Blog

In the previous chapter, we read of the coming good shepherd who would look after Israel. In some ways, that passage served as a breath of fresh air for us and pointed towards Jesus. Today’s reading begins another prophecy against another group of people who were facing God’s judgment. God had heard their mocking and their boasting against Him, and they were about to face a reckoning because of their contempt towards God. 

In seasons of abundance and peace, it can be easy to forget that we serve a God who fiercely protects His people. Nations that bring war and violence against Israel are met with a righteous justice, and those who seek to occupy the land in Israel’s weakness will ultimately be conquered. In a day and age when we turn on the news and see Hamas waging war and terror against the people of Israel, the words of Ezekiel are particularly prescient. God will not permit the wicked to prosper at the expense of His people—at least not for long. God’s timing is impossible for us to know, but His values and promises are always proven true. Those who seek to destroy His people are always the ones who will be destroyed.   

In today’s passage, Ezekiel is told to prophesy against Mount Seir, which was at the center of the Edomite empire. Edom and Israel had a long history of conflict, and God was now promising an all-consuming ruin. Their cities would be desolate. Their mountains and valleys would be filled with the slain. God says, “I will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred.” While it would be easy for us to read the current war between Israel and Hamas into this passage, what is more appropriate is to be comforted by the overriding truth of God’s character, nature, and victory. He protects us. He watches over us. And no matter what today’s headlines bring, He will be victorious.  

This chapter begins with an indictment against the shepherds of Israel. Metaphorically, “shepherd” is referring to Israel’s spiritual and political leaders. The Lord was against these shepherds and was demanding His flock from them (v. 10). These leaders were selfish and sought to care for themselves rather than the flock that was entrusted to them. The Lord calls out these shepherds saying, “Shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?” (v. 2). They were neglecting their responsibility to the people of Israel. 

He continues saying, “You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals” (v. 4-5). As a result of Israel’s lack of leadership, people were confused, lost, and easy targets. This echoes what Jesus observed in Matthew 9:36. It says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” 

In contrast to the unfaithful shepherds of Israel, we see the Lord declare that He is the good shepherd who will intervene to rescue His flock. He promises to search for His sheep, to gather them, to care for them, and to deliver them from where they had been scattered. God promised to step in and place one Shepherd from the line of David over the people. (v. 23). This prophecy was fulfilled through Jesus Christ, the son of David. Jesus states in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” 

It is helpful to read this passage, in the context of where Israel was at. They were in exile in a foreign land and might have been asking the question: Is God who He says He is and is He still good? We might not be in exile today like the Israelites were, however, we might be asking the same question: Is God who He says He is and is He still good? This was a reminder to the Israelites in exile and to us today that our Shepherd is good, faithful, and worthy of following. He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside still waters. He restores our soul and leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:2-3). He pursues us with His goodness and love every single day. We lack no good thing when we follow the good shepherd.

Ezekiel 33 is one of the weightiest commands in all of Scripture. God assigns Ezekiel as a watchman for the house of Israel. A watchman was a well-known military title for those who would stand at the city wall, watch for danger, and warn the people. This passage is sobering and eye-opening; to whom much is given, much is expected (Luke 12:48). 

The watchman would be responsible for warning everyone of God’s coming judgment and presenting an opportunity to repent and be rescued from God’s coming wrath. However, if the watchman failed to warn the people there were clear consequences. The people would die as a result of their sins and the watchman’s punishment was death. The calling was specific to Ezekiel and yet the principle still applies today in two prominent ways. Primarily, every person who has trusted in Jesus for their salvation has a responsibility to share the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20). Furthermore, the shepherds of God’s sheep, the elders who will give account for the flock also share this responsibility (Hebrews 13:17). This assignment reveals two key insights: the heart of God and the responsibility of man. 

God’s heart that all would repent and live. We see this in Ezekiel 33:11. The apostle Peter states a similar sentiment in 2 Peter 3:9 saying, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Like a watchman, Ezekiel’s assignment was to warn the people of a coming judgment they had brought on themselves. Along with that, he was to tell the people to repent, turn back to God, and receive mercy. This is God’s kindness to warn us. 

