Ezekiel 30 “Egypt’s Punishment Divine Decree”

‘Thus says the Lord God, “I will also make the hordes of Egypt cease by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.” (v.10)

The punishment inflicted by the king of Babylon on Egypt was directly from God; it was His sword in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Ezekiel correctly saw that Babylon was the executor of a Divine decree.

Back in chapter 29, God had promised to punish Egypt (29:8-9) and said through the prophet Ezekiel, "I will give Egypt to king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, along with all of her wealth." So we see God using a pagan nation to destroy another, and accomplishing His prophetic word through an unlikely source.

And just as that day of judgment came for Egypt, so it comes for all men. Nothing has changed, the Day of the Lord is still on schedule, we just don’t know when He will arrive. For those with hardened hearts, who are absent of faith, who continue to live in a life of sin, bear false witness, worships a false God, a terrible fate awaits them, a final judgement.  On that day, they will know there is only one God for, "every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, Jesus Christ is LORD."

 The Truth: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6)

Ezekiel 29 “Prophesy Against Pharaoh”

“In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.” (vv.1-2)

Pharaoh, king of Egypt, claimed to be the Nile’s owner and originator. He and all Egypt boasted, “My River is my own; I have made it for myself” (vv.3,9). Romans 11:36 says, “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.” He is the One who also endows humanity with the ability to manufacture and invent man-made resources. 

Only God can provide a river in a desert as a life sustaining resource. It is arrogance and prideful to presume a nation, or its leader, or a hyper spirit of nationalism, could take credit for what He has created. To God should have been the glory, not man. As a result, God promised to punish the nation (vv.8-9), and gave Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who would carry off all its wealth” (v.19).

God is in control, not us, and we must never lose sight of that. He owns everything: as the psalmist David wrote, “The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it,” not man's. Therefore glorify God, the One who holds this entire world together.

The Truth: “To God be the glory, great things He has done.” Fanny Crosby - 1875

Ezekiel 28 “Rebellion”

"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; O cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you." (v.17)

In his classic work, Paradise Lost, poet John Milton depicts the rebellion of Satan and a great war lasting three days. On the first two days, Satan and his followers wage war against the unfallen angels under the leadership of the archangel Michael. But on the third day, God the Father sends the Son in glorious power to do single-handed combat with the enemy. The Son rides out in His Father's chariot, and the fallen angels flee heaven in terror. With the omnipotent One at work, there was really no battle at all. Although the Bible does not detail the fall of Satan, Milton's account tells the truth about the power of God. His heavenly throne was never in danger.

Ezekiel 28 reminds us of something we tend to forget: spiritual warfare began in heaven, not on earth. When Satan exalted himself in pride, and challenged God for the rulership of the heavens, and was thrown down (v. 17), he landed on earth as the furious enemy of God and of anyone who bears the name of His Son.

Likewise, the king of Tyre was so proud, he thought he was a god and trusted completely in his own wisdom and wealth. But God would judge him by stripping away his pride and taking away his riches, and would die a shameful and violent death.

Yes Satan is a dangerous enemy and he (and his henchmen) is working overtime in this world today doing whatever they can to commandeer the lives of human beings and create rebellion against God. But Jesus sealed his ultimate fate when He rose from the dead, and has given us everything we need to withstand the devil’s attacks.

The Truth: “Greater is He that is in you than he who is in this world.” (1 John 4:4)

Ezekiel 27 “A Lament For Tyre”

“You enriched the kings of the earth with your many luxury goods and your merchandise. But, you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and the entire company will fall in the midst.” (vv.33-34)

Our reading today is a prophetic lament, a poem of serious reflection for Tyre's destruction.  Metaphorically speaking, Tyre was a ship loaded with riches that God promised to sink to the bottom of the ocean because they rejoiced in the downfall of Jerusalem and even planned to profit from it.

The first part of the poem builds a picture of the greatness of Tyre and celebrates her wealth, beauty, and economic and military power (vv.1-11). The second part expands the picture even further to show a thriving city with which the entire world was eager to trade (vv.12-25). And the third and final section shows that the bigger they are, the harder they fall (vv. 26-36), as Tyre was besieged and humbled by several invading armies, and eventually destroyed by Alexander in 332 B.C. The world would see and tremble at the spectacle of God’s judgment on this proud city.

Tyre trusted in her riches, as symbolized by a trading ship in this poem, but that object of faith ended up on the bottom of the sea because of her pride.  Pride is the enemy of God and focuses on self to such an extent that one’s thoughts do not even have room for God (Ps. 10:4). Only the Lord is worthy of human trust, He is the Rock on which we should stand! – not our wealth.

