“To which among the trees of Eden are you (Egypt) thus equal in glory and greatness? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth beneath; you will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those who were slain by the sword. So is Pharaoh and all his hordes!” ’ declares the Lord God.” (v.18)
This fifth oracle against Egypt features a splendid, impressive cedar tree representing Assyria (31:1–18). Assyria had been a superpower, but God used Babylon to bring her down. That downfall should be a lesson to Egypt (and all nations): Military power and political supremacy guarantee nothing.
In our reading today, Pharaoh and his multitude are portrayed as a tree towering over the tops of the other trees, so that fowls and beasts took refuge in its branches, and beneath its boughs. This tree is brought down, and the nations depart from under its shadow. The proud king is then described as passing into Sheol (the underworld of the dead), which causes a commotion of the other fallen ones, who find satisfaction that he too is brought low.
The point of this oracle is that God is in control of history. It is He that raises up kingdoms and brings them down as His justice decrees. We have seen it throughout history and we shall continue to see it, until the last tyrant, the Man of Sin himself, will be destroyed by the brightness of the coming of the Lord.
The Truth: “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
This fifth oracle against Egypt features a splendid, impressive cedar tree representing Assyria (31:1–18). Assyria had been a superpower, but God used Babylon to bring her down. That downfall should be a lesson to Egypt (and all nations): Military power and political supremacy guarantee nothing.
In our reading today, Pharaoh and his multitude are portrayed as a tree towering over the tops of the other trees, so that fowls and beasts took refuge in its branches, and beneath its boughs. This tree is brought down, and the nations depart from under its shadow. The proud king is then described as passing into Sheol (the underworld of the dead), which causes a commotion of the other fallen ones, who find satisfaction that he too is brought low.
The point of this oracle is that God is in control of history. It is He that raises up kingdoms and brings them down as His justice decrees. We have seen it throughout history and we shall continue to see it, until the last tyrant, the Man of Sin himself, will be destroyed by the brightness of the coming of the Lord.
The Truth: “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