Man’s responsibility is to tell everyone of the coming wrath of God. God, from the beginning, has used a variety of people to accomplish His grand rescue mission. What did all these men and women have in common? They were available and yielded to God’s assignment over their own. In God’s kingdom, the greatest ability is availability. For believers, the call is to share the good news of Jesus with everyone. As Paul said in Romans 10:14-15, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”. Will we neglect the weighty assignment God has given all His followers or will we be those who lose our life for the sake of the Gospel?

In Ezekiel 32, we read the sixth and seventh oracles concerning Egypt. What began in Ezekiel 29 is coming to a conclusion in this chapter. These final two oracles, which took place about two weeks apart, are both considered to be laments. Throughout much of Ezekiel, the pattern stays the same: there is an announcement of judgment and destruction coming, followed by a lament. Pastor David Platt describes these lamentations as “a deep, passionate expression of grief or sorrow”, which is exactly what we read here. 

As we read these words, we see how charged the language is. It’s very clear that judgment is coming for Pharaoh. This first oracle is personal, directed at Pharaoh. A consistent theme throughout scripture is that leadership is important and leading others astray has dire consequences. Reading this passage, it is clear that Pharaoh consistently failed the Egyptian people by standing in direct opposition to God. 

The second oracle is directed at Egypt as a whole. It’s a tough section to read, as the Egyptians are told that they are headed to sheol, or “the realm of the dead.” Because of their wickedness, they have ended up separated from God–and they’re not the only ones. In sheol, they are surrounded by many others: the Assyrians, Pharaoh and his armies…they’re all there among the dead. Some Old Testament scholars describe this passage as the most vivid description of sheol that we’re given in all of the Old Testament. 

Reading this passage is heavy. Obviously, so much of the book of Ezekiel points to impending judgment. Egypt is not the first nation whose downfall is discussed, but it might be the most descriptive. As we read this passage, let it remind us of two things. First, let it serve as a reminder to us that every day there are people around us who are far from God and if they died today, they would end up separated from Him. Second, it can remind us that we have been given a Great Commission (Matthew 28) to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth and to make disciples in the name of Jesus. Ezekiel 32 can serve as an extra motivator today to make the most of every opportunity presented to us today.

Ezekiel 31 is a continuation of a prophecy against Egypt that began a couple of chapters prior. What takes place in this chapter is interesting: Ezekiel uses the image of a great cedar tree as a metaphor for Assyria, all while trying to warn Egypt of what is coming their way. Why Assyria? And why a tree? Assyria had, at one point, been the most powerful nation on earth. For centuries their territory grew and they asserted their dominance over all the nations around them until Nebuchadnezzar conquered Nineveh (the capital) and eventually took control of the entire nation. 

Assyria, like a giant cedar tree, had grown and grown. Its proximity to the Tigris and Euphrates had helped it prosper and flourish. Their influence was great. Other nations found “shelter” underneath it and had become reliant on it. Egypt was similar. For centuries Egypt had prospered, in part because of their proximity to the Nile River and others had come to be dependent on it as well. Because Assyria had become too prideful, God allowed it to be chopped down by a foreign army (v. 11-12).  

Tara-Leigh Cobble of The Bible Recap says, “Ezekiel tells this story about Assyria for two reasons: to illustrate that no nation is indestructible and to let Egypt know they’ll see the same end.” Humans have always looked for ways to be immortal and to find ways to insulate and protect ourselves from any harm or destruction. But Egypt, try as they might, cannot escape God’s judgment. Any of us who grow like a cedar tree, only to turn around and become prideful are due the same judgment without a heart of repentance. 

Reading this passage through the lens of the Gospel, we are reminded of all the ways that the story of Jesus’s life on earth is the exact opposite of pride. From a lowly birth in a manger in Bethlehem to humiliation on the cross, Jesus embodied true humility. The call on our lives is to pick up our own cross and follow Jesus today with all that we have.

