named Hophra) and its people had grown prideful. Israel and Egypt had a complicated relationship. Even though the Israelites had been held as slaves by the Egyptians for 400 years, the Israelites had a tendency to look to Egypt in times of trouble when they needed someone to bail them out. This habit dated all the way back to Abraham in Genesis 12. Why was this problematic? Because every time Israel was in a bind and looked to Egypt for rescue, that was one more time that they weren’t looking to God. David Guzik, author of the Enduring Word commentary, says this:
“One reason God would bring Egypt low and diminish them was so that Israel would no longer put their misplaced trust in Egypt. The lowly, diminished state of Egypt would remind them of their iniquity when they turned to follow them (v. 16).”
Pharaoh is compared to “a great monster in the streams” (v. 3). Some translations of scripture translate that word to “crocodile.” God also calls out the pride He saw in Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They claimed credit for the Nile River and all the benefits that came with it, as if they were responsible for placing it there. They failed to acknowledge God as the creator and sustainer of the universe and judgment was headed their way.
Reading this story is reminiscent of other Old Testament stories (like the Tower of Babel or the Golden Calf) where the temptation to be God-like creeps in. Our pride swells and we start claiming credit for things that are either the work of God or we start trying to play the role of God ourselves. Instead, let’s remember to clothe ourselves in humility daily (1 Peter 5:5) and submit ourselves to the work of the Father.
Questions
- What stuck out to you during your first read through of this chapter? Why?
- This is part of another one of Ezekiel’s multi-chapter oracles. What is similar about this one to the others? What is different?
- Are there any areas of your life where you’re trying to “play God”? Where do you need to submit your own wants/desires in order to do what God is asking of you?
Keep Digging
Whenever geographical locations are mentioned in scripture, it can be helpful to visualize them on a map. Check out this helpful tool from OpenBible.info!
4 thoughts on “Ezekiel 29”
Where do we look for help in time of need? Strangely all our wealth, social standing, or earthly treasures are devoid of comfort when hard times knock at our door. Israel learned a hard lesson when they sought help from Egypt (who had once enslaved their people for over 400 years) as v4 tells this about them, “for you collapsed like a reed when Israel looked to you for help.” Israel stooped low when reaching out to their ancient enemy and it didn’t end well. Yet God in his mercy hasn’t abandoned them. Matthew 6:21 reveals that “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Above all we are to guard our hearts to seek and serve God foremost. Today, let’s choose to turn our face toward Jesus and away from the earthly things that never fill our souls.
All moments of life, now that we are believer in Jesus, should be focused in on Him. All we say, do, think, should be with God in the front of us. We forget in an instance. We make it all about ourselves. The Israelites remembered the good things about Egypt and not the bad. God is first, period, the end. We were created for Him, by Him and He will make sure that we are worshipping Him and Him alone. He loves us beyond our comprehension. We must seek to apprehend Him with all our heart, soul, mind so that our reality is in line with His reality for us. Do you just believe that there is a God or do you really seek Him, to know Him, to see Him, to hear Him?
God I will bless You, Lord at all times: Your praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall boast in You Lord: the humble shall hear be glad. I will magnify You Lord and exalt Your name forever. I sought You Lord, and You heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. As I look on You and are lightened: and I pray that I am not ashamed. I cried, and the Lord heard me, and saved me out of all my troubles. I will taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is me that trusteth in him. I will fear the Lord, for there is no want to them that fear him. (Psalm 34) God this is my hearts desire. Guide me, show me and help me to having You first!!! in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!
I love this. I printed it out to pray over that The Lord makes this so real in me
It seems relevant to today’s crisis in Gaza. The reference in vs.10 to the area between Migdol (present day Nazareth) and Aswan (Egypt) is pretty desolate up to today.