Ezekiel Chapter 29
Monday, 02/09/26 at 10:00
Solitary Man
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Eze 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,
In one of those exceptions to the rule, the prophecies concerning Egypt are all gathered together into one place. Thus the dates shall jump back in time from the previous word, then skip several years ahead. This is the 7th of 7 Gentile nations that Ezekiel was called to prophesy against.
So why Egypt? Why is Yehovah giving us 4 chapters concerning this rapidly fading power? I believe the spiritual reason is fairly obvious. If Tyre represented the world, Egypt represents the flesh. Yahweh repeatedly warned his people to never return that way. He delivered them from Egypt, and they were never to look back. We were once slaves to sin. Our flesh ruled us. Jesus delivered us from the power of sin and death. To go back to the flesh is to turn back to death. Several scriptures speak of these things.
Deu_6:12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of
Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Deu_6:21 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:
Deu_7:8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Deu_17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
Jer_42:15 And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;
Jer_42:16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
Jer_42:17 So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.
Jer_42:18 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.
Jer_42:19 The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.
Hos_8:13 They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.
Hos_9:3 They shall not dwell in the LORD’S land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Heb 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
2Pe 2:18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
I believe these 4 chapters are to make us stop and ponder our salvation, our deliverance, and our current temptations to go back and rely on the arm of the flesh for anything. Whether it’s to succumb to the momentary pleasure of sin, or to fearfully turn to something of this world to protect us, we are never to engage in such a practice. These things are dragging everyone to hell. To escape these snares, only to willingly choose to return to that path, is to sign your own death warrant.
The date is 1 year, 2 days into the siege, 6 months from the fall, and 7 months from the total destruction of the temple and the city. Verses 17 through 21 will append a short prophecy well into the future, competing this initial prophecy. While the next chapter begins with an undated prophecy, verse 20 in that same chapter brings us back to the 11th year, so most likely the undated prophecy that begins in chapter 30 will fall between this one in the 10th year and the 11th.
This prophecy may have been given right at the time that this event occurred, as recorded by Jeremiah:
Jer 37:5 Then Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.
Jer 37:6 Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
Jer 37:7 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.
Jer 37:8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.
Jer 37:9 Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.
Jer 37:10 For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
Jeremiah Imprisoned
Jer 37:11 And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,
This was a temporary lifting of the siege when Pharaoh tried to come and help Judah. Remember that in 605, Egypt was defeated by the Babylonians at Carchemesh. They would have naturally wanted some revenge. Perhaps they thought that if they help Judah, Judah’s army could be freed to aid them in return. This news would have brought a renewal of hope in Judah’s deliverance, both to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the exiles in Babylon, assuming they somehow received the news in some sort of timely manner. Not only was Jeremiah ordered to quash this false hope, but so was Ezekiel. For Ezekiel, what began as a word concerning the immediate situation on the ground, turned into subsequent words concerning the fate in Egypt in general.
Eze 29:2 Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:
From what historians have gleaned, we are to understand that the name of this current Pharaoh was Pharaoh Hophra, who ruled for 25 years. Apparently he had had some military successes after the defeat at Carchemesh, by recovering Gaza and Zidon, and he made himself the ruler of Palestine. The historian Herodotus wrote that he felt so secure on his throne that he boasted that not even a god could unseat him. That would go far in explaining why Yehovah chose to speak to him in the way he did.
Eze 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.
This Pharaoh, whom history recorded as thinking he was all powerful, is here claiming god-like powers of creation. There is no shortage of tyrants in history that aspire to be labelled as divine. The Nile was intimately tied into the fortunes of Egypt. Their gods and their rulers were inextricably linked with this life giving source of water. It would not be a stretch to imagine many Pharaohs claiming mastery of this all important source of sustenance. From there, it was a short step to claiming some sort of divine status and power.
This verse teaches us that God takes notice of all blasphemy. Claiming to be divine, or even claiming the powers of divinity, will not be ignored by the Almighty. If you truly want to be noticed by God, just start to claim some divine power for yourself. That is a sure way to get your name written down in heaven. But I can guarantee you that the book you are recorded in will not be the book of life!
