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Book of Ezekiel
Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Theme: Prophecy against Egypt, lament for Egypt.
Prophecy against Egypt (29:1-20)
Many commentators think that the prophecies about Egypt are more interesting than that of Tyre. I cannot agree with that, because I think the prophecies about Tyre are extraordinary. The prophecies about Egypt are very interesting, and we will find a remarkable prophecy here in Chapter 29. Egypt was a great nation, and it had not been destroyed, but maintained its reliability down through the centuries. It was one of the most ancient nations. It did not need to put up a wall of defense, for the desert was a good defense. There was only one entrance, and that was through the Nile River valley. All Egypt had to do for protection was defend that entry. The cities of Egypt were not walled . . . walls were not necessary . . . but now GOD states that Egypt will go into captivity for forty years.
The Desolation of Egypt (29:1-16)
Worldly, carnal minds pride themselves in their possessions and wealth, completely forgetting that whatever we have, comes from GOD, and we should use it for GOD. Why do people brag? Self is the great idol which all the world worships, in contempt and hatred of GOD and His sovereignty. The Lord GOD can force a person out of all they think is most secure and safe and cause them to perish. As a result men's pride, presumption and carnal security end. The LORD is against those who do harm to His people, and is more against those who lead them into sin. Egypt shall be a kingdom again, but it shall be the lowest of the kingdoms; with very little wealth and power. History shows the complete fulfilment of this prophecy. GOD, not only in justice, but in wisdom and goodness to those who are true to Him, breaks the worldly hold on which we firmly lean, that they may be no more lean on our self-confidence.
CHAPTER 29 IS THE FIRST OF FOUR CHAPTERS DIRECTED AGAINST EGYPT. The first sixteen verses are an introduction to the entire four chapters against Egypt, which describe the fate of Egypt, naming the sins of which she was guilty and indicating the nature of her judgment, and her future place among the nations of the world.
Ezekiel has seven prophecies against Egypt, the first two are in this chapter: (1) 29:1-16; (2) 29:17-21; (3) 30:1-19; (4) 30:20-26; (5) 31:1-18; (6) 32:1-16; and (7) 32:17-32.
The date of this prophecy is specific. It was a year and two days after Nebuchadnezzar began the siege of Jerusalem, and seven months before its destruction. This was in January, 587 B.C., and was about the time when Pharaoh Hophra approached toward Jerusalem with an army which caused Nebuchadnezzar temporarily to lift the siege, as recorded in Jeremiah 37:5.
http://www.biblehistory.net/newsletter/Hophra.htm
https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/isb/p/pharaoh-hophra.html
Chapter 29 falls into these divisions: (1) the crocodile captured and destroyed (29:1-7); (2) the symbol applied (29:8-12); (3) the restoration of Egypt after forty years (29:13-16); (4) Egypt awarded to Nebuchadnezzar as wages for his ruin of Tyre (29:17-20); and (5) a brief glimpse of the latter days for Israel (29:21).
The Crocodile captured and destroyed (29:1-7)
Ezekiel 29:1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (KJV)
In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month . . . in the tenth year Jeconiah's captivity, and Zedekiah's reign. This month was the month Tebet, and answers to part of December, and part of January. This prophecy was delivered before the one about Tyre, although placed after it, because it was fulfilled after it, which gave Nebuchadnezzar Egypt as a reward for besieging and taking Tyre.
The word of the LORD came unto me, saying . . . again, a reminder it is the LORD speaking through Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 29:2 Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: (KJV)
Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt . . . Pharaoh was a name used for all the kings of Egypt; the name of this king was Pharaohhophra (Jer.44:30). Set thy face: (4:7; 6:2; 20:46; 21:2), against Pharaoh Hophra, as the Scripture styles him (Jer.44:30); the Greek authors call him Apries, and Vaphres: some think that he was the grandson to Necho, who slew Josiah (2 Chron.35:23-24).
And prophesy against him, and against all Egypt . . . Ezekiel was to prophesy of his destruction, and of the destruction of the whole land of Egypt that is under his dominion.
Ezekiel 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. (KJV)
Speak, and say, thus saith the Lord GOD . . . the one and only, living and true GOD, the Almighty, eternal, and unchangeable Jehovah (Ex.6:3; Ps.83:18; Isa.12:2; 26:4), which the gods of Egypt were not.
Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt . . . who, even though he was such a great king, he was NO match for the Lord GOD! He could not stand before Him, nor compete with Him in any way!
The great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers . . . the main river of Egypt was the Nile, which opened in seven mouths or gates into the sea, and out of which canals were made to water the whole land, which abounded with rivers and watery places. Here the pharaoh is compared to a great fish, a dragon or whale, or a crocodile.
Dragon, some say it is the whale, but whales do not live in rivers, others say it is surely the crocodile, of which Nile has many (32:2), and also Isaiah 51:9, compare the Egyptian king to a devouring serpent, or dragon.
Which hath said, my river is mine own, and I have made it for myself . . . Pharaoh Hophrah is here represented by a great dragon, or crocodile that lies in the midst of Egypt’s Nile River, the river of Egypt, was famed for crocodiles. And it seems that the king of Egypt, in GOD'S Eyes, was a great dragon, and for that reason GOD says, I am against thee. No matter how high the princes and kings of the Earth are, there is One higher than they (Ecc.5:8), a true GOD far above them, that can control them, and when they are tyrannical and oppressive, a GOD against them, that is free to deal with them. My river is mine own . . . it was the common boast of Hophra that not even GOD could dispossess him of power. No mere human wisdom could have enabled Ezekiel to foresee Egypt's downfall in the height of its prosperity.
Ezekiel 29:4 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. (KJV)
I will put hooks in thy jaws . . . the allusion is to fishhooks, which are grabbed by fishes with the bait into their mouths, and stick in their jaws, by which they are pulled out of the river. The pharaoh of Egypt being compared to a fish, and the hooks intend some powerful princes and armies, which would be the ruin of Pharaoh; one of them, according to some was Amasis. Amasis was one of this king's generals, being proclaimed king by a rebellion of the people, who dethroned Apries, and seized the kingdom; while Apries was forced to flee to Upper Egypt for safety. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/bri/a/amasis-ii.html
And I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales . . . most fish are afflicted with a tiny insect that buries its head in the fish, under their scales, sucking out the vital juices . . . possibly like fleas on a dog. The reference here seems to be to this: Pharaoh was the crocodile; the fish were the common people; and the sticking to their scales, is the rebellion by which the pharaoh was wasted and dishonored of his kingdom.
