EZK 30Ezekiel 30

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NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)

New Living Translation (NLT)

A Sad Day for Egypt

30 This is another message that came to me from the LORD: 2 “Son of man, prophesy and give this message from the Sovereign LORD: for that day, 3 for the terrible day is almost here— a day of despair for the nations. 4 A sword will come against Egypt, The land of Ethiopia will be ravished. 5 Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all Arabia, will be destroyed in that war. 6 “For this is what the LORD says: says the Sovereign LORD. 7 Egypt will be desolate, surrounded by other ruined cities. 8 And the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD and destroyed all their allies. 9 At that time I will send swift messengers in ships It is sure to come! 10 “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will destroy the hordes of Egypt. 11 He and his armies—the most ruthless of all— until slaughtered Egyptians cover the ground. 12 I will dry up the Nile River I, the LORD, have spoken! 13 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: terror will sweep the land. 14 I will destroy southern Egypt, and bring judgment against Thebes. 15 I will pour out my fury on Pelusium, the hordes of Thebes. 16 Yes, I will set fire to all Egypt! Memphis will live in constant terror. 17 The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will die in battle, and the women will be taken away as slaves. 18 When I come to break the proud strength of Egypt, and its daughters will be led away as captives. 19 And so I will greatly punish Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.”

The Broken Arms of Pharaoh

20 On April 29, during the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. His arm has not been put in a cast so that it may heal. Neither has it been bound up with a splint to make it strong enough to hold a sword. 22 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am the enemy of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt! I will break both of his arms—the good arm along with the broken one—and I will make his sword clatter to the ground. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians to many lands throughout the world. 24 I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he will lie there mortally wounded, groaning in pain. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, while the arms of Pharaoh fall useless to his sides. And when I put my sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he brings it against the land of Egypt, Egypt will know that I am the LORD. 26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, dispersing them throughout the earth. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Introduction to Ezekiel

Background of Ezekiel

What Is the Book of Ezekiel About?

Time: 4 Minutes

Do you know about the apocalypse craze that captured the imagination of teenagers and young adults in the early 2000s? Animated by interest in the Mayan calendar, many were obsessed with the “end of the world,” supposedly foretold by the Mayans, whose calendar ended on the year 2012.

We have a kind of obsession with the “end times”—think of all the apocalyptic books and movies. In the Bible, though, the apocalypse doesn’t simply mean the “end of the world.” Rather, it’s a revealing or unfolding of that which is real. Literally, the word “apocalypse” means “unveiling.”

We catch a glimpse of this unveiling in the book of Ezekiel.

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. (Ezekiel 1:1 ESV)

Through Ezekiel’s apocalyptic vision, God pulled back the curtain of the physical world. The heavens opened. Ezekiel saw reality—the seen and the unseen. This first verse of Ezekiel alone piques our curiosity—what did he see?

Before we answer that question, we need to know why Ezekiel saw this vision from God.

Ezekiel was a prophet to the exiles from Israel’s southern kingdom, Judah, in 597 BC. The foreign power, Babylon, had violently taken these people from their homes. In other words, God had displaced his people from the land he had given them because of their sin and rebellion against him. Ezekiel lived among the exiles in this foreign land.

A songwriter in the exile laments: “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:4). How can God’s people worship in such tragic circumstances? If ever God’s people needed to hear from God, it was now. So in his kindness, God sent Ezekiel to the exiles to speak for him—to reorient them to reality. Ezekiel helps the exiles see themselves, God, and their future all from God’s perspective.

God appoints Ezekiel to be a “watchman for the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 3:17). Some of the visions he sees serve to remind the disoriented Israelites that their sins brought about their tragic circumstances. These visions are warnings from God that if they did not turn from their sin, further tragedy would befall Israel, but if they do turn from sin, God will forgive and renew them. Ezekiel tells the exiles that if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all God’s statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die (Ezekiel 18:21).

The book of Ezekiel opens our eyes to the majesty and greatness of God.

