What I Noticed Today (Ezekiel 28-30)
Ezekiel 28
In verses 1-5, Ezekiel directs his third oracle against the ruler of Tyre. Because you have great wisdom that made you rich, you became proud.
In verses 6-10, your pride made your heart like the heart of a god. Therefore, the Lord will bring foreigners against you with a sword who will cast you down into the pit, and you will die in the seas. You thought of yourself as a god, but you will die the death of an ordinary man at the hand of foreigners.
In verses 11-19, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel against the king of Tyre.
Note: Ezekiel used the Hebrew word for king (melek) rather than the word for prince/ruler (nĕgîd) as before in verses 6-10. This is significant because Ezekiel’s only other use of the word for a king was when referring to King Jehoiachin (Ezekiel 1:2).
Scholars disagree about who the king is that Ezekiel is referring to, but the consensus (and I agree) is that this king is Satan. Several descriptors point to this being Satan:
- Verse 13. In the Garden of Eden.
- Verse 14. An anointed guardian cherub.
- Verse 15. Blameless in your ways when created.
- Verse 16. You sinned, so you were cast from the mountain of God.
- Verse 17. You were proud because of your beauty.
- Verse 17. You corrupted your wisdom for your sake.
The purpose of bringing up Satan as the King of Tyre is to compare their ends:
- Satan was cast out of heaven. Tyre would be cast down before other kings.
- Satan’s end will be the lake of fire. Tyre’s ruler was consumed by fire.
- Satan’s defeat will shock those who follow him. Tyre’s defeat will shock the nations who relied on her for trade.
In verses 20-24, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel against Sidon.
Note: Sidon was another Phoenician city about 25 miles north of Tyre. Tyre and Sidon were closely linked, so perhaps Ezekiel didn’t feel it was necessary to state the need for God’s judgment.
The Lord says He will bring pestilence and the sword against Sidon. Then they will know that He is the Lord. The judgment upon Sidon will remove the last of the thorns that had brought pain to Israel.
Note: Baal worship had entered into Israel through Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, King of Sidon (1 Kings 16:31). When Sidon is judged then, Israel will know that He is the Lord.
In verses 25-26, Ezekiel concludes, saying God will manifest His holiness by gathering the people of Israel from all the lands where they had been scattered and restore them to the land. They will dwell securely in the land. God will execute judgments on the people who opposed them. Then they will know that He is the Lord. This prophecy will be fulfilled when Christ returns for His Millennial reign.
Ezekiel 29-32
Ezekiel now turns his attention to Egypt, the last of the seven nations he prophesied against. There are seven oracles in these four chapters, all beginning with the phrase, “The word of the Lord came to me.”
Ezekiel 29
Oracle 1. In verses 1-6a, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel on the twelfth day, in the tenth month, in the tenth year, or January 5, 587 B.C. (about a year after the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem had begun). This prophecy was directed specifically at the pharaoh of Egypt.
Note: The pharaoh in Egypt at this time was Hophra. Hophra ruled Egypt from 589 B.C. – 570 B.C.
The Lord compared Hophra to a dragon that lives in the streams. Pharaoh thought of himself as a god who had created the Nile river. God said He would pluck him up out of the streams and cast him into the wilderness where he would become food for the beasts and birds. Then all the people of Egypt will know that He is the Lord.
Note: Ezekiel continues to use the “Because…Therefore…I will…” formula as he delivers these prophecies against Egypt.
In verses 6b-9, because Egypt had formed an alliance with Israel to provide support (you have been a staff or reed to Israel), but they reneged on their agreement. Therefore, the Lord promised to bring the sword against them, making them a wasteland. Then they will know that He is the Lord.
In verses 10-16, because they said they made the Nile, and it belonged to them, the Lord would make the land a desolation from Migdol (in the north) to Syene (in the south) as far as Cush. God would make the devastation last 40-years, and He would scatter the people among the nations. At the end of the 40-years, the Lord would allow them to return to their land, but they would be a lowly nation who would never rule over other nations. Then they will know that He is the Lord.
Oracle 2. In verses 17-20, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel on the first day of the first month in the 27th year, or April 26, 571 B.C. The city of Tyre surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar in 572 B.C., but there were no riches there to plunder to pay Nebuchadnezzar’s army. So the Lord gave Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar to plunder as wages for his army because Nebuchadnezzar was doing work for the Lord.
In verse 21, Ezekiel speaks of the day when God finally restores Israel and Egypt. The “horn” is a metaphor for strength or power. The reference here is to when Messiah will return and restore Israel. In this day they will know that He is the Lord.
Ezekiel 30
Oracle 3. In verses 1-5, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel in an undated prophecy. It begins with “Thus says the Lord,” which is repeated in each of the four sections of this oracle (v. 2, v. 6, v. 10, and v. 13). The day is near when the sword of judgment will come against Egypt, and all her wealth will be carried away. The judgment will affect all of Egypt’s allies as well: Cush, Put, Lud, Arabia, and Libya.
In verses 6-9, Ezekiel repeats the area of destruction will range from Migdol to Syene. All these cities will be laid waste, and then they will know that He is the Lord. The news of the judgment upon Egypt will be sent via messengers to Cush.
In verses 10-12, the devastation of Egypt will be brought by Nebuchadnezzar who will draw their swords and destroy the land. But three times the Lord says, “I will do this;” put an end to Egypt’s wealth, dry up the Nile, and bring devastation upon the land.
In verses 13-19, the Lord says “I will…” eight times as He reveals all the extent of His judgment: He will destroy idols, remove the prince, put fear in Egypt, make Pathros a desolation, set fire to Zoan, execute judgment on Thebes, pour out wrath on Pelusium, set fire to Egypt, young men will fall by the sword, women will go into captivity, the proud will come to an end, and thus He will execute judgment on Egypt, and they will know that He is the Lord.
Oracle 4. In verses 20-26, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel on the seventh day of the first month of the eleventh year, or April 29, 587 B.C.
Ezekiel describes the strength of Egypt’s army as a strong arm. God says he has broken one arm so badly it cannot be put in a splint nor will it become strong enough to hold a sword. He will also break the other arm of Egypt, making the people flee as the king of Babylon brings about the fall of the pharaoh. When God puts the sword in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar against Egypt, then they will know that He is the Lord.
