Tyre, Sidon and the Kingdom of Egypt - Ezekiel 28-30

This is Episode #251 and today we’ll read Ezekiel chapters 28-30 together.  Ezekiel levels judgements against Tyre, Sidon and the kingdom of Egypt.

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Transcript

Joy: You’re listening to Season 2 of the Lifting Her Voice podcast.  This is Episode #251 and today we’ll read Ezekiel chapters 28-30 together.  Ezekiel levels judgements against Tyre, Sidon and the kingdom of Egypt.

Welcome

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Season 2!  I'm your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me - from the beginning - simply reading God's word together.  We built some spiritual muscles in 2020 with just the New Testament.  But this year we’re going all out, cover-to-cover, Old Testament and New.  So, whether with your first cup in the morning, your commute to work, or as the last thing on your mind before sleep, God’s Word will equip you for every good work.  I’m really glad you’re here!

Ezekiel Chapter 28:

The Fall of Tyre’s Ruler

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.” Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god. Yes, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you! By your wisdom and understanding you have acquired wealth for yourself. You have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries. By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has become proud because of your wealth.

“‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:

Because you regard your heart as that of a god,

I am about to bring strangers against you,

ruthless men from the nations.

They will draw their swords

against your magnificent wisdom

and will pierce your splendor.

They will bring you down to the Pit,

and you will die a violent death

in the heart of the sea.

Will you still say, “I am a god,”

in the presence of those who slay you?

Yet you will be only a man, not a god,

in the hands of those who kill you.

You will die the death of the uncircumcised

at the hands of strangers.

For I have spoken.

This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”

A Lament for Tyre’s King

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, lament for the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God says:

You were the seal of perfection,

full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

You were in Eden, the garden of God.

Every kind of precious stone covered you:

carnelian, topaz, and diamond,

beryl, onyx, and jasper,

lapis lazuli, turquoise and emerald.

Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold;

they were prepared on the day you were created.

You were an anointed guardian cherub,

for I had appointed you.

You were on the holy mountain of God;

you walked among the fiery stones.

From the day you were created

you were blameless in your ways

until wickedness was found in you.

Through the abundance of your trade,

you were filled with violence, and you sinned.

So I expelled you in disgrace

from the mountain of God,

and banished you, guardian cherub,

from among the fiery stones.

Your heart became proud because of your beauty;

For the sake of your splendor

you corrupted your wisdom.

So I threw you down to the ground;

I made you a spectacle before kings.

You profaned your sanctuaries

by the magnitude of your iniquities

in your dishonest trade.

So I made fire come from within you,

and it consumed you.

I reduced you to ashes on the ground

in the sight of everyone watching you.

All those who know you among the peoples

are appalled at you.

You have become an object of horror

and will never exist again.’”

A Prophecy against Sidon

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, face Sidon and prophesy against it. You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:

Look! I am against you, Sidon,

and I will display my glory within you.

They will know that I am the Lord

when I execute judgments against her

and demonstrate my holiness through her.

I will send a plague against her

and bloodshed in her streets;

the slain will fall within her,

while the sword is against her on every side.

Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“‘The house of Israel will no longer be hurt by prickly briers or painful thorns from all their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.

“‘This is what the Lord God says: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples where they are scattered, I will demonstrate my holiness through them in the sight of the nations, and they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there securely, build houses, and plant vineyards. They will live securely when I execute judgments against all their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’”

Ezekiel Chapter 29:

A Prophecy of Egypt’s Ruin

In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, face Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all of Egypt. Speak to him and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:

Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,

the great monster lying in the middle of his Nile,

who says, “My Nile is my own;

I made it for myself.”

I will put hooks in your jaws

and make the fish of your streams

cling to your scales.

I will haul you up

from the middle of your Nile,

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 ground

and will not be taken away

or gathered for burial.

I have given you

to the wild creatures of the earth

and the birds of the sky as food.

“‘Then all the inhabitants of Egypt

will know that I am the Lord,

for they have been a staff made of reed

to the house of Israel.

When Israel grasped you by the hand,

you splintered, tearing all their shoulders;

when they leaned on you,

you shattered and made all their hips unsteady.

“‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am going to bring a sword against you and cut off both people and animals from you. The land of Egypt will be a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, “The Nile is my own; I made it,” therefore, I am against you and your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ruins, a desolate waste from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush. No human foot will pass through it, and no animal foot will pass through it. It will be uninhabited for forty years. I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among desolate lands, and its cities will be a desolation among ruined cities for forty years. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.

