Ezekiel 30
-The lament over Egypt is taken up by the prophet in this
explicative chapter of Scripture. The LORD says, “Wail, 'Alas for the
day!' 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. 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 (Ezekiel 30:2-4).” Her allies will
fall with by the sword and be broken too (Ezekiel 30:5, 8). “The pride of her
power will come down” with violence being reigned upon them making the place
desolate, incapacitated, and devastated (Ezekiel 30:6-7). This, like all the
other occurrences prophesied in Ezekiel, will make KNOWN that the LORD is God
when He sets a fire in Egypt (Ezekiel 30:8). It is by the hand of none other
than Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and those with him who exact the vengeance
of the LORD in fulfillment of His decrees (Ezekiel 30:10-12). God will also
destroy the wretched idols, images, and princes of Egypt in His fury putting
fear, fire, desolation, judgments, wrath, anguish, breaches, distresses daily,
violence, captivity, darkness, clouds, and weakness upon them and their hosts.
“Thus I (the LORD) will execute judgments on Egypt, and they will KNOW that I
am the LORD (Ezekiel 30:13-19).”
-In the eleventh year of Ezekiel’s captivity in the first
month on the seventh day, the word of the LORD came to the prophet again
telling him that the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt has been broken and “it is
not bound up for healing or wrapped in a bandage.” In other words, the strength
of this once mighty position of power has been sapped and the enemy will now
come in to destroy negating any opposition. God is against Pharaoh and will
break him to the point of his people scattering among the nations in a
dispersion. The king of Babylon will be strong at this time that “they will
KNOW that I am the LORD (Ezekiel 30:20-26).”
-*Application* This message came to the prophet while
Jerusalem was under siege from the Babylonian forces. Their reliance upon a
defeated ally in the spiritual and soon physical realm was unwise and furthered
their demise. Who do we rely on when desperate times come? Look to God to
provide and supply. He is the sole Source of our sufficiency. Count only on
Him, not people, power, riches, or your government.
Verse to Memorize: Ezekiel
30:25
No comments:
Post a Comment