Scripture
Ezekiel 28:1-10 (ESV)
1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God:
“Because your heart is proud,
and you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,’
yet you are but a man, and no god,
though you make your heart like the heart of a god--
3 you are indeed wiser than Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you;
4 by your wisdom and your understanding
you have made wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries;
5 by your great wisdom in your trade
you have increased your wealth,
and your heart has become proud in your wealth--
6 therefore thus says the Lord God:
Because you make your heart
like the heart of a god,
7 therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you,
the most ruthless of the nations;
and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
and defile your splendor.
8 They shall thrust you down into the pit,
and you shall die the death of the slain
in the heart of the seas.
9 Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’
in the presence of those who kill you,
though you are but a man, and no god,
in the hands of those who slay you?
10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, declares the Lord God.”
“Because your heart is proud,
and you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,’
yet you are but a man, and no god,
though you make your heart like the heart of a god--
3 you are indeed wiser than Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you;
4 by your wisdom and your understanding
you have made wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries;
5 by your great wisdom in your trade
you have increased your wealth,
and your heart has become proud in your wealth--
6 therefore thus says the Lord God:
Because you make your heart
like the heart of a god,
7 therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you,
the most ruthless of the nations;
and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
and defile your splendor.
8 They shall thrust you down into the pit,
and you shall die the death of the slain
in the heart of the seas.
9 Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’
in the presence of those who kill you,
though you are but a man, and no god,
in the hands of those who slay you?
10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, declares the Lord God.”
Devotional #106: Ezekiel - "Against the Prince of Tyre"
In Ezekiel 25-32, God proclaims his judgment against the enemies of Israel. These are the nations that gloated over the demise of Israel and Jerusalem. God’s judgment against His people was never meant to be the final world; salvation would eventually come through Christ. The language of judgment is carried over in the NT to describe the final destruction of the enemies of God when Jesus returns.
2 Thessalonians 2 speaks of the Man of Lawlessness who will appear at the coming of Jesus, “who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” In Ezekiel 28:2 speaks to the Prince of Tyre, “Because your heart is proud and you have said ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in heart of the seas,’ yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make your heart like the heart of a god.”
As God destroys the Prince of Tyre, so will he destroy the man of lawlessness when he appears. We must remember that God is not only the God of Israel, but the God over every nation. Every nation and every person will be held accountable to God in the end.
2 Thessalonians 2 speaks of the Man of Lawlessness who will appear at the coming of Jesus, “who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” In Ezekiel 28:2 speaks to the Prince of Tyre, “Because your heart is proud and you have said ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in heart of the seas,’ yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make your heart like the heart of a god.”
As God destroys the Prince of Tyre, so will he destroy the man of lawlessness when he appears. We must remember that God is not only the God of Israel, but the God over every nation. Every nation and every person will be held accountable to God in the end.
Questions
- God will judge every person in the world! What do you think about that? How does that make you feel?
- The world will often laugh and deride the church in their failures. How should we respond?
Scripture
Ezekiel 29:17-21 (ESV)
17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was rubbed bare, yet neither he nor his army got anything from Tyre to pay for the labor that he had performed against her. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off its wealth[a] and despoil it and plunder it; and it shall be the wages for his army. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as his payment for which he labored, because they worked for me, declares the Lord God.
21 “On that day I will cause a horn to spring up for the house of Israel, and I will open your lips among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
21 “On that day I will cause a horn to spring up for the house of Israel, and I will open your lips among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Devotional #107: Ezekiel - "Mover of Nations"
“He changes ties and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” (Daniel 2:21)
Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar are instruments of God’s wrath. Used by God to judge Tyre, they had not been rewarded for their work. Instead, God is giving Egypt to them as their spoil.
God is control over the nations. Every government is set up by God, sustained by Him, and eventually placed under his judgment.
Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar are instruments of God’s wrath. Used by God to judge Tyre, they had not been rewarded for their work. Instead, God is giving Egypt to them as their spoil.
God is control over the nations. Every government is set up by God, sustained by Him, and eventually placed under his judgment.
Questions
- Skim through chapters 25-32. Name all the nations to be judged.
- Pray for our governments, knowing that God’s rule is above all.
Scripture
Ezekiel 32:17-32 (ESV)
17 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month,[a] on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, and send them down, her and the daughters of majestic nations, to the world below, to those who have gone down to the pit:
19 ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised.’
20 They shall fall amid those who are slain by the sword. Egypt[b] is delivered to the sword; drag her away, and all her multitudes. 21 The mighty chiefs shall speak of them, with their helpers, out of the midst of Sheol: ‘They have come down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’
22 “Assyria is there, and all her company, its graves all around it, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, 23 whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the pit; and her company is all around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who spread terror in the land of the living.
24 “Elam is there, and all her multitude around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised into the world below, who spread their terror in the land of the living; and they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit. 25 They have made her a bed among the slain with all her multitude, her graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for terror of them was spread in the land of the living, and they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are placed among the slain.
26 “Meshech-Tubal is there, and all her multitude, her graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27 And they do not lie with the mighty, the fallen from among the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were laid under their heads, and whose iniquities are upon their bones; for the terror of the mighty men was in the land of the living. 28 But as for you, you shall be broken and lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword.
29 “Edom is there, her kings and all her princes, who for all their might are laid with those who are killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.
30 “The princes of the north are there, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down in shame with the slain, for all the terror that they caused by their might; they lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.
31 “When Pharaoh sees them, he will be comforted for all his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword, declares the Lord God. 32 For I spread terror in the land of the living; and he shall be laid to rest among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God.”
19 ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised.’
20 They shall fall amid those who are slain by the sword. Egypt[b] is delivered to the sword; drag her away, and all her multitudes. 21 The mighty chiefs shall speak of them, with their helpers, out of the midst of Sheol: ‘They have come down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’
22 “Assyria is there, and all her company, its graves all around it, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, 23 whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the pit; and her company is all around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who spread terror in the land of the living.
24 “Elam is there, and all her multitude around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised into the world below, who spread their terror in the land of the living; and they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit. 25 They have made her a bed among the slain with all her multitude, her graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for terror of them was spread in the land of the living, and they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are placed among the slain.
26 “Meshech-Tubal is there, and all her multitude, her graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27 And they do not lie with the mighty, the fallen from among the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were laid under their heads, and whose iniquities are upon their bones; for the terror of the mighty men was in the land of the living. 28 But as for you, you shall be broken and lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword.
29 “Edom is there, her kings and all her princes, who for all their might are laid with those who are killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.
30 “The princes of the north are there, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down in shame with the slain, for all the terror that they caused by their might; they lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.
31 “When Pharaoh sees them, he will be comforted for all his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword, declares the Lord God. 32 For I spread terror in the land of the living; and he shall be laid to rest among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God.”
Devotional #108: Ezekiel - "Judgment of The Nations"
Ezekiel 32:17-32 is the seventh and final oracle against Egypt, symbolizing the completeness of God’s judgment against Pharoah and his people. Egypt will be gathered in the world below with those who have already gone down to the pit or sheol (32:18-20). The final picture of Egypt being surrounded by the other nations in judgment points to the finality and surety of God’s intents and actions.
Ezekiel 25-32 is a preview of the end times in Revelation 14-18. God will return with fire, plagues, and beasts to destroy those who oppose him.
Ezekiel 25-32 is a preview of the end times in Revelation 14-18. God will return with fire, plagues, and beasts to destroy those who oppose him.
Questions
- The place of judgment is pictured as the world below, pit, and sheol. Describe what happens here?
- Pray for the enemies of the cross. Pray that the Lord may redeem the from the pit.