And I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers . . . this seems to refer to the crocodile, to which the pharaoh is compared, which sometimes comes out of the river, and goes on dry land. The king of Egypt was brought out of his kingdom by the following means: Amasis, with the Cyreneans and Greeks, having seized Lybia, driving the king out of it, applied to Pharaoh for help, who gathered a large army of Egyptians, and led them out into the fields of Cyrene, where they were defeated by Amasis, and nearly all perished. The king saved himself by fleeing; but the Egyptians rebelled against him, and Amasis became their new king.
And all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales . . . the fish are the common people of Egypt; for the numerous army consisted only of Egyptians, whom he gathered from all parts, draining his rivers of them, and nearly exhausting his country by doing so. The Targum is, I will make thy kingdom to cease from thee, and all the princes of thy strength with thy mighty ones shall be killed; with which the history agrees.
*****The crocodile has by nature a back and tail that is impenetrable; for it is covered with hard scales, as if it had on armor. Pharaoh Hophrah (the reigning Pharaoh surnamed) is here symbolized by a great dragon, or crocodile, that lies in the midst of his rivers, as Leviathan (Job 41:1; Ps.74:14; 104:26; Isa.27:1) in the waters, to play therein (29:3). The Nile River of Egypt, was famous for crocodiles. And here, the king of Egypt, in God's Eyes, is like a great dragon, deadly and evil. As a result God says, I am against thee, I am above thee. No matter how high the princes and rulers of the Earth are, there is One much higher than they are. GOD is against them, and is free and well able to deal with them. The Lord GOD will draw him out of his rivers, for He has a hook for this leviathan, with which He is well able to manage him, even though none on Earth can. A lesson for the cruel, oppressive leaders in today’s world! Judgment shall come to them one day!
Ezekiel 29:5 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. (KJV)
And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee, and all the fish of thy rivers . . . fish cannot survive out of water, they die almost as soon as put on dry land, except those that are amphibious (can live in water or on land). This wilderness refers to the deserts of Lybia and Cyrene, where the battle was fought between Hophra and Amasis; and where the Egyptian army perished . . . where only their king, before compared to a crocodile, which lives on land, as well as in water, escaped. All the fish; the whole army of Egyptians, shalt fall upon the open fields; there was this king and his army ruined.
Thou shalt fall upon the open fields thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered . . . this is to be understood of pharaoh’s army; for what is said about an army is sometimes credited to the head or general of it. This army fell by the sword in the fields of Lybia and Cyrene and was so mortified, that the remains of it could not be gathered together again; the idea is, that those that were slain were left in the open fields, and had no burial; they were not gathered to be buried; the Targum is, upon the face of the field thy carcass shall be cast; it shall not be gathered, nor shall it be buried: this was only true of the remains of the soldiers slain in battle . . . not of the king who fled, and afterwards in another battle was taken by Amasis and strangled in the city of Sais, where he was buried among his ancestors. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/bri/a/amasis-ii.html
I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven . . . GOD would give the army of pharaoh as food for the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. This also looks to the latter days when the armies of the kings, beast and false prophet will be at the battle of Armageddon (Rev.19:17-19), when the beast and false prophet will be taken and cast alive into the burning lake (Rev.19:20), of which this pharaoh was a symbol.
*****The great crocodile and the fish will be left stranded, out of their own environment, in the waterless desert wilderness. As a result they will collapse and die, totally unable to gather themselves against the enemy and the scavengers, both beast and bird, will come to tear them apart and eat them (Rev.19:18). Pharaoh and all his partners will be desolated and neither the Nile god, or any of the other god of Egypt will be able to help them.
An interesting fact is that the crocodile Hophra (588-569 B.C.) most likely did not receive a royal burial, which was considered extremely important for the Pharaohs and all Egyptians, for history records that Ahmose II (Gr. Amasis), another Egyptian leader, strangled Hophra and took his place.
https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/bri/a/amasis-ii.html
Ezekiel 29:6 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. (KJV)
And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD . . . all shall feel GOD’S power in their just destruction, even though they had thought themselves unconquerable. The LORD could easily eject their king from his kingdom, and deliver him into the hands of his enemy; even though pharaoh thought no GOD could do that, as he had boastingly stated.
Because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel . . . (Isa.36:6), referring to the country of Egypt, which abounded with reeds that grew upon the banks of the Nile River and other rivers. This indicates that either the Egyptians were weak, and could not help the people of Israel when they applied to them; or rather that they were treacherous and deceitful, and would not help them, according to agreement; and were even spiteful and hurtful to them, as a broken reed (Isa.36:6; Jer.37:7-8). They have been a staff of reed . . . an inefficient and faithless ally. The Israelites expected assistance from Egypt when Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem; and they made a scheme to help them, but backed off when Nebuchadnezzar went against them. As a result the Jews were deceived and ultimately ruined (29:7). Egypt dealt treacherously with the Jews, whom they seduced to trust and depend on them, and then deceitfully broke a promise to them. It was the sin of the Jews to trust Egypt; but it was Egypt’s great sin to make a promise with the Jews, and for this the Lord GOD now punishes Egypt.
Six reasons for the destruction of Egypt:
(1). Egypt had been a staff or reed to the house of Israel; because Judah trusted in them instead of the Lord GOD (29:6, 16).
(2). Egypt betrayed Judah when they trusted in her to help (29:7).
(3). Because Pharaoh said, The river is mine, and I have made it (29:9).
(4). Egypt would be a spoil for Nebuchadnezzar, for his service to God in punishing Tyre, Judah and others (29:19-20).
(5). Egypt destroyed because of her pride (30:6; 31:10).
(6). Egypt destroyed because of her idolatry (30:13).
Ezekiel 29:7 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. (KJV)
When they took hold of thee by thy hand . . . when the Israelites entered into an alliance and confederacy with Egypt, they called for their help according to the treaty, and put their confidence in them. When the Jews, unable to stand on their own legs, and were ready to fall, they took Egypt by the hand when besieged by the Chaldeans, but Egypt was an inefficient and faithless ally. The Israelites expected assistance from them when Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem; and they made a maneuver to help them, but retired when Nebuchadnezzar went against them. As a result the Jews were deceived and ultimately ruined.
Thou didst break and rend all their shoulder . . . did tear, pierce and wound arm and shoulder, did them much damage instead of doing any good to them, as they had promised (Jer.37:7; 42:17). Thou didst break, includes a planned and voluntary failure . . . Egypt would not support Israel as she promised.
