Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Egypt was to be judged. Pharoah was to be judged. The Lord inspired Ezekiel not only to prophesy on the fate of Egypt and her allies, but also to lament their fall. The day was coming and it was coming soon, so he wailed. It would be a day of despair. Egypt would fall and it would shake all the nations around them. Near and far. Ethiopia would tremble in fear. All those siding with Egypt would fall by the sword. Messengers would travel by boat to the nations, and fear would follow them. A great number of Egyptians would fall to Babylon. It would be systematic. The idols would be destroyed. The princes would be eliminated. The great cities would burn. The strength of Egypt would fall. Pharoah would be like a man with a broken arm bandaged badly. He would end up kneeling before Babylon, moaning like a wounded man. The survivors would flee, scattered to the nations.

The Lord, knowing the arrogance of Egypt, explained it to them this way. He told a parable of a tree. One of the mighty cedars of Lebanon that grew greater than all the others. Tall, strong, and with deep roots. Who was this mightier than all others tree? Assyria. And it was DESTROYED by Babylon. The fate of Egypt would be the same. Yes, they were mighty. Yes, they had grown tall with deep roots. But their arrogance at being made great and then claiming it was THEMSELVES who did it? They were going to be brought low. Just like Assyria before them and Elam before that. When they fell, all the nations would hear the crash. They would quake in fear, worried that Egypt’s fate would be theirs too. Pharaoh and all his multitudes would cease to be.

“Son of man,^[a] raise a lament over Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and you must say to him,

‘With a fierce, strong lion among nations you compared yourself, and you are like the sea monster in the seas, and you thrash about in your rivers, and you make water turbid with your feet, and you make your rivers muddy.” (Ezekiel 32:2)

Pharaoh was like a mighty crocodile, knowing no predators and master of its domain. But the Lord would spread a net over him and his country. He would drag him from the waters and leave him on the shore. He would be cast into the open field for the birds of the air to consume. Nebuchadnezzar would put Pharaoh to death. This would be a dark day for Egypt. A fear-filled day. But everyone would know it was the Lord who did it. All the surrounding nations and all the far-flung nations. Only God could destroy a giant like Egypt. The ruins of the once-mighty nation would send the message that no one was beyond the reach of God’s arm. The treasures of Egypt would go to Nebuchadnezzar as payment for doing the will of God. Assyria and Elam would welcome Pharaoh and the Egyptians into the land of the dead (Sheol, or hell). They wouldn’t even get a decent burial, but would rush into Sheol to be greeted by those already there. They were mighty on Earth, but in Sheol would be ashamed of what they did.

Summary

Key Players: God, Ezekiel, Pharoah

Key Verse(s): Ezekiel 30:1-9, 22-26; 31:10-14; 32:11-15, 18-27