Yahweh is against any fool who claims god-like power. Yahweh calls him a great dragon. Commentators stumble all over themselves in saying that this word means crocodile. And wherever a different context occurs, they will as fervently claim that now it means hippopotamus, or whale, or serpent. In short, anything but dragon! But dragons were real creatures, and good evidence exists that they were still alive less than a thousand years ago. But dragon is the meaning of this word. I have no doubt that they were well known in Old Testament days. If God spent a couple chapters in Job speaking of dragons and dinosaurs, why are we so squeamish to speak of them? The only reason that we are is that we don’t want to get laughed at and ridiculed by our ‘scientific’ friends and colleagues.
The midst of the rivers must refer to the fact that the Nile had several tributaries that fed into it.
Eze 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.
Whether you want to see God calling Pharaoh a dragon or a crocodile, it matters not. God will take personal control of the direction of this nation at this time. The fish of the rivers that stick to this river monster (Pharaoh) most likely refers to Egypt’s allies that are in league with her. Egypt and all her allies will be forcibly removed from her land. God will flip them out, as one would flip fish out of the rivers that you are fishing in.
Eze 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.
Egypt and her allies will be thrown out of their natural habitat. They will be taken to an unfamiliar place. A wilderness and an open field is not a very hospitable place for a creature that lives in a river. They will not be tossed into the same place, but Babylon will take these people and scatter them afar. They will be helpless in the face of their enemies, becoming prey for others.
Eze 29:6 And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff (support, walking stick) of reed to the house of Israel.
The image of a reed was appropriate to Egypt. Even the messenger of Assyria referred to Egypt as a broken reed:
Isa 36:6 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.
As in Hezekiah’s day, God never wants his people to look to Egypt for their deliverance. This hearkens back to the primary symbolism of Egypt spoken of at the beginning of this chapter. The believer has been delivered out of Egypt. We are never to look back there for help. If you do, God will take notice and ensure that you will receive no help from those who had enslaved you in times past.
Eze 29:7 When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend (tore) all their shoulder arm): and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest (shaw-bar – was broken, burst), and madest all their loins to be at a stand (aw-mad – to shake).
As we saw in the prophecy of Jeremiah chapter 37, Pharaoh would be no help at all. The wording seems to indicate that when Judah took hold of Egypt, that caused Egypt to be torn up. In the same way, as Egypt thought that this alliance with Judah would be a good thing, Judah was also broken. The result was that Egypt was terrified at the course of action that they had chosen. Puffed up with his recent reclamation of lands in Palestine, Pharaoh arrogantly thought that he could now take on Babylon and reverse what happened at Carchemesh. But as Josiah was interfering in Yahweh’s plans when God had spurred Egypt to attack Babylon, so now Egypt was interfering in God’s judgment of Judah via the arm of Babylon.
The lesson to be learned from all this is, do not get in God’s way. This is why the church needs to get back in the prayer closet and hear the true word of the Lord once again, like she used to. How many rulers claim that God had blessed their going to war and were disastrously mistaken? Or, maybe God had led them into war, only to destroy them. We all remember the story about Micaiah and Ahab. God even sent a lying spirit to the false prophets, so that Ahab would go into battle, where God had appointed a special arrow to kill him. It can work both ways.
The conclusion is that God’s plans and purposes so dwarf our desires and our needs. We love to hear the pastor claim that God is concerned with every sparrow that falls, as if somehow God sheds a tear for each animal that dies. But the bible does not say that. It says that God is aware of everything. He is also aware when we exhibit a lack of faith in Him. While he promises to clothe us, he is also in the business of rearranging the chess pieces on a planetary scale. It does not bode well should you attempt to insert yourself in the middle.
Eze 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.
Pretty straightforward. God is not happy with Egypt attempting to attack Babylon, whom God has chosen in this season to be his instrument of wrath. That wrath will fall on Egypt.
Eze 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.