And when they leaned upon thee thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand. . . so unfaithful are so many ‘supposed’ friends, and so uncertain are ALL human helps. When Israel put their confidence in the king of Egypt, and sent to him for help when besieged by the king of Babylon, he failed them and they were forced to raise themselves up, as a man is forced to do when his staff breaks under him, but now raises himself, and stands and walks as well as he can without it . . . the Jews were forced to stand on their own legs, and use all the power they had, making all the efforts they could against the king of Babylon, being left in the lurch by the king of Egypt . . . in which, they were rightly served for their vain confidence and not trusting in the LORD.
*****Worldly, carnal minds pride themselves in their property and wealth, forgetting that whatever we have, we received it from GOD, and should be used for GOD. Why is it then, do people boast? SELF is the great idol which all the world worships, in great contempt of God and His sovereignty. God can force men out of that in which they are most secure and at ease. Such as these, and all that cleave to them, shall perish together. It would be wise indeed, for us to learn a lesson here: end man's arrogant pride, worldly opinion and carnal security. The LORD is against all those who do harm to His people, and much more against those who lead them into sin.
The Symbol applied (29:8-12)
Ezekiel 29:8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. (KJV)
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD . . . therefore, because of the pride of the king of Egypt, declaring the river to be his own, and made by him for himself; and because of his dishonesty to the house of Israel.
Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee . . . I will bring a sword, this phrase is common in Ezekiel (5:17; 6:3; 11:8; 14:13, 17; 29:8; 33:20); but is found only in two other places (Lev.26:25; Jer.25:29). In Lev. 26:33, it is: I will draw out the sword after you.
And cut off man and beast out of thee . . . (14:13, 17), with the civil wars among themselves, and with the destruction of the king of Babylon's army, putting men to the sword, and seizing beasts for their food to support such an army in a foreign land, it was well stripped of both man and beast. Cut off man, by the sword in battle and sieges and by famine. And beast; eaten by an abundant army invading and prevailing, and which will drive away what they eat not.
Ezekiel 29:9 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. (KJV)
And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste . . . say some, the land of Egypt; here intended, and in the verse 10, was bound from Syene to the borders of Ethiopia . . . nor is this inconsistent with verse 2, against all Egypt, for even though all Egypt suffered much, all Egypt was not equally wasted, nor turned into a desolation, as these parts would be. Desolate; made an utter desolation, and waste by the sword of the enemy and by drought. This part of the judgment was executed by the folly of the twelve Egyptian leaders, who made a vast lake, to fill with what they drained from weakened Nile, so that it could no longer water and fertilize the land, as it did before. See: Isaiah Chapter 19. http://www.godcannotlie.org/book_of_isaiah_ch.19.htm
And they shall know that I am the LORD . . . by these judgments executed upon them, now foretold; and which when come to pass, they will be forced to acknowledge the One and Only all-knowing and all-powerful GOD!
Because thou hast said, the river is mine, and I have made it . . . (29:3); this brazen expression was greatly resented by the LORD, as appears by His repeating it. The Targum is, the kingdom is mine, and I have subdued it; . . . but this boast, he could not keep.
Ezekiel 29:10 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. (KJV)
Behold, therefore, I am against thee, and against thy rivers . . . Almighty GOD is against the king of Egypt, and against his subjects, and the many people he ruled over; as the LORD is against spiritual Egypt, and the head of it, and the anti-Christian states, signified by many waters, rivers and fountains (Rev.11:8). I am against thee (28:22), against thy rivers (29:4).
And I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate . . . partly by a civil war, and partly by a foreign enemy; especially those parts of it which were the seat of war. Utter waste and desolate (29:9).
From the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia . . . many different comments on this: the tower of Seveneh; according to one. Syene was a city of Thebais, where there were two mountains, which gave increase to the Nile River. Syene was supposedly 625 miles from Alexandria; and it is said that in the summer solstice [longest day of the year], at noon, no shadow is cast there. The utter destruction of this tower, with the rest of Egypt prophesied of, seems to have been fulfilled. This place is famous for being the place of the banishment of Juvenal the poet, where he died, at eighty years of age. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Juvenal
The tower; the word Migdol means a tower, and so some have supposed that it was a fortress which served to defend the bay, but some say it is a proper name of a town or city, called Magdalum, or that of the old Migdol (Ex.14:2; Num.33:7-8; Jer.44:1; 46:14), which was on the Red Sea side, north-east of Egypt; from this part unto Syene. Syene was a city on the east of Nile, over against Arabia, a city that is just below the great waterfall of the Nile, toward Ethiopia. Such was the boundary between Ethiopia and Egypt, and there was dispute to which it belongs. If we were to suppose then that Magdalum, instead of the tower, Syene on the edge of Ethiopia, as another; and the opposite point on the Red Sea towards Arabia; then almost all Egypt is included, from north-east to south-east, down the Red Sea, thence to the westward as far as Ethiopia, and thence up the Nile as high northward as Magdalum. Migdol or Magdolan was on the peninsula between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. http://www.bible-history.com/geography/ancient-israel/magdala.html
Ezekiel 29:11 No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. (KJV)
No foot of man shall pass through it . . . this must not be understood exactingly, but with some limitation . . . it cannot be thought that Egypt was so unoccupied that there would not be a single traveler in it; but that there would be but very few people living there, or that there would be scarcely any that would journey through it; it would not be visited as it had been, compared to what it had been.
Nor foot of beast shall pass through it. . . no more flocks of sheep and herds of oxen, no more any useful cattle, or horses; only wild beasts of prey would dwell in it. It was indeed, a dreadful desolation (26:14, 21). .
Neither shall it be inhabited forty years . . . forty years, answering to the forty years in which the Israelites, their former bondsmen, wandered in the wilderness (29:5). Some say that the number forty is often connected with affliction and judgment. Forty: (Gen.7:17; 8:6; Ex.16:35; Num.32:13; Deut.8:2; 9:25; Josh.5:6; 1 Sam.4:18; Ps.95:10; Eze.4:6; 29:11-13; Am.5:25; Jonah 3:4).
The rains of the flood in forty days brought destruction on the world. Moses, Elias, and the Savior fasted forty days. The interval between Egypt’s overthrow by Nebuchadnezzar and the deliverance by Cyrus, was about forty years. The ideal forty years’ wilderness state of social and political degradation, rather than a literal non-passing of man or beast for that term, is what seems to be intended (Eze.4:6; Isa.19:2, 11).
