May 16, Ezekiel 32
"When I make the land of Egypt desolate, and when the land is desolate of all that fills it, when I strike down all who dwell in it, then they will know that I am the LORD." - Ezekiel 32:15
As we study the prophets, we learn more than just how God dealt with the rebellious nation of Israel. There's more here than a parallel account of events already covered in the historical books. We learn about another dimension of God’s character and nature besides his sovereignty over all people and nations. Through the prophets, we learn more about the great heart of God.
Chapter 32 is another lament that God gave Ezekiel. This one is about Pharaoh and Egypt. The laments recorded in Ezekiel remind us that there are more laments in the Bible besides those found in Jeremiah’s little five chapter book called Lamentations. These sad funeral songs affirm that, just as God promised in the garden of Eden, sin brings death. And when God's perfect justice and faithfulness to his word demand that sin be punished, God does what he warned he would do. But it breaks his heart to do so.
These songs contain no joyful shouts of victory. God is heartbroken that people made in his image have destroyed themselves by forsaking him. As he will say in Chapter 33, "As I live declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." These songs that detail the downfall and destruction of God's enemies do more than show that disobedience is the path to ruin. They also remind us that sins we commit hurt ourselves, others and ultimately God himself.
Pharaoh and Egypt would take their place among the dead, joining Assyria, Elam, Edom and other nations who had felt the wrath of God for their sins against him and his people. Yes, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would be the agent through whom the destruction came. But over and over, God stressed that he personally did the things that destroyed these nations. Yes, these vicious nations had spread terror in the land of the living. But God insists that he is ultimately the one who spreads the terror, and now the terrifying humans lie in their graves. They will never terrify anyone again.
This chapter sheds the most information of any text in the Old Testament about the realm of the dead. This place where the terrorists strike no more terror is universal. All the nations are buried beside one another, deep in the heart of the earth. Their national and personal identities still exist in the grave. I do not believe that there are literal welcoming committees among the dead or that Pharaoh was literally comforted by the company when he and his nation died. The point here is that the Egyptians would join the community or company of the dead. The emphasis is on their shared fate. These once violent, ruthless killers are now all harmless and powerless in death.
Pharaoh thought of himself as a mighty lion, but God told him he was just a sea creature, muddying the water. God told the proud Egyptian king who identified himself as a god that the Lord would catch him and cast him on the ground as a feast for the scavengers. The darkened sun, moon and stars are a common Biblical metaphor for a complete upheaval and overthrow of existing authority structures. When God (the real power) arrived, the light of Pharaoh's glory would be extinguished.
God was going to completely devastate Egypt. The Nile would not be muddied by the people or animals, because they would all be gone. The once-populous, now desolate land of Egypt would testify to all witnesses that the Lord is God.
The dark images of the lament express tragedy and sadness. There's no gloating, no pleasure in heaven over people who were destroyed because they were wicked and impenitent. We need to learn that lesson and apply it not only to our understanding of God, but to our own hearts. We should not be delighted to see anyone destroyed. When our hearts beat in sync with the great heart of God, we will have a greater passion for reaching lost people with the gospel. Lost people matter to God, and they should matter to us as well. Let's remember that when we read these laments.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—May 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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