Ezekiel 29:2-20
After his first invasion of Judah during Jehoiakim’s reign, in about 602 BC. Nebuchadnezzar had established a large colony of Jewish trades people at Telabib, located on the Khabar(Chebar) river, a tributary of the Euphrates in present day Syria. The Jews blended in well with their Chaldean neighbors and the city became quite prosperous.
God placed Ezekiel in the colony as a prophet. Because the colony accepted where
God had placed them and worked with their captors, Ezekiel was not often called on to warn them against their own actions, and most of his prophecies relate to the groups around them rather than to the people of the colony.
Besides backing up Jeremiah’s prophecy warning Jerusalem to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar, Ezekiel warned those who were left in Jerusalem not to go to Egypt. About the time they decided to go, twenty seven years after Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, he gave the prophecy in Ezekiel 29.
“Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: Eze 29:3 Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales. And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.
And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it. Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.
No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.” (Ezekiel 29:2-12)
The Early dynastic period of Egypt started about 2925 BC., about three or four hundred years after the flood. They started building dams and irrigation systems, developing a civilization that had lasted for two thousand three hundred years with only three significant disruptions. They were pretty proud of their accomplishments, taking credit for their wise planning to make the kingdom last so long compared to those around them.
Because of their pride God would destroy their civilization and drive the people out, using the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar to do so. The land would lie desolate for forty years. Ezekiel’s prophecy was specifically to Egypt. Like the Assyrians in Nineveh when Jonah prophesied, the Egyptians listened to the Prophecy.
In Jeremiah 44:30 God said, “Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.”
Had Zedekiah yielded to the Babylonians, Jeremiah had told them that God promised that the Babylonians would allow them to remain in the land and prosper. Zedekiah refused and Jerusalem was razed. In 568 BC, when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt, they yielded and worked with him. As a result the people were never driven out and Egypt continued under their own rulers, and cooperating with Babylon as the forces of the Medo-Persian Emprie began to grow.
“Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered: And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.
It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 29:13-16)
Because the Egyptians did not rebel against God in refusing to let the Babylonians take over, God was merciful and they were allowed to continue as a separate country. Nevertheless, about forty years later, as described in the prophecy, Egypt was invaded by the Persian Empire, falling to them in 525 BC. Egypt would never again have the prominence she had enjoyed up until that time. They would be conquered by and ruled by various empires including the Greek, Roman, Seleucid, Ottoman, French, British and German empires.
The date of Ezekiel’s prophecy can be fairly established from Ezekiel 29:17-20. “And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD.”
The rest of Ezekiel’s prophecy against Egypt, and her various allies, such as Ethiopia and Libya, all came to pass when Persia conquered Egypt, as described in Ezekiel 30. That God allowed part of the prophecy to be unfulfilled only demonstrates the mercy of God.
After his first invasion of Judah during Jehoiakim’s reign, in about 602 BC. Nebuchadnezzar had established a large colony of Jewish trades people at Telabib, located on the Khabar(Chebar) river, a tributary of the Euphrates in present day Syria. The Jews blended in well with their Chaldean neighbors and the city became quite prosperous.
God placed Ezekiel in the colony as a prophet. Because the colony accepted where
God had placed them and worked with their captors, Ezekiel was not often called on to warn them against their own actions, and most of his prophecies relate to the groups around them rather than to the people of the colony.
Besides backing up Jeremiah’s prophecy warning Jerusalem to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar, Ezekiel warned those who were left in Jerusalem not to go to Egypt. About the time they decided to go, twenty seven years after Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, he gave the prophecy in Ezekiel 29.
“Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: Eze 29:3 Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales. And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.
And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it. Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.
No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.” (Ezekiel 29:2-12)
The Early dynastic period of Egypt started about 2925 BC., about three or four hundred years after the flood. They started building dams and irrigation systems, developing a civilization that had lasted for two thousand three hundred years with only three significant disruptions. They were pretty proud of their accomplishments, taking credit for their wise planning to make the kingdom last so long compared to those around them.
Because of their pride God would destroy their civilization and drive the people out, using the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar to do so. The land would lie desolate for forty years. Ezekiel’s prophecy was specifically to Egypt. Like the Assyrians in Nineveh when Jonah prophesied, the Egyptians listened to the Prophecy.
In Jeremiah 44:30 God said, “Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.”
Had Zedekiah yielded to the Babylonians, Jeremiah had told them that God promised that the Babylonians would allow them to remain in the land and prosper. Zedekiah refused and Jerusalem was razed. In 568 BC, when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt, they yielded and worked with him. As a result the people were never driven out and Egypt continued under their own rulers, and cooperating with Babylon as the forces of the Medo-Persian Emprie began to grow.
“Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered: And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.
It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 29:13-16)
Because the Egyptians did not rebel against God in refusing to let the Babylonians take over, God was merciful and they were allowed to continue as a separate country. Nevertheless, about forty years later, as described in the prophecy, Egypt was invaded by the Persian Empire, falling to them in 525 BC. Egypt would never again have the prominence she had enjoyed up until that time. They would be conquered by and ruled by various empires including the Greek, Roman, Seleucid, Ottoman, French, British and German empires.
The date of Ezekiel’s prophecy can be fairly established from Ezekiel 29:17-20. “And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD.”
The rest of Ezekiel’s prophecy against Egypt, and her various allies, such as Ethiopia and Libya, all came to pass when Persia conquered Egypt, as described in Ezekiel 30. That God allowed part of the prophecy to be unfulfilled only demonstrates the mercy of God.
Praise God for His mercy, and also for making His will known and for giving us clear warnings through the prophets, Christ Himself, and Paul. Sadly, many ignore His clear instructions, yet are surprised by His wrath. Thanks for the clear presentation of Scripture, & God bless,
ReplyDeleteLaurie
Thanks again, Laurie. It amazes me that the Assyrians in Nineveh and the Egyptians were so much more receptive to God's word than the Jews, but I often see the same thing today.
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