*****Neither shall it be inhabited forty years . . . this prophecy was never literally fulfilled. It is a poetic description of the results of a campaign which laid waste the country and interrupted the traffic (4:6; 32:13). The forty years seems to be symbolic. Egypt shall be depopulated, shall be desolate and lie in waste. The country would not be cultivated, nor the cities inhabited. The wealth of both was their pride, and that the Lord GOD would take it all away. It shall lie in utter desolation and waste. This was the effect not so much of those wars spoken of before, which were made by them, but of the war which the king of Babylon made upon them. It shall be desolate from one end of the land to the other, from the tower of Syene to the border of Ethiopia. The sin of pride was great enough to ruin a whole nation. BEWARE!!! An important lesson for us today!
Ezekiel 29:12 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. (KJV)
And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate . . . just as Judea and others, were made desolate by the king of Babylon.
And her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years . . . such as Thebes, Sais, Memphis, and others; which would share the same fate as Jerusalem and other principal cities in other countries, which fell into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Shall be desolate forty years the country from Migdol or Magdolan, which was on the peninsula between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, was so completely ruined, that it could be called desert or wilderness; and it is quite possible that this desolation continued during the entire of the reign of Amasis, which was only forty years. Just as Israel passed through a term of wilderness discipline (20:35), which was important enough to be repeated again, so it was to be with Egypt. Some of the Egyptians were to be carried to Babylon, as well as many scattered in Arabia and Ethiopia because of fear . . . but mainly the scattering was to be the wickedness of their power, even though the people still remained in their own land. Those that were not carried captive into Babylon, fled into other countries, such as Arabia, Ethiopia, and other places. One mentions this captivity of the Egyptians under Nebuchadnezzar the son, which no other writer does. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations . . . every oriental conqueror took back with him many captives and gave them as slaves to his soldiers and allies; but there was no extensive deportation of the people, as was the case of Israel and Judah (12:15.)
*****The people of Egypt shall be dispersed and scattered among the nations, so that those who thought the balance of power was in their hand would now become a contemptible people. Before such a fall as this, a haughty spirit goes before! Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (KJV) . . . A tremendous lesson for us all!
The Restoration of Egypt after forty years (29:13-16)
Ezekiel 29:13 Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered: (KJV)
Yet thus saith the Lord God, at the end of forty years . . . forty years (29:11); calculating from its devastation by Nebuchadnezzar to the taking of Babylon by Cyrus.
Will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered . . . from Babylon, and other places. Cyrus very probably being stirred up by the LORD to proclaim liberty to the Egyptians, as he did to the Jews, to return to their own land; and at the same time restored Amasis to the quiet possession of his kingdom, who must be still alive; since, according to some, he reigned fifty five years; although another says that he reigned just forty four years. Will I gather the Egyptians . . . God loves to help people that are forsaken of their hopes. Cyrus sent them home, most likely about that time that he took Babylon (Isa.44:28; 45:1). Shamed and humiliated they were, but NOT humble; low, nor lowly! (Dan.7:12-14, 22; Mat.24:29-31; 25:31). Egypt, once a very idolatrous country, but will in the latter days know the LORD when Christ comes, and worship Him (Isa.19:18-25). http://www.godcannotlie.org/book_of_isaiah_ch.19.htm
*****Babylon conquered Egypt; then Persia grabbed hold of her; then the Greeks under Alexander the Great became her master; after them came the Seleucids, and still later the Romans! What a remarkable fulfillment are the words of this prophecy. Even modern times have revealed no change whatsoever in the continued less important status of Egypt, that once-great nation which preceded Assyria, Babylon, and other great world powers as the colossal terror of the whole world, and for a long period rivaled her successors as a world power.
Ezekiel 29:14 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. (KJV)
And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt . . . the captivity; people Nebuchadnezzar led away into Babylon.
For what is done by men, under the direction and influence of divine Providence, is said to be done by the LORD, as this was, although by the means of Cyrus.
And will cause them to return into the land of Pathros . . . which was a part of the land of Egypt; perhaps so called from Pathrusim, the son of Mizraim, from whom Egypt had its name (Gen.10:13-14). Some think it to be Thebais, a principal country in Egypt: The land of Pathros . . . a part of southern Egypt; a corner of the country, but big enough to hold the remnant that returned; it was a part of Egypt in which the city of Thebae or Thebais was, famous for its hundred gates. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thebes,_Egypt
Into the land of their habitation . . . the ancient residence of the fathers of most of those that did return, forty years having eaten up almost all that had lived there before. Land of their habitation, where they were born, and where they lived before the captivity.
And they shall be there a base kingdom . . . as it is at this day, to which it has been gradually reduced, having passed in and out of various hands, and coming under the power and control of different powers. A kingdom, GOD did promise them, but it would be base and miserable, that the Israelites would no more lean on it. GOD often removes instances of sin from His people, removing their stumbling blocks, which they may not again fall under His great displeasure. A base kingdom . . . a low, dependent kingdom, subject to the Persian kingdom and although it did at length grow great, yet was it always dependent on Greeks or Romans.
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5456-egypt
http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1171-alexandria-egypt-ancient
Ezekiel 29:15 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. (KJV)
And it shall be the basest of the kingdoms . . . (17:14). Egypt never recovered from the invasion of King Nebuchadnezzar. She was easily conquered by the Persians, fell a prey to the Greeks, was tossed to and fro by the Romans, and has never, even to this day, had an independent native ruler on the throne. Never again would Egypt be the confidence of the house of Israel, asin verse 16; (Also, Isa.30:2-3; 36:4, 6; 2 Ki. 17:4; 23:35), and because they worshipped the basest creatures (Rom.1:23-24), but especially for their lack of faith to GOD’S Israel.
Neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations . . . the Lord GOD will diminish them; along with the hard and cruel treatments of the Persian kings. GOD’S most just judgment would follow them closely to lessen their numbers, power, wealth and honor.
For I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations . . . although they once had subdued and ruled, yet they would not do so anymore! The Ptolemaic dynasty controlled Egypt for almost three centuries, eventually falling to the Romans. Strange, but while they ruled Egypt they never became Egyptian. Instead, they isolated themselves in the capital city of Alexandria, a city envisioned by Alexander the Great. For I will diminish them . . . just as God has also done the Persians at this day, and the Grecians, who have now lost their liberty, and are so degenerate, by means of the Turkish oppression, that in all Greece is hardly to be found any small remembrance of the glory they once had. https://www.ancient.eu/Ptolemaic_Dynasty/
Ezekiel 29:16 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. (KJV)
And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel . . . Egypt, having been unfaithful to Israel, and then subdued by the Chaldeans, the Jews, even after their return from captivity, no more put confidence in Egypt, since it had now become as was here prophesied . . . the basest of the kingdoms, it would be weak, and in a hopeless state, and so despised by its neighbors, as it was by the Jews.
