Dawn on the Nile: dense papyrus thickets and the broad brown river in the foreground, a stone temple with plain pylons small on the far bank among palms, under a calm pale sky.

The nations judged

Ezekiel 29

What are you leaning on that would break if you put your weight on it?

21 verses≈ 5 minBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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Where we are

1–3Visions of gloryBy the Kebar, about 593 BC: the throne, the scroll, the watchman
4–7Signs of the siegeA brick, a ration, a razor: the end has come
8–11The glory departsAbout 592 BC: the temple’s abominations, the mark, the glory goes east
12–15False hopesExile acted out, false prophets, a useless vine
16–19Parables and lamentsAn unfaithful bride, two eagles, the one who sins
20–24The sword drawnRebellion retold; the siege begins, about 588 BC
25–32The nations judgedAmmon to Egypt: the LORD is Judge of all the earthChapter 29
33–36A new heartThe city falls; the Good Shepherd; cleansed and made new
37–39Dry bones liveOne people raised up, and Gog of Magog defeated
40–48The LORD is thereAbout 573 BC: the new temple, the river, the land

A Prophecy against Pharaoh

God

Early light at a bend of the brown Nile: a great crocodile lying half-submerged among papyrus stems, only its long ridged back, snout and eyes above the still water.

In the tenth year, on the twelfth day of the tenth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says:

Behold, I am against you,

O Pharaoh king of Egypt,

O great monster who lies

among his rivers,

who says, ‘The Nile is mine;

I made it myself.’

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God

But I will put hooks in your jaws

and cause the fish of your streams

to cling to your scales.

I will haul you up out of your rivers,

and all the fish of your streams

will cling to your scales.

I will leave you in the desert,

you and all the fish of your streams.

You will fall on the open field

and will not be taken away

or gathered for burial.

I have given you as food

to the beasts of the earth

and the birds of the air.

Then all the people of Egypt

will know that I am the LORD.

God

God

For you were only a staff of reeds

to the house of Israel.

When Israel took hold of you with their hands,

you splintered, tearing all their shoulders;

when they leaned on you,

you broke, and their backs were wrenched.

Question

Quick question

Judah looked south for help against Babylon.

What does the LORD say Egypt was to the house of Israel?

Seven words against Egypt

Whiteboard

Seven words over sixteen years, in four chapters: the power Judah trusted would fall.

The Desolation of Egypt

God

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will bring a sword against you and cut off from you man and beast. The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

God

The Nile at Syene narrowing among great rounded granite boulders, a small mud-brick town on the bank empty and silent with its doors open, dry desert hills beyond.

Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it,’

therefore I am against you and against your rivers. I will turn the land of Egypt into a ruin, a desolate wasteland from Migdol to Syene, and as far as the border of Cush. No foot of man or beast will pass through, and it will be uninhabited for forty years.

God

Hot noon in the Nile delta: a mud-brick town on its low mound, its temple pylon cracked and a gate standing open, sand drifting in empty lanes, untended fields gone to weeds around it.

I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among desolate lands, and her cities will lie desolate for forty years among the ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the countries.

God

Morning in Upper Egypt: a small plain village of mud-brick houses by the Nile, a few green fields and a water-lifting pole at rest, and far off on a dusty path families coming home with bundles and donkeys.

For this is what the Lord GOD says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations to which they were scattered. I will restore Egypt from captivity and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom.

God

Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the nations. For I will diminish Egypt so that it will never again rule over the nations.

God

Egypt will never again be an object of trust for the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity in turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.”

Pray

Lord, I lean on so much that cannot hold me. Break my trust in the reeds, and teach me to lean my whole weight on You. Amen.

Egypt the Reward of Nebuchadnezzar

God

Evening on the mainland shore facing Tyre: worn reed baskets, rope slings and carrying poles left beside long heaps of earth and stone, a trampled camp, the island city still standing across the water.

In the twenty-seventh year, on the first day of the first month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder made raw. But he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the labor they expended on it.

God

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will carry off its wealth, seize its spoil, and remove its plunder. This will be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt as the reward for his labor, because it was done for Me, declares the Lord GOD.

God

Dawn in a mud-brick village: a plank door standing open, morning light falling across the earth floor onto a polished ram’s horn resting on a low stool, under a calm bright sky.

In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth to speak among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

0:10

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

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Ezekiel 29

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A verse to carry with you

In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth to speak among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 29:21

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