Ezekiel also sees visions of God himself. Though Ezekiel and his contemporaries are displaced by Babylon, no longer in Israel, God still visits him in a “chariot” (Ezekiel 1:4-28), symbolizing that God’s power and presence are not confined to only Israel. He is sovereign over all places and people. Ezekiel seems to struggle to describe God. Contrast the long descriptions of the “four living creatures” (Ezekiel 1:4-25) with the rather short and terse description of God (Ezekiel 1:26-28). In contrast to the creatures, God is difficult to describe—what we see of him is merely a “likeness.” This is because he is holy and unlike anything else in all his creation. The book of Ezekiel opens our eyes to the majesty and greatness of God.

Finally, God comforts these exiles with visions of the future: God will gather his people again (Ezekiel 34:11-24) through a Shepherd; he will bring life to our dead bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14); This Shepherd will be a King and unite God’s people (Ezekiel 37:22-28); God will overcome and defeat all of Israel’s enemies (Ezekiel 38-39); and, finally, God’s presence will be restored among his people, with the new temple (Ezekiel 40-48).

Though Ezekiel sees visions of the “end of the world,” this apocalyptic literature in the Bible is different in the Bible than popular understandings of the apocalypse. Ezekiel’s visions are filled with grand and hopeful promises.

Above all of these is God’s promise to give us his Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26), who will remake us and bring us life—life with him (Ezekiel 36:28). The keen Bible reader will see how Jesus fits into each of these future promises. Indeed, the cries of God’s people to be delivered and restored is answered in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

What determines your vision of God, the world, and your future? Open Ezekiel and ask God to make his vision your own.

What Is the Background of Ezekiel?

Time: 20 Minutes

The Background of Ezekiel

1

Author and Date

The first dated message in Ezekiel is from the summer of 593 BC, four years after Nebuchadnezzar deported the first group of exiles to Babylon. The latest dated oracle is 22 years later, in April 571 BC. If Ezekiel was 30 years old when his ministry began (Ezekiel 1:1), the final vision of the book came when he was about 50.

2

Theme and Purpose

Ezekiel spoke to a people forced from their home because they had broken faith with their God. As the spokesman for the Lord, Ezekiel spoke oracles that defended his reputation as a holy God (see especially Ezekiel 36:22–23). The primary purpose of Ezekiel’s message was to restore God’s glory before Israel, who had rejected him in front of the watching nations.

3

Background

Ezekiel prophesied during a time of great confusion following Israel’s exile to Babylon in 597 BC. A former Judean king was among the exiles (the 18-year-old Jehoiachin), and the Babylonians had appointed a puppet king to the throne in Jerusalem (Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah).

In times of crisis, God sent prophets to bring his message to his people. Judah’s exile was therefore a period of intense prophetic activity. (Jeremiah also served during this time.)

Ezekiel’s fellow exiles were his main audience, but his oracles also communicated to people who remained in Judah.

4

Key Themes

1. As a priest, Ezekiel was deeply concerned with restoring God’s people to holiness. His understanding of the depth of Israel’s sin is clear in his version of Israel’s history (ch. 20). Even the oracles about a restored Israel (ch. 40–48) include a way to deal with the people’s sin so they can survive in the presence of a holy God. Ezekiel’s concern with sin also accounts for the many places where the book echoes the laws given in the Pentateuch, as well as the similarities between Ezekiel’s new temple (ch. 40–42) and the Exodus tabernacle.

2. Israel was subject to its national God. However, this God is no tribal deity. He is supreme over all nations. Therefore Nebuchadnezzar, king of mighty Babylon, was simply a tool in God’s hand to accomplish God’s purpose (e.g., Ezekiel 21:19–23; 30:25). God’s absolute supremacy is most clearly demonstrated in the battle against Gog, the final enemy (ch. 38–39), where God alone crushes Gog’s vast hostile forces.

3. Ezekiel declares judgment on those clinging to false hope, but offers true hope to those who accept God’s judgment (Ezekiel 37:11). He linked God’s judgment with the hope of a new heart and spirit (Ezekiel 36:22–32).

4. The condemnation of Israel’s “princes” (e.g., ch. 19) finds its hopeful counterpart in the promise of a future “prince” who would rule with justice (Ezekiel 34:23–24) and connect the people to God (Ezekiel 46:1–18).