Which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them . . . as Israel had done in time past, when they looked to Egypt for help, expecting it because they trusted them, and served their idols . . . which brought to the Lord GOD’S remembrance all the former iniquities and idolatries, for which He had punished them; but now they would no longer do so. Dear one, GOD never forgets, but when He visits, punishes and judges a nation for their sin, it is then that their sin is brought into His remembrance. BUT, once GOD forgives a confessed sin, He remembers that sin NO more! (Jer.31:34; Heb.8:12; 10:17).
But they shall know that I am the Lord GOD . . . this speaks of the Israelites, not the Egyptians, who when they returned from captivity, shall rightfully know, admit and serve the One and Only true GOD, and no more worship the idols of the nations. This shall be fulfilled in the latter days (Ezekiel Chapters 37, 38, 39). Israel shall finally come out of her deep sleep (Rev.18:4). The children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, but one day they shall indeed return to their land, and seek the LORD, and David their king; and they shall fear the Lord GOD and His goodness in the latter days (Hos.1:10-11; 3:4-5). That land is reserved for Israel!
Psalm 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. (KJV) . . . . . . . . . . . http://www.hisservants.org/israel_promised_land_h_s.htm
*****Future prophecies about Egypt are found in Daniel 11 and Isaiah 19 there are some latter day prophecies which show a great confederacy of nations which will invade from the north. Daniel tells us that this northern confederacy will come down through Israel into Egypt and then afterward we read in Ezekiel 38, GOD will turn them back and they will go to Israel to destroy the Jews and to take a spoil. Dear one, the fate of Egypt and Israel is closely linked in Bible prophecy. An utterly remarkable thing about these future prophecies is that the Bible reveals that the result of this great war will actually be the Return of Christ Jesus to save the nation of Israel and to establish God’s Kingdom upon the Earth.
Restoration of Egypt after forty years! I think that this an incredible prophecy! It (Egypt) shall be the basest of the kingdoms . . . (29:15). Egypt throughout all later history has continued to remain a nation of inferior strength and importance. Assyria conquered Egypt after the death of Joseph and oppressed Israel (Isa.52:4), their then king was the one that knew not Joseph (Ex.1:8). Egypt was conquered by several other foreign powers: Ethiopia, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, and Egypt helped to oppress Israel as being a part of all these empires. Isaiah 19 speaks of a tribulation period and a millennial fulfillment, as proved from many predictions that have never been fulfilled and will not be fulfilled until the LORD Jesus Christ comes again. http://www.godcannotlie.org/book_of_isaiah_ch.19.htm Isaiah Chapter 19, Wonderful!
Thirty-six Predictions-Unfulfilled . . .
But shall in the latter days be fulfilled!
(1). The LORD shall come into Egypt riding a swift cloud (Isa.19:1).
(2). The idols of Egypt shall be moved at His Presence.
(3). The heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
(4). There shall be civil war in Egypt (Isa.19:2).
(5). The spirit of Egypt shall fail (Isa.19:3).
(6). The LORD will destroy the counsel of Egypt.
(7). They shall seek guidance from idols, charmers, familiar spirits, and wizards.
(8). The LORD will give them over into the hand of a cruel lord (Isa.19:4; Dan.8:20-23; 11:40-45).
(9). A fierce king [Antichrist] shall rule them (Isa.9:4; Dan.8:23-25).
(10). The Nile river will be dried up from the sea (Isa.19:5; also Isa.11:15).
(11). They shall divert the rivers from their regular channels (Isa.19:6).
(12). The canals of Egypt shall be dried up.
(13). The reeds, flags, papyrus reeds, and everything else sown by the canals shall wither, be driven away, and be no more (Isa.19:7).
(14). All fishermen shall mourn (Isa.19:8).
(15). Flax workers and weavers shall be confounded (Isa.19:9).
(16). All irrigation shall come to an end (Isa.19:10).
(17). All fisheries shall close.
(18). Princes of Zoan shall become fools (Isa.19:11,13).
(19). The rulers shall become fools.
(20). No wise men shall be found (Isa.19:12).
(21). Princes of Noph will be deceived (Isa.19:13).
(22). The leaders of Egypt shall seduce the people-lead them astray.
(23). A mingled, perverse spirit will be sent among the leaders who shall cause errors in all work (Isa.19:14).
(24). Egypt shall live in fear like women because of the hand of the LORD upon them (Isa.19:16).
(25). Judah shall be a terror to Egypt and every man will be afraid because of the counsel of God (Isa.19:17).
(26). In that day five cities of Egypt speak the language of Canaan and swear to the LORD of hosts (Isa.19:18).
(27). One city shall be called the city of destruction.
(28). There shall be an altar to the LORD in the midst of Egypt, and a pillar at the border for a sign and witness to the LORD (Isa.19:19-20).
(29). They shall call upon the LORD because of their oppressors, and He shall send them a Saviour, and a Great One, and He shall deliver them (Isa.19:20).
(30). The LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall sacrifice to Him in that day (Isa.19:21).
(31). They shall make a vow to the LORD in that day and shall perform it.
(32). The LORD shall smite Egypt and heal it (Isa.19:22).
(33). They shall return to the LORD and He will hear their prayers, and shall heal them.
(34). There shall be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria (Isa.19:23).
(35). There will be an alliance between the nations; both the Egyptians and Assyrians shall serve the LORD with Israel, and all will be a blessing on earth (Isa.19:23-24).
(36). All these nations will become converted to the Lord GOD and He will bless them as one people in that day (Isa.19:24-25).
Egypt given to Nebuchadnezzar as wages for his ruin of Tyre (29:17-20)
A Promise of Mercy to Israel
The besiegers of Tyre obtained little plunder. But when GOD employs ambitious or covetous men, He will reward them according to the desires of their hearts; for every man shall have his fair reward. God has mercy in store for the house of Israel. History best explains ancient prophecies. All events in history fulfil the Holy Scriptures. For that reason, in the deepest scenes of adversity, the LORD plants the seed of our future prosperity. Happy are those who really do WANT His favor, grace and help; for these truly delight in His service, and do NOT covet any worldly reward; for the blessings they have chosen shall be sure to them forever.