For their trouble, the lush, fertile land of Egypt shall be wasted. And mostly because this man who thought he was like a god believed that he could do whatever he wanted, and that it would succeed.
Do not ever belittle or diminish the truth of God as the sole creator of all things. Frankly I am surprised that he has allowed the blasphemy of evolution to gain such a universal foothold on this planet. It is astounding that Yehovah puts up with this. In this particular case though, this Pharaoh must have gotten under his skin, as he was not going to let his empty boast stand. He wanted to make sure that after he was done with him, that he would never be confused again as to who was God and who was not.
Eze 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 (mig-dole – Migdol) of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia (Cush).
Whether or not Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled this prophecy in its entirety is debatable. The fact is that the entirety of Egypt would suffer some comprehensive devastation. Whether by an army, or by the direct hand of God via drought and/or locust, it would come to pass.
The translation should probably read ‘from Migdol to Syene, even to Ethiopia’. Migdol represented a northernmost town, Syene the south, which was adjacent to the border of Ethiopia. It was equivalent to saying ‘from Dan to Beersheba’. From the north to the south, all of the land would be made desolate.
This prophecy is best understood as one of gradual fulfilment. What Nebuchadnezzar began, Persian, Greek and Roman conquerors that followed completed.
Eze 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.
At roughly the same time Cyrus decreed the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, thus ending the 70 year period of captivity (605-536 BC), he also decreed a return of the Egyptian people. This is said to have been a roughly 40 year exile from the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s last conquest of the land. This verse says that it was exactly 40 years, so that is what it was. Just because skeptical commentators are hesitant to ascribe precision to the prophecy is of no relevance whatsoever.
Some try to allegorize the years, as representative of the well known 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. This number is supposed to be symbolic of God’s judgments. Just as the rain of Noah for 40 days and 40 nights. While the number 40 can certainly represent judgment, that does not give one license to discount the accuracy and precision of any prophetic word, where an exact number is given, unless one can clearly prove that the number is rounded. For example, look at this verse:
Act_13:20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
Paul is preaching, and did not claim a precise time period, so the number is an approximation. But when Yehovah himself speaks, he means what he says. Regardless of whether or not one can find ‘proof’ in some secular historical document, that should be totally irrelevant for the child of God.
On the other hand, God has been known to use figures of speech, such as hyperbole. Remember what God told Abraham that he would multiply his seed as the stars of heaven? Obviously that was hyperbole. In the same way, one can make the claim that God is not claiming that not even a single human being shall cross any part of Egypt for 40 years, only that it might as well be the case, due to the paucity of individuals left. Or, if you took it literally, perhaps he is saying that for this 40 years, no one would cross the entire breadth of the land. There may be no reason for anyone to do so. Usually it would only be caravans of the merchants who would cross the entire country. If commerce has been devastated, then all trade would cease. That would get around those who would try and say that this prophecy was not ever fulfilled. It often depends on how you read it. I am not saying that is how one should read it, only suggesting it as a possibility.
You will often find that if you are having a difficulty understanding a word, it may be that you have been taught to interpret things too loosely. The more respect you give the text, the greater the treasures it will give up to you.
Eze 29:12 And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries (eh-rets – earth) that are desolate (shaw-mame – stun, stupefy), and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter (poots – dash in pieces) the Egyptians among the nations (goy – gentiles), and will disperse (zaw-raw – toss about) them through the countries (eh-rets).
The commentators do not make a great attempt to make sense of this verse. At first glance, it sounds as if this desolate Egypt will be desolate in the midst of desolate places, and her desolate cities among other desolate cities. As if Egypt will be desolated in the midst of many desolated places.
If I go to the Hebrew, I come up with something like this:
I will cause desolation in the land of Egypt, in the midst of the nation desolations. Cities are severed from cities. Destroyers shall cause devastations for 40 years. I will dash in pieces the Egyptians among the Gentiles, and will scatter them throughout the earth.
We all understand by now the love God has for repetition. I think it indicates a certain level of anger. If he is repeating himself again and again, chances are he is not in a very good mood!