Ezekiel 30 continues the prophetic and detailed description of the fall of Egypt to the Babylonian empire led by Nebuchadnezzar around 600 B.C. The judgment of God is mentioned over and over through these 26 verses. Through God’s word to his prophet Ezekiel, He describes the destruction of this mighty nation telling us the how and why from God’s perspective.

All of Egypt and its surrounding provinces fell for three reasons. First, Egypt’s pride in its wealth, world position, and fertile soils turned its heart into a nation of arrogance and oppression towards all foreigners including the nation of Israel and its people. Second, Egypt was a nation full of idolatry. Its name and those of its provinces was based on the creator god named Ptah which they worshiped as creator of the world through his speech. Ptah also then gave life to all other gods through his heart and voice. It was a polytheistic nation although, in many parts of the Bible, Egypt appeared to be a place of refuge for the nation of Israel. 

As history showed, it became a place of bondage and darkness for both Israel and Judah.  Thirdly, the pride of Pharaoh, as a self-proclaimed god, led to the Lord speaking in verse 24, “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 groaning of a wounded man.” In simpler words, Pharaoh was removed from power and never returned. 

The message in this for us today is simple. We all must be wise enough as Christians to see that the perceived powers of this world will ultimately fail us as it failed the Egyptians.  Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” The Egyptians’ pride of life, wealth, provision, production, people, appearance and more, led to God proclaiming His sovereign judgment using the Babylonians as his tool of fire, destruction, and desolation of all the things they valued. The God we serve is an awesome, all-powerful God that deserves our praise and worship from the deepest part of our hearts. One can see that living by the world’s standards of wealth, power, and position, can lead us into dark worlds far away from what God wants for each of us. 

The pride of the flesh is real, and we must guard against this consuming our hearts, our lives, and our worship. God sent His son Jesus Christ, to reveal His perfect love toward us. All of our hopes and dreams can be realized in Christ, and Ephesians 3:20 tells us, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” As we walk with Him, our lives will be filled with His spirit that will then pour itself out to everyone around us. The Lord can joyously proclaim His words from this chapter over us saying, “and they will know that I am the Lord.”

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.

The Oxford Dictionary defines pride as “the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s own importance,” and Ezekiel 28 demonstrates God’s response when His creation, humans, become prideful through prophecies against the ruler of Tyre, against the nation of Sidon, and for the people of Israel. 

In the first part of the chapter, God focuses on the leader of Tyre, who allowed the amassing of wealth and wisdom to distort his perspective of who he was. Rather than using his wisdom and wealth for God’s purposes and recognizing God’s blessing, the king of Tyre became prideful and thought of these achievements as his own. The prophecy shares how God will correct the ruler of Tyre’s perspective by allowing the destruction of the kingdom and his death.

The nation of Sidon was about 20 miles away from Tyre, and the history of the two are often intertwined. Based on Ezekiel’s prophecy against Sidon in verses 20-23, it seems the nation also had grown proud and forgotten why they were blessed. God shares that difficult times will also come to Sidon to remind them “that I am the Lord.”

The nation of Israel had been proud, as well, (see the entire Old Testament) and lost their land, wealth, and wisdom by being dispersed throughout the region. The prophecy for the people of Israel was one of redemption. God shares He will bring them together, return their land, and protect them so that “they will know I am the Lord their God.” 

As humans, we often grow proud of our accomplishments: the job we have, the degree we earned, the appearance we present, the house we bought, and the money we make. These achievements are not sinful in themselves, it’s what we do with these things and how we allow them to affect us that makes the difference. Proverbs 3 states “Honor the Lord with your wealth,” and “Blessed are those who find wisdom,” and it warns “do not despise the Lord’s discipline,and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” 

God wants good for us. And He wants us to remember that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

The previous chapter detailed Ezekiel’s prophecy over the city of Tyre. This chapter opens with a lament for Tyre. A prophecy is defined as the act of proclaiming a message from God. A lament, on the other hand, is to express deep regret, grief, or sorrow.