Ezekiel 29:17 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, (KJV)
And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year . . . of Jeconiah's captivity; or of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, although it seems it was in the thirty fifth year of his reign that Tyre was taken by him; and after that Egypt was given him.
In the first month, in the first day of the month. . . the first month; part of our March and April.
The word of the LORD came unto me, saying . . . this was Ezekiel’s last sermon, showing how and why Egypt would so be laid waste. This prophecy is not put in its proper place, as to order of time, since it was sixteen or seventeen years after the preceding, and the last of Ezekiel's prophecies; but is here placed, because it relates to the same subject as the one before, the destruction of Egypt.
*****In the seven and twentieth year . . . this is the latest date among all Ezekiel’s prophecies, and is more than sixteen years after the prophecy of the former part of the chapter. This date corresponds with the thirty-fifth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (2 Ki. 25:2, 8), and, from Ezekiel 29:18, was evidently spoken after the close of the siege of Tyre. As that siege lasted thirteen years, it must have been begun at least as early as Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-second year, or within three years after the destruction of Jerusalem. This passage is placed with the other prophecies against Egypt in order to bring them all together, and is assigned to this particular place, after the similarity of Ezekiel 26:7.
Ezekiel 29:18 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: (KJV)
Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon . . . Son of man indicates Ezekiel, being called this 94 times in the Book of Ezekiel. Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon; he goes by both names in Scripture, for there is no difference.
Caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus . . Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre thirteen years before he was able to take it; during which time his army suffered much hardship, was greatly tired and wearied, by the many different military battles they were involved in, to carry on the siege so long a time.
Yet hath he no wages; nor his army, for Tyrus . . . Nebuchadnezzar received no wages when he besieged Tyre; because when the Tyrians found that the city was likely to be taken by him, their gold and silver, and whatever was valuable that was to them, they either put on, or sent it to other islands. When Tyre was by Nebuchadnezzar about to be taken, the inhabitants transplanted their riches to the island at some distance, where the new Tyre was later built. http://www.bible-history.com/geography/ancient-israel/tyre.html
Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled . . . the heads of the soldiers became bald with wearing their helmets so long, or carrying baskets of earth and timber in them, every shoulder was peeled, either by clothes worn out, or galled and blistered with carrying burdens, stones, timber, iron, and earth for to fortify themselves.
Yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it . . . no wages were paid for the service that he had served, for it must have cost Nebuchadnezzar a lot of money to support such a large army for so long a time, for the siege was very grueling and difficult. For lthough Tyre was very rich when first besieged, much of its wealth was carried away by shipping at the beginning and during the siege, which none could prevent, very much was spent and wasted in the siege, and what was left was preserved by articles of surrender. Most conclude that the conqueror had only the victory for his pains and wages; so that, when the city being taken, Nebuchadnezzar found nothing worthy of his labor.
Ezekiel 29:19 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. (KJV)
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD . . . since this was the case, that the king of Babylon had been working for nothing, and had spent much blood and treasure, as well as time, to little purpose and advantage to himself;
Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon . . . the LORD would give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, yet it is certain that the discontents of Egypt gave reason for the revolts of some of the subjects from Hophra, or Apries, and their inviting Nebuchadnezzar, gave him Egypt; but these were the irregularities of men, which God did wisely and justly manage to effect what He planned.
And he shall take her multitude . . . her multitude is the common people, who shall be made captives by the power of the conqueror, and servants or slaves by the will of those that buy them from the soldier. King Nebuchadnezzar would take her soldiers and inhabitants, and carry them away captive.
And take her spoil, and take her prey . . . her spoil much of the Egyptian riches were the spoil of other nations, or the spoils of one another in the late civil wars between Pharaoh-Hophra and Areasis; and now their dishonest gains would be a prey to the Babylonians. Her prey is that which was once another’s possession, while right prevailed; but became a prey when Egypt’s power mastered the possessors.
And it shall be the wages for his army . . . with this the king of Babylon would be able to pay off the arrears of his army; which had lain so long against Tyre; or this would be a recompence to them for all the hardships they there sustained. The wages for his army: his army could not have plunder of Tyre, because it was surrendered on terms, but now they shall, and this shall be their prey.
Ezekiel 29:20 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. (KJV)
I have given him the land of Egypt for labour wherewith he served against it . . . that is, against Tyre; meaning not only Nebuchadnezzar, but his army also, who did the main of the service and labor, and had the plunder of the country for it; although the kingdom itself was given to their king, and seized by his monarchy. The LORD has given him . . . it is as sure as it in his possession; even though he must fight for it, and it will cost blood, yet he shall surely have success. Against it, Tyre.
Because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD . . . they did not plan to do any service for God; they only wanted to serve themselves with the riches and wealth of those they subdued; and yet while they besieged Tyre, and when they took it, and while they were ravaging, plundering and subduing Egypt, they were doing the LORD'S will and work, and executing His righteous judgments on these enemies of His for their sins; so He rewarded them sufficiently. None are ever employed by GOD, that He does not give them their fair wages; even though they are wicked and ungodly men, truly they shall have their right reward.
A brief glimpse of the latter days for Israel (29:21)
Ezekiel 29:21 In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (KJV)
In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth . . . in that day, when Egypt was spoiled, Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon, about four or five years after his return out of Egypt into Babylon; for it was about the thirty-seventh or thirty-eighth year of his reign he finished his conquest of Egypt, and in the forty-third year he died at Babylon. Some think that this refers to the advancement of Daniel in the court of Babylon; or to the taking of Jehoiachin out of prison, and setting his throne above the rest of the kings; which events came to pass a little after this . . . but others seem to look to the time of Egypt's restoration forty years after, when Cyrus came to the throne, and proclaimed liberty to the Jews to return to their own land, and built their city and temple, under the government of Zerubbabel their prince (Ezra ch.3, 4, 5). This too, may not be limited to either of these times, but may look to the latter days when the kingdom of Israel, in a spiritual sense, shall flourish under the Messiah, the Horn of Salvation (Ps.18:2), and Branch of David (Isa.4:2; 11:1-5; 53:2; Jer.23:5-6; 33:15), often promised to bud forth, and was fulfilled in Jesus (Ps.132:17; Lk.2:30-32). The Targum is, in that day will I bring redemption to the house of Israel.