Eze 29:13 Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather (kaw-bats – collect, assemble) the Egyptians from the people (am – nations, tribe) whither they were scattered (poots):
There is certainly a pattern here with the number 40. As Israel wandered 40 years in the wilderness, so God has decreed the same for Egypt. Only this would not be a simple wandering. This would be a scattering into many corners of the Babylon empire. It is said that Cyrus decreed that the Egyptians in his empire could return home, as he did for the Jews.
Eze 29:14 And I will bring again (shoob – turn back, turn away, turn to the starting point, repent) the captivity (sheb-ooth – exile) of Egypt, and will cause them to return (shoob) into the land (eh-rets) of Pathros, into the land (eh-rets) of their habitation (mek-oo-raw – origin, nativity); and they shall be there a base (shaw-fawl – depressed, humble, lowly) kingdom (mam-law-kaw – country, dominion).
Pathros was in the south, or Upper Egypt. Even as God did not forget his people the Jews, so he seems to have a special care for Egypt. Unlike Edom, whom God hated, and promised to obliterate, Egypt would survive. Though that did not mean that they would ever revive to anything near their former greatness.
In one of the strangest passages in the entire bible, Isaiah speaks of a strange time in the future:
Isa 19:21 And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it.
Isa 19:22 And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.
Isa 19:23 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.
Isa 19:24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:
Isa 19:25 Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.
How in the world does he call Egypt his people? In what way? How does this line up with the rest of his word?
I will not pretend to understand this passage. Only that the context preceding it claims that Judah will be involved somehow. Perhaps Egypt knowing the Lord means that the Gentiles shall come into the fold via Christ. We were all once Egyptians, children of the flesh. Now we are children of the promise, and can truly be called the people of God. Now who Assyria is, and what it could represent, your guess is as good as mine. The safest thing to say is that perhaps this is some strange turn of history in the Millenium?
Back to the text, physical Egypt would never rise again to any importance. They would be a humble kingdom. If we see the church as rising out of the land of Egypt, then we too are to be a humble kingdom. We conquer not with swords, but with love and self sacrifice.
Eze 29:15 It shall be the basest (shaw-fawl) of the kingdoms (mam-law-kaw); neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations (goy): for I will diminish (maw-at – lessen, make few in number, bring to nothing) them, that they shall no more rule (raw-daw – tread down, subjugatge) over the nations (goy).
Yehovah repeats himself once again, in order to make sure that we understand that Egypt shall survive, but no one needs fear it anymore. Maybe we can see the history of the church in this prophecy. The church at one time gained immense political power. They thought they had god-like power, like this latest Pharaoh had. They thought their priests could forgive or not forgive sins. They truly believed that their leader could lock people out of heaven, thinking they had the keys. Then this church was humbled. Greatly humbled. Its political power was stripped from it. It split into many factions. Oh, it tried to exert itself in various places and in various ways, but it became weaker and weaker. Finally, as it was about to perish, it rediscovered its true strength. And that was in its humility. When it realized that it could not survive without the intervention of the Most High, then it humbled itself and placed itself at the mercy of God. Only then did it begin to shine and thrive, until the Master returned. Such is the future of the holy remnant. The church has been lessened in the eyes of the world. It has been made few in number. We shall no more rule the nations and kingdoms of this world as we once did. No more shall we tread down and subjugate the nations with worldly devices.
Eze 29:16 And it shall be no more the confidence (mib-tawkh – refuge, hope, trust, assurance) of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance (zaw-kar aw-vone – to mark their moral evil and perversity), when they shall look (face) after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
Looking to Egypt simply exposes Israel’s wicked heart. Looking back to the pleasures of sin that Egypt represents reveals the wickedness that yet remains in our hearts. Shall you not do whatever it takes to ensure that no trace of the desires for the things of Egypt remain within? There is no help back there, in that life of sin. Even as Israel would now realize that the days of Egypt being of any assistance were gone, so we too need to realize that the strength of the flesh is an illusion. Looking back only reveals our own moral perversity.
