28:2,3. Daniel, an important official in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom(14:14), was already renowned for his wisdom. Daniel proclaimed that all his wisdom came from God (Daniel 2:20-23). By contrast, the king of Tyre thought that he himself was a god. When truly wise people get closer to God, they recognise their need to depend on him for guidance.

29:1. There are seven prophecies in chapters 29-31, all dealing with judgement on Egypt. This is probably the first prophecy that was given by Ezekiel in 587 B.C. Hezekiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah (kings of Judah) had all sought help from Egypt despite God’s warnings.

There are three key reasons for this prophecy:(1)Egypt was an ancient enemy of the Jews, having once enslaved them for 400 years,(2). Egypt worshiped many gods;(3) Egypt’s wealth and power made it seem like a good ally. Egypt offered to help Judah only because of the benefits it hoped to receive from such an alliance. When the Egyptians didn’t get what they hoped for, they bailed out of their agreement without regard to any promises they had made.

29:9,10 -The Nile was Egypt’s pride and joy, a life-giving river cutting through the middle of the desert. Rather than thanking God, however, Egypt declared,”The Nile is mine, I made it. “. We do the same when we say “This house is mine;I built it. “Or “I have brought myself to the place where I am today”. Or “I have Built the church, business, or reputation, from the ground up.” These statements reveal our pride. Sometimes we take for granted what God has given us, thinking we have made it ourselves. Of course, we have put forth a lot of hard effort, but God supplies the resources, gave us abilities, and provided us with the opportunities to make it happen. Instead of claiming our own greatness, as the Egyptians did, we should proclaim God’s greatness and give him the credit.

30:1-19. This is a lament for Egypt and its allies. Because of the Egyptians pride and idolatry, they would be brought down.

30:21-26. This prophecy was given to Ezekiel in
587 B.C. God destroyed Egypt’s military superiority and gave it to Babylon. God allows nations to rise to power to accomplish a particular purpose, often beyond our immediate understanding. When you read about armies and wars, don’t despair. Remember that God is Sovereign and in charge off everything, even military might. Besides praying for your military and government leaders, praying that God’s greater purposes would be carried out and that his will would be done “on earth as it is in heaven”.(Matt.6:10).

31:1. This message was given in 586 B.c. Ezekiel compared Egypt to Assyria, calling Assirya a great cedar tree. The Egyptians were to look at the fall of the mighty nation of Assyria (whose demise they had seen). As an example of what would happen to them. Just like Assyria, Egypt took pride in its strength and beauty, this would be its downfall. She would crash like a mighty tree and be sent to the place of the dead. There is no permanence apart from God, even for a great society with magnificent culture and military power.

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Clara Radhakrishna