And I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them . . . the opening of the mouth . . . the prophet shall with much greater authority be heard speaking, when the sorrows he foretold, and the joys he promised, both come to pass . . . both the Jews and the Babylonians shall see it, know it and have to admit it as true.
Ezekiel will have freedom and liberty, when he speaks, for his mouth shall comfort the good among them, giving praise to the Lord GOD, who revived their hopes, and made them know that He is the Lord their GOD, and by which it would clearly show that Ezekiel was a true prophet of the LORD.
And they shall know that I am the LORD . . . they shall know that it was indeed the LORD who sent the lowly prophet, and from whom he had received these prophecies, and by whom they were fulfilled.
CONSIDER: As you read, see Egypt here humbled for all her sins, and all her oppressions against Israel. Think how long and how terribly severe were her cruelties brought down on the LORD'S heritage! But her time is now come, and woe to any oppressor when GOD raises up over His enemy! Dear one, how very sure and certain it is, that Jesus will settle His account with ALL the enemies of His people. One day, the LORD will recompense sevenfold into their bosom (Ps.79:12).
As you read, do not overlook GOD'S grace when man humbles himself before Him. The LORD hath said He will raise up an altar to the LORD in the midst of Egypt, and the LORD can and shall do so one day! When they cry by reason of the oppressors, the LORD will send them a Saviour, and a Great One, and he shall deliver them. Precious LORD Jesus! We have great hope from Christ and His great salvation! When the Lord GOD causes the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, Jesus shall arise to bless His redeemed, then shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria (Isa.19:24), there shall be a triple alliance between them. Jews and Gentiles shall be made one, the middle wall of partition being broken down (Eph.2:14).
Special Comments
The Jewish calendar has the following months:
1. Nissan 30 days March-April
2. Iyar 29 days April-May
3. Sivan 30 days May-June
4. Tammuz 30 days June-July
5. Av 30 days July-August
6. Elul 29 days August-September
7. Tishri 30 Days September-October
8. Cheshvan 29 or 30 days October-November
9. Kishlev 30 0r 29 days November-December
10. Tevet 29 days December-January
11. Shevat 30 Days January-February
12. Adar I (leap years only) 30 days February-March
13. Adar (leap years only) 29 days February-March
Twenty-two Predictions, Fulfilled in Chapter 29:
(1). GOD was against Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon (crocodile) that lies in the midst of his waters, which has said, my river is mine, and I have made it myself. I will put hooks in your jaws (29:3-4).
(2). GOD would cause fish to stick to their scales (29:4).
(3). GOD would bring you up out of the midst of the rivers.
(4). All the fish of your rivers will stick to your scales.
(5). GOD would throw them the wilderness with all the fish with you.
(6). They will fall upon the open fields, they will not be brought together, nor gathered (29:5).
(8). God gave them for meat to the beast of the field and to the fowls of heaven.
(9). All the inhabitants of Egypt will know that the Lord is GOD (29:6,9,16).
(10). GOD brought a sword upon you, and cut off man and beast (29:8).
(11. The land of Egypt will be desolate and waste (29:9).
(12). GOD was against you, and your rivers, and will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syrene (Seveneh) even to the border of Ethiopia (29:10).
(13). No foot of man or beast will pass through it for 40 years (29:11).
(14). It will not be inhabited for 40 years.
(15). GOD would make Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate (29:12).
(16). Her cities would be laid waste for 40 years.
(17). GOD would scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries (29:12).
(18). At the end of 40 years GOD would gather the Egyptians from where they are scattered (29:13).
(19). God would cause them to return to the land of Pathros (29:14).
(20). Where they will be there a base kingdom, and shall remain the basest of kingdoms (29:15).
(21). GOD would diminish them, they will rule no more over the nations (29:15).
(22). Egypt will be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD!
Ezekiel 29:16 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. (KJV)
THINGS TO CONSIDER: The prophesy is directed against Egypt and her king, represented by a great dragon, or crocodile, lying in the river Nile. We have in this Chapter:
(1). His pride. He lieth in the midst of his rivers, secure, at ease, and rolling in wealth and pleasures; and hath said, My river is mine own, I have made it for myself (29:3). It is as if he alone was in power, independent of God, and that he alone was responsible for the monarchy that he possessed. BEWARE!!! Pride calls GOD'S gifts our own, and as self-idolaters, we leave the Lord GOD far out of our sight.
(2). The judgment [verdict] executed on Pharaoh. I am against thee (29:3), GOD was wellable and firmly determined to punish this king’s arrogance. God will put hooks in his jaws, and with all the fish that stick to his scales [his numerous forces], will drag him out of his rivers, and would throw him into the wilderness with all his army, for a prey to the beasts of the field, and to the fowls of the heaven. Pride is only the prelude to destruction; and they who think they are most secure are usually the ones most exposed.
(3). The main thing that speeded up the ruin of Egypt was her falsehood and deceitfulness with regard to the Jewish people. Encouraged by the alliance with Pharaoh, Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon, and now, when he looked for support from Egypt, the staff on which he leaned broke under him, to his vast distress and utter dread (17:11-20). He wasforced to stand alone, conscious of his own inability to cope with Nebuchadnezzar’s army. It was folly indeed in Zedekiah to rely on such support, but their dishonesty in deceiving him was none the less criminal, and God will revenge all such treachery.
WE ALSO HAVE IN THIS CHAPTER:
(1). The terrible overthrow of Egypt foretold. GOD will make them know by His judgments that He indeed, is the LORD, and prove the vanity of their proud, rude boasts. The sword of the Chaldeans shall pass through the land, laying all waste before it, cut off man and beast from one end of Egypt to the other, and leave it abandoned, without trade, a solitary, out-of-the-way place, like a desert wilderness for forty years. The residents in general were either slain, or carried into captivity. Egypt was given to Nebuchadrezzar; and if we allow three years for completing the conquest, the forty years will end with the destruction of the Babylonian monarchy by Cyrus, when probably Egypt, as well as the other nations, recovered in some measure her liberty.
(2). When the forty years were expired, Egypt would be restored, but NOT to her former splendor and magnificence. She would be a kingdom, and would flourish under some of her monarchs, mainly the Ptolemies, yet by repeated conquests, would at last reduced to its present base and low estate under the Turks, no more the mistress of nations, nor the stay of Israel, to bring their iniquity to remembrance, by their depending on Egypt, and withdrawing their confidence from God. (a.) God still in wrath, but remembers mercy. (b.) It is gracious as just in the LORD to remove those creature comforts and confidences which estranged our hearts from Him.