5

Outline

I. Inaugural Vision (1:1–3:27)
II. Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah (4:1–24:27)
III. Oracles against Foreign Nations (25:1–32:32)
IV. After the Fall of Jerusalem (33:1–39:29)
V. Vision of Restoration (40:1–48:35)

6

The Near East at the Time of Ezekiel

Background of Ezekiel

The Global Message of Ezekiel

The book of Ezekiel is filled with global significance, both for the world of Ezekiel’s time and for our own world today.

1

Israel’s Failure

Ezekiel lived and prophesied among the Jewish exiles in Babylon immediately after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. This was a tragic time in Israel’s history. God’s promises to Abraham, including the promise that his descendants would live and flourish in the Promised Land, seemed to have been long forgotten. Another cause for discouragement was the way Israel had failed in its calling to be a light to the nations. Instead, the nations had influenced Israel, introducing idolatry and other forms of faithlessness into the life of God’s covenant people.

A particular focus of Ezekiel is the way in which Israel’s failures reflect on God himself. In the eyes of the surrounding nations, God is spurned on account of Israel’s lack of loyalty to him. God is therefore going to take matters directly into his own hands: “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name. . . . And the nations will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 36:22–23). Throughout Ezekiel, therefore, we hear God determining to act “for the sake of his name” (Ezekiel 20:9, 14, 22, 44; 36:22) and “that they might know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 20:12, 26). God’s glory was at stake in Israel’s fidelity—or lack thereof.

2

God’s Solution

At the same time, Israel’s own fate was bound up with the fate of God’s honor. God says to Israel, “through you I will vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you” (Ezekiel 36:23–25). God would not vindicate his own name and honor at Israel’s expense, but rather through mercifully restoring them to himself. Throughout the book of Ezekiel, then, the focus constantly swivels between God’s holiness and mercy, his glory and his grace, his righteous hostility toward his people’s sin and his covenantally bound love for them. Both his holiness and his covenant love are key characteristics of God. They are nonnegotiable, definitive divine attributes. Neither can be compromised.

Only in Christ is this tension resolved. For it is only in Christ that God’s holiness and justice, on the one hand, and his mercy and love, on the other, are reconciled without compromising either. For in Christ God’s righteous justice is satisfied, and yet God’s amazing grace is on full display as believers receive freely the benefits of Christ’s atoning work.

Another way we see Ezekiel’s prophecy anticipate Christ is through the whole-Bible theme of spiritual marriage and adultery. Ezekiel 16 and 23, for example, graphically portray Israel’s faithlessness in terms of whoredom: God is the divine husband, Israel is the faithless wife. This metaphor carries on into the New Testament, where Christ is the great Bridegroom who gives himself up for the sake of his bride (Ephesians 5:25–27, 32; compare Mark 2:19; John 3:29). Indeed, this is the note on which the New Testament ends, as the new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven and Christ is depicted as a sacrificial “Lamb” who has given his life for the sake of “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:9).

3

Universal Themes in Ezekiel

The Witness of God’s People to the World

The catastrophe into which Ezekiel was born—exile to Babylon—was the polar opposite of what God had called Israel to do. Israel was to be a light to the nations (Genesis 12:1–3; Isaiah 49:6; 60:3). Instead, the nations had brought darkness to Israel (see Ezekiel 34:12–13). Ezekiel shows how this capitulation to the godless ways of the nations detracts from God’s own glory. It is the welfare of God’s name, not only the welfare of Israel, that is at stake in Israel’s corporate life. God’s people then and now are called to bring the mercy of God to all the nations of the world, so that God might be properly glorified, and the peoples of the earth might be restored to their Maker.

God is Lord of All the Nations

Regardless of whether God’s own people are faithful to their mission to be a light to the nations, Ezekiel teaches us that the God of Israel is no tribal deity but is Lord of all the nations of the world. Even the mighty king of Babylon, seemingly invincible, does only what the God of Israel decrees (Ezekiel 21:19–23; 30:25). In the climactic battle against Gog, too, we see God’s global supremacy as he crushes this rebellious foe (ch. 38–39).