When we now face what is in the world, can we not see exactly what is out there? Do we now know that there is nothing out there that can aid us? Everything that is of Egypt will only enslave us. The momentary pleasure of any thing will only lead to addiction and bondage. Do not look back. Be not tangled again into a yoke of bondage.
Eze 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,
This is only prophecy which is completely out of order by a large margin. In order to finish the thought that has been started here, Ezekiel decides to append this word that was given in 570 BC, 27 years after he was exiled. It was meant as a sort of footnote to the initial fulfilment of the above prophecy. This word was given 17 years after the previous one. This shows that you cannot put a clock on the promises of God. He fulfills them at his leisure, not your want. The second thing is that some may say that Nebuchadnezzar did not completely fulfill all of the predictions above. First of all, nowhere does it say that he did. But secondly, God seems to claim that we are look upon what Nebuchadnezzar did as some sort of fulfilment nonetheless, whether partial or total, because of the fact that he inspired Ezekiel to attach it right here.
Eze 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 (khaw-thafe) was peeled (maw-rat – polished, chafed): yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:
Remember that Neb besieged Tyre for 13 years. What this verse hints at is that Tyre most likely was able to spirit away the bulk of its wealth before Babylon was able to enter the city. Because God was using Babylon as his personal hammer in this era, God decided that Babylon should be adequately compensated for all that time and effort.
The language used here symbolizes hard work for no pay. Any Christian businessman who takes advantage of his help by withholding fair and just wages needs to take note.
Eze 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.
Apparently historians will claim that no such thing occurred, having found no record of it in the Egyptian annals. But Jewish and other sources do mention Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Egypt. He deposed one Pharaoh, and replaced him with another. It is understandable why Egyptian history would omit something that was an embarrassment to them.
How Nebby took the spoil may have been according to the records of the time. That is, instead of the normal rape and plunder that armies normally do, he installed his own puppet king, who would then pay tribute from a prosperous land that would place much wealth in Babylon’s treasury. There is more than one way to plunder a land. For example, today, the globalists and governments set up all these fake NGO’s (non governmental organizations) as charitable entities. But the only charities they serve are as a money laundering scheme for the globalists themselves.
Eze 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.
God can choose whatever he wants to do with every country on the planet. Now I would have a hard time believing that China is God’s servant, so therefore Canada has been given over to it. No, that falls under the basic category of the total judgment of God. But what this does say is that we are such small potatoes in the cosmic scheme of things, are we not?
Eze 29:21 In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth (tsaw-makh – sprout, grow again), and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Now God switches to some future state, where Israel is said to blossom. The last part of the verse is unclear. Does it mean Ezekiel’s mouth had been shut a second time, and only in the future it would be opened once again? It sure seems as if this verse is speaking of a day that will occur while Ezekiel is still alive, as it says Ezekiel will be given the opening of the mouth in the midst of them.
If the budding forth was when the decree of Cyrus was given, that would make him 91 years old. I doubt God would have shut his mouth for that long. Some other ideas are that when Israel begins to truly repent, in the spirit one could consider that the lessons are finally being learned, and now Ezekiel would be free to expound the true meaning of all these words to a receptive audience. Or, when this particular prediction shall come to pass, Ezekiel’s words would be more heeded.
Those answers don’t feel right to me. Here is a verse that seems to clearly indicate some far off future restoration of the nation. The literal translation could read:
This day the horn of the house of Israel will sprout. I will give an open mouth in their midst. They will know (or it will be known) that I am Yehovah.
When Yehovah revives Israel, that will be an open mouth that will witness to the reality of Yehovah.
Why this verse was stuck here at the back end of this man’s prophetical career is not known. This last short word came even after his last great vision of the temple, which occurred in the 25th year. Perhaps it is to remind Israel that even though Yehovah has broken forever its looking to, and relying on Egypt, there is coming a day when all thoughts of needing any help except from Yehovah will be long past.
We have just begun this journey into Egypt. One thing I can promise is that the ride will become stranger as we go along.
Solitary Man