(c.) We have another of Ezekiel's prophesies in this chapter; but all the prophesies concerning Egypt are laid together.
(1). In consideration of the hard service that Nebuchadrezzar underwent before Tyre, the spoil of which so little repaid him for his pains, great part of their effects being removed, as history informs us, before the place was taken, Egypt is given him and his army for their wages; being before weakened by internal divisions, it fell an easy prey to the conqueror. As the vengeance executed on Tyre was by divine command, God will not allow Nebuchadnezzar to work without a reward. Consider:(1.) Even wicked men, when employed in God's service, find their account in it; they are paid in the good things of this life. (2.) Many who propose no other end than their own advantage, and possibly the gratification of their ambition and covetousness, are made by the secret over-ruling providence of God obedient to His plans.
(2). A gracious promise is made to Israel. In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud; either at the day of Egypt's destruction, about which time Daniel and his fellows, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, were so distinguished of God, and honored by the king of Babylon, (see Daniel 1:3; Daniel 1:21; Daniel 2:49.) or shortly after, when Jehoiachim was released from prison and honorably treated (Jer.52:31-32) or the time here spoken of may refer to the forty years, when the captivity of Israel as well as Egypt would end; and under Zerubbabel and others the nation would revive from its desolations; but above all, the prophesy refers to the times of the Messiah. And I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them, when the fulfilment of the prophesies would give special force to his exhortations, and embolden him in the work of the LORD. For, although no more of his prophesies are recorded, (these concerning Egypt being the last in order of time,) there is NO doubt he continued a faithful preacher to the people and a loyal, willing servant of GOD, which could not but prove a remarkable blessing to them. When God enlarges the hearts of His faithful servants, and enables them to speak boldly, it is a gracious sign that they shall see of the struggle of souls in the salvation of many to whom they minister.
?WHY ARE PEOPLE SENT TO HELL?
Understanding this is important so that we can avoid it! The Book of Ezekiel is in the Old Testament and the issue is WHY people turn from away God. From Chapters 25 through 32, are messages to seven countries (city-states) that surround Israel. If you just read these studies as being about the fate of people who lived long ago around Israel, then you have missed the key to these messages. I think the Lord GOD planned for these messages to be studied about what God intends for ALL people regarding salvation.
Chapter 29 covers the topic of Egypt. That country was the greatest power ever in the history of the Middle East as they dominated that area for thousands of years. Rome in all its glory had greater territory, but the length of time that Rome ruled that area was much less than the time period that Egypt was the central power of that region. The emphasis is on the sins of Egypt and its leader Pharaoh. Chapters 29-32 not only describes their downfall, but also describes their future in Hell. It seems that Ezekiel spends as much time on Egypt as he did on the other six nations combined; probably because of Egypt's great power and the fact that Pharaoh is an example of a leader who does NOT give GOD the credit for His success. Most people will never be the leader of a great empire or a great political or business leader . . . but the position of a person is NOT the point. A person can be self-centered on their pride no matter what their status in life is.
ANYONE who gives themselves the credit and not GOD for their success is on their way to Hell! If you survey most people today, they will say they deserve to go to Heaven because they believe their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds. Dear one . . . GOD does NOT work like that! GOD is absolutely holy and pure, and He hates ANY and ALL sin! He has a standard of perfection, and unless we meet that standard, we will NOT be admitted to Heaven! Since this is true, a person has to be perfectly forgiven and it has NOTHING to do with good deeds outweighing bad deeds. That is why believing that Jesus payed the price for our sins is an absolute necessity to enter into Heaven.
John 3:15-18 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (KJV)
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (KJV)
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (KJV)
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (KJV)
1 John 5:10-13 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (KJV)
For us to understand what Ezekiel is saying, we must understand what Egypt was at that time. For millenniums Egypt was the most powerful kingdom around, dominating the region by sending out its army to surrounding places, attacking and dominating that world in wealth. For Ezekiel to prophesy the downfall of Egypt, which he does, is to preach the downfall of the greatest and longest reigning power for thousands of years. As powerful as Tyre was at that time, they did not have the history of dominance that Egypt did. Tyre made its wealth by trade. Egypt simply dominated and controlled whoever they wanted.
Ezekiel does not condemn Babylon, because he knows Babylon is GOD'S instrument for judgment of these seven nations. Here Ezekiel predicts Babylon shall defeat Egypt. After her fall, Egypt then became part of the Babylonian Empire, and after the rise and fall of the Babylon Empire, came the Medo-Persian Empire (Dan.5:24-31; 6:1-28; 7:5, 17; 8:1-4, 20; 10;1-20; 11:1-2). This empire controlled the territory conquered by Babylon including Egypt. Next came the Greeks and then the Romans. Egypt existed, but only as a part of these Empires.
Ezekiel, in Chapters 29-32, covers six separate visions about Egypt and its fall and its leader. GOD laments their fall. Dear one, GOD takes NO pleasure in the death of the wicked (Eze.18:32; 33:11). The key to reading this section is NOT to focus on history, but to focus on what we can learn about the fall of Egypt. To sum it up, it all boils down to pride, that caused Egypt’s downfall. BEWARE!!!
Book of Ezekiel
Eze.Ch.1 . . Eze.Ch.2 . . Eze.Ch.3. . Eze.Ch.4 . . Eze.Ch.5 . . Eze.Ch.6 . . Eze.Ch.7 . . Eze.Ch.8 . . Eze.Ch.9 . . Eze.Ch.10 . . Eze.Ch.11 . . Eze.Ch.12 . . Eze.Ch.13 . . Eze.Ch.14. . Eze.Ch.15 . . Eze.Ch.16 . . Eze.Ch.17 . . Eze.Ch.18 . . Eze.Ch.19 . . Eze.Ch.20 . . Eze.Ch.21 . . Eze.Ch.22 . . Eze.Ch.23 . . Eze.Ch.24 . . Eze.Ch.25 . . Eze.Ch.26 . . Eze.27 . . Eze.28 . . Eze.29 . . Eze.30 . . Eze.31 . . Eze.32 . . Eze.33 . . Eze.34 . . Eze.35 . . Eze.36 . . Eze.37 . . Eze.38 . . Eze.39 . . Eze.40 . . Eze.41 . . Eze.42 . . Eze.43 . . Eze.44 . . Eze.45 . . . Eze.46 . . . Eze.47 . . . Eze.48 . . . Eze. Millennial Temple . . . Eze.Special Comments . . . Eze.What is Shekinah Glory? . . . Home Page
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