4

The Global Message of Ezekiel for Today

The core message of Ezekiel for the worldwide church today is its radical God-centeredness. The God who is presented in Ezekiel is utterly transcendent, perfectly holy, and not to be relegated to the sidelines of the corporate life of his people. At the same time, the Lord is depicted in Ezekiel as great not only in holiness but in mercy. In spite of his people’s faithlessness, he is not abandoning them but will himself sprinkle them clean and give them new hearts (Ezekiel 11:19–20; 36:25–26).

In our God-minimizing world today, the message of Ezekiel is much needed. Around the world, sin manifests itself not only in outright rebellion and transgression but also in a subtle sidelining of God, both individually and corporately. Trust in political power replaces trust in God’s rightful rule. The false security of money replaces the only solid refuge in God. The passing delights of sexual immorality replace the lasting delights of walking with God. Consumerism and a flood of advertising dull us into thinking that this world is our one shot at truly living. Greedy consumption of the earth’s resources by a powerful few replaces wise stewardship of what God has entrusted to the human race.

In an age of God-minimization, the global church has an urgent message: Our God reigns. He rules over all in power and might, and one day judgment will fall upon those who cling to the things of this world. Yet our message is two-pronged: not only does God reign in might and justice and judgment-to-come, he also invites into his goodness any who will bow their knee to him (Ezekiel 37:23). To those who do, their lifeless bones will be given life, the very breath of God (Ezekiel 37:1–14). They will be sprinkled clean (Ezekiel 36:25). One day Eden will be restored, and all those from around the world who entrust themselves to the Lord will be part of that great and final restoration (Ezekiel 36:33–36).

Want to learn more about the book of Ezekiel? Read our introduction to the book here.

Contribution line

30:1-30:19 This third message against Egypt, using the form of a lament, essentially repeats the content of the first message (29:1-16). Judgment was to be poured out on Egypt and her allies.

30:6-30:7 From Migdol to Aswan (Hebrew to Syene): This means “from north to south.” See study note on 29:8-13.

30:12 I will dry up the Nile River: Egypt was completely dependent on the Nile for its prosperity, so having the Nile dry up would threaten the Egyptians’ livelihoods.

30:13-30:14 From Memphis, the most important city in the north, to Thebes, the most important city in the south, all of the cities of Egypt would be destroyed.

30:14 The location of Zoan is modern Tanis in the eastern part of the Nile delta, near where the Israelites had once worked as Pharaoh’s slaves. • Thebes was the sacred city of the god Amon and the capital of Upper Egypt in the south (so called because it was up the Nile River).

30:15 Pelusium was a fortress town on the northeastern frontier of Egypt.

30:17 of Heliopolis and Bubastis: These cities were located in the Nile delta.

30:18 Tahpanhes was a fortress town on the northeastern frontier of Egypt. • dark day: Egypt would see its light turned to darkness when God came to judge it, as in the Exodus plague (Exod 10:21-23).

30:19 At the end of this terrible judgment, the Egyptians would once again recognize God’s existence and power, just as they had at the time of the Exodus. God’s strength and reality are ultimately undeniable, even by those who do not bow before him.

30:20-30:26 This fourth message against Egypt shows that God had already begun to act against his old enemy.

30:20-30:26 Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonians, but this message rules out even the faintest hope of assistance from the Egyptians.

30:21-30:23 broken the arm of Pharaoh: The Lord had already shattered the Egyptians’ strength in the defeat of Pharaoh Hophra by Nebuchadnezzar (see Jer 37:5-11). Had Hophra succeeded in his mission, the pressure on Jerusalem would have been relieved, at least temporarily; now all hope of help from Egypt was gone. There was no prospect that the broken arm would heal or even be temporarily bound up so that Pharaoh could protect Jerusalem. Egypt would be totally helpless, unable even to hold a sword as it awaited the final death thrust.

30:24-30:26 While disabling Pharaoh (30:22), the Lord would strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, increasing the already uneven nature of the contest. The fate of the forthcoming battle of the superpowers rested entirely in the Lord’s hands, and he had already determined its outcome. Nebuchadnezzar clashed with the Egyptians on a number of occasions, ending with victory in 567 bc.

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