Ezekiel 27 describes Tyre as a beautiful ship and gives us intricate details of the magnificence of this ancient city. The description given to us in verses 4-6 tell us that this city had superior construction. We learn in verse 7 that it had impressive decoration. The list of the crew and their origins in verses 8-11 tell us that it had first class personnel. Ezekiel 27:11 says that all of these things “they made perfect your beauty.” The city of Tyre was perfectly constructed, perfectly decorated, and perfectly staffed…just like a mighty, beautiful, well-run ship!

Verses 12-26 detail out an impressive list of people and places that Tyre traded with. If we were to mark all of these on a map, we would understand that although small in territory, Tyre had a far-reaching impact on the world and could be considered an economic powerhouse. So why the call for lament? Why would Ezekiel express regret, grief, or sorrow over a mighty, beautiful, and economically successful place?

It’s important for us to note that as we read about the beauty, strength, and success of the city of Tyre, there is no mention anywhere of God. The people of Tyre cared a lot about their business and appearance but gave little or no regard to God. In addition to being a famous commercial center, Tyre was known for its wickedness and idolatry. Ezekiel was not the first prophet to predict its destruction (Isaiah, Joel, Amos, and Zechariah did as well!).

Deuteronomy 8:18 says “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your father, as it is this day.” The people of Tyre were more concerned with acquiring wealth and success and stature than they were with remembering God. The very next verse in Deuteronomy says “And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.” 

This is exactly what happened to Tyre. The entire city perished. This chapter ends with a very solemn statement: “You have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.” God desired their obedience. He gave them more than one chance to repent. But they consistently chose the superior construction, the impressive decoration, and the first class personnel over the provision that the creator of the universe was willing to give them in exchange for their hearts. That choice grieves the heart of God and is worthy of lament.

Ezekiel’s prophecies have begun to shift toward God’s judgment on nearby nations. The previous chapter began this series by focusing on Ammon, and the current chapter concentrates on God’s judgment regarding the city of Tyre. Located along the Mediterranean coast, Tyre served as an important point of commerce for the region. Tyre was a wealthy city that viewed Jerusalem’s fall as a commercial opportunity. In essence, Tyre claimed that Jerusalem’s destruction was “good for business.” God’s judgment fell on this city, and Ezekiel tells of “many nations” that would rise against Tyre. 

Tyre’s commercial power will be wiped away as a part of God’s judgment. In fact, Tyre will be absolutely demolished down to “a bare rock, a place where only fishnets can be spread” (v. 14). God plans to destroy Tyre as if vast waves of the sea overtook the city. From Ezekiel’s words we can imagine Tyre’s utter destruction equal to that of a giant tsunami overtaking a city, destroying everything and everyone in its path.

God promised that the same king who destroyed Jerusalem would take over Tyre. And in fact, not long after Ezekiel’s prophecy, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, laid siege to Tyre for thirteen years. The prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar’s ravaging invasion paints a grim picture: battering rams against Tyre’s walls, dust hovering everywhere from so many horses and wagons overtaking the city, and throwing the city’s houses into the sea. It all points to the downfall of a powerful city of the sea. History tells us that the Persians, Alexander the Great, Antiochus III, Rome, and finally the Saracens (who annihilated the city completely in 14th century AD) all followed Nebuchadnezzar in its rule against Tyre. All fulfilled the prophecy of “many nations” rising against Tyre. 

Ezekiel’s prophecy of the destruction of Tyre teaches us that God is sovereign and powerful. God does not take pleasure in destruction, but we are reminded that there are consequences of sin and rebellion. Ezekiel speaks boldly of the future. Let’s also speak boldly about the future. Let’s tell others what will or will not happen for their future in eternity. Salvation through Jesus Christ guarantees a future of eternity with our Heavenly Father in heaven. Without salvation, this future does not exist. Let’s be bold with this gospel message, like Ezekiel.