The Truth: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

Ezekiel 26 “Tyre Destroyed”

Tyre was the capital city of Phoenicia (located in modern Lebanon), north of Israel. In part an island city, Tyre was very active in business and trade. But like the nations in yesterday’s reading, they rejoiced in the downfall of Jerusalem and even planned to profit from it (v.2).

Ezekiel’s prophecy here in chapter 26 exposed their pride—they believed they could not be conquered. They made their business plans and threw noisy parties and thought the good times would never end (v.13). But God said otherwise. Destruction was coming. Tyre was besieged and humbled by several invading armies, and eventually destroyed by Alexander in 332 B.C. The world would see and tremble at the spectacle of God’s judgment on this proud city.

Pride is the enemy of God. Pride focuses on self to such an extent that one’s thoughts do not even have room for God (Ps. 10:4). Pride seeks glory for self rather than glory for God. That’s why “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). Pride has the potential to creep into every area of our lives—some people are even proud of being humble! What’s the cure? Humility through Christ Jesus.

The Truth: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Philippians 2:5-11)

Ezekiel 25 “Know When Not To Rejoice”

‘For thus says the Lord God, “Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the scorn of your soul against the land of Israel, (and the destruction of her temple) therefore, behold, I have stretched out My hand against you and I will give you for spoil to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and make you perish from the lands; I will destroy you. Thus you will know that I am the Lord.” (vv.6-7)

Proverbs warns us: “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice” (24:17). Instead, Jesus tells us that we show His love in action when we “love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us” (Matt. 5:44). By doing so, we imitate the perfect love of our Lord (5:48).

Today it is becoming a common reaction by some, who perceive a social injustice, to destroy property, defy authority, to riot, loot, and rejoice at the destruction and insurrection they have perpetrated on innocent people. These actions solve nothing and only serve to stir up more of the same.

Better to show the love of Christ (as some are doing) by helping to rebuild, not tearing down; by protecting those in need, not ignoring their cries for help; by standing for righteousness, and not partaking in unrighteousness.

Rejoice in that, celebrate that, and you will save yourself, your neighbor, and your city.

The Truth: “Dear friends, this how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:9-11)

Ezekiel 24 "Ezekiel Obeys God's Will"

And the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, behold, I am about to take from you the desire of your eyes with a blow; but you shall not mourn and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not come.” (vv.15-16)

People from different cultures mourn the death of a loved one in various ways. In some places, it is customary to hire people to wail in sorrow at the wake. In others, the death of a family member leads to elaborate rituals of mourning. In no culture, however, is it natural to do what God asked Ezekiel to do when his wife died. The Lord told him that his wife, the “desire of his eyes,” would succumb to a sudden death (24:16). Yet Ezekiel was not to mourn openly, but he was to remain silent (v.17).

Why did God ask Ezekiel to do something that seems so unfair, difficult, and unnatural? He wanted to illustrate to the people of Jerusalem that just as the prophet’s delight was taken from him, so also their delight—the temple—would be taken from them. Ezekiel pronounced God’s judgment on Israel, stating that they would lose their temple to the Babylonians. And like Ezekiel, they were told that they would not mourn in the normal way (v.23).

The destruction of the temple would be so horrifying, and their guilt and grief so overwhelming, that normal expressions of sorrow would be inadequate. Certainly not an easy road for the prophet (or the people) to walk, yet Ezekiel was faithful and obeyed God. And through his personal loss, Ezekiel put God's will above his own.

O if only man would seek to do the will of God and not his own. If he would love his neighbor as himself, this world would be much better off.

The Truth:  “'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Ezekiel 23 "Parable of Two Sisters"

Here in chapter 23 we see a parable of two sisters who were prostitutes (23:1–21). These sisters stand for Israel and Judah in the days of the divided kingdom. Idolatry and political alliances with pagan nations constituted unfaithfulness to the Lord. The people should have been relying on God alone and worshiping Him. Instead, their disobedience is seen in the sisters’ lustful, indiscriminate lewdness.

Throughout the many prophecies of impending judgment, God through Ezekiel continuously urged the Israelites to confess their sins and return to Him, and walk again in His light. But sadly, they continued in the evil ways ignoring His love and mercy toward their future, and suffered unnecessarily His righteous judgment.

As Christians, we also have this privilege of forgiveness through confession of sin. If we think we’re walking without sin, we’re kidding ourselves. God’s work of sanctification in our lives is not yet complete; therefore, confession needs to be a regular spiritual discipline in our lives to keep us in fellowship with Him. When we confess and repent, we enjoy God’s forgiveness and walk again in His light.

The Truth: "This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:5–10)