“‘For this is what the Lord God says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were dispersed. I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom. Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small they cannot rule over the nations. It will never again be an object of trust for the house of Israel, drawing attention to their iniquity of turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.’”

Babylon Receives Egypt as Compensation

In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made his army labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder chafed, but he and his army received no compensation from Tyre for the labor he expended against it. Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am going to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth, seizing its spoil and taking its plunder. This will be his army’s compensation. I have given him the land of Egypt as the pay he labored for, since they worked for me.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. “In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will enable you to speak out among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Ezekiel Chapter 30:

Egypt’s Doom

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:

Wail, “Woe because of that day!”

For a day is near;

a day belonging to the Lord is near.

It will be a day of clouds,

a time of doom for the nations.

A sword will come against Egypt,

and there will be anguish in Cush

when the slain fall in Egypt,

and its wealth is taken away,

and its foundations are demolished.

Cush, Put, and Lud,

and all the various foreign troops,

plus Libya and the men of the covenant land

will fall by the sword along with them.

This is what the Lord says:

Those who support Egypt will fall,

and its proud strength will collapse.

From Migdol to Syene

they will fall within it by the sword.

This is the declaration of the Lord God.

They will be desolate

among desolate lands,

and their cities will lie

among ruined cities.

They will know that I am the Lord

when I set fire to Egypt

and all its allies are shattered.

On that day, messengers will go out from me in ships to terrify confident Cush. Anguish will come over them on the day of Egypt’s doom. For indeed it is coming.

“‘This is what the Lord God says:

I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt

by the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

He along with his people,

ruthless men from the nations,

will be brought in to destroy the land.

They will draw their swords against Egypt

and fill the land with the slain.

I will make the streams dry

and sell the land to evil men.

I will bring desolation

on the land and everything in it

by the hands of foreigners.

I, the Lord, have spoken.

“‘This is what the Lord God says:

I will destroy the worthless idols

and put an end to the false gods in Memphis.

There will no longer be

a prince from the land of Egypt.

And I will instill fear in that land.

I will make Pathros desolate,

set fire to Zoan,

and execute judgments on Thebes.

I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium,

the stronghold of Egypt,

and will wipe out the hordes of Thebes.

I will set fire to Egypt;

Pelusium will writhe in anguish,

Thebes will be breached,

and Memphis will face foes in broad daylight.

The young men of On and Pi-beseth

will fall by the sword,

and those cities will go into captivity.

The day will be dark in Tehaphnehes,

when I break the yoke of Egypt there

and its proud strength

comes to an end in the city.

A cloud will cover Tehaphnehes,

and its surrounding villages will go into captivity.

So I will execute judgments against Egypt,

and they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Pharaoh’s Power Broken

In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged — no medicine has been applied and no splint put on to bandage it so that it can grow strong enough to handle a sword. Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Look! I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries. I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him as a mortally wounded man. I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall. They will know that I am the Lord when I place my sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he wields it against the land of Egypt. When I disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries, they will know that I am the Lord.”

Close

The king of Tyre and Pharoah of Egypt both had one fatal flaw in common: their pride.  They looked out at their prosperous kingdoms, full of beauty and riches, and exalted themselves as gods.  But God saw them for what they were: mortal, sinful men whose arrogance had blinded them to the glory of the one true God of the universe.

Furthermore, Ezekiel tells us that the real power behind the king of Tyre was no less than Satan himself, who had his own issues with pride that resulted in his downfall.  In chapter 28, Ezekiel provides us with the most extensive description of Satan to be found in the Bible, beginning in verse 11 and continuing through verse 19.

Tyre and Egypt were both defeated by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  Egypt, which had been a glorious kingdom for 2,500 years, never again regained her place of prominence in the world.  Tyre continued to linger for a couple of centuries until Alexander the Great destroyed the city in 332 BC.  God will not be mocked.

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Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray that by spending time in His Word every day, you will be changed.  Visit me at Lifting Her Voice.com with your comments and questions.  And don’t forget to visit the Blog page while you’re there.  If you like the podcast, it would be great if you’d give it a five-star review and share it with everyone you know.  Don't forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you tomorrow!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.