Ezekiel 29:17

Ezekiel 29:17 says, 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,  Once more, Ezekiel states the exact time that God’s word came to him.  This was sixteen years after his last prophecy and the twenty-seventeenth year of his captivity.  God was still speaking to and through Ezekiel, but his circumstances had not changed.  He was still captive in another land.  No matter our circumstances, God will still speak to and through us if we are obedient to Him.

Verse eighteen adds, 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 was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:  God told Ezekiel thar Nebuchadnezzar had served a great purpose for God by defeating Tyrus, but he did so without any reward for it.  It was now time for Ezekiel’s prophecy to be against Egypt.  God has already given us His word about what is going to happen when Jesus Christ returns in victory, but it may not happen in our lifetime.  It is still no less sure to happen.

Verse nineteen continues, 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.  God said now that He was going to give Nebuchadnezzar victory over Egypt and that he would take both the people and their wealth as spoils for his army. Though Nebuchadnezzar had not profited from defeating Tyrus, he was going to do so from defeating Egypt.  If those who are not Christians triumph over another group of people today who are not Christians, their reward will always be an earthly reward.  Of course, this is also true if they triumph over Christians, but in this case, Egypt was not a part of God’s kingdom.  

Verse twenty states, 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 said that He had given the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar because he had served in defeating Tyrus.  Still, this was but a temporary reward and not an everlasting one.  God can still work through those who are not His people to bring about His purpose, but if they are rewarded, it will be but a temporary reward.  

Verse twenty-one adds, In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.  God said that when Egypt was destroyed that the people of Israel would bud forth once again.  This happened when Daniel and his fellow believers began to be favored by those in power.  God’s people were once again rising to power.  We as followers of Christ might be imprisoned or even under the authority of a country that denies God, but our hope should still be budding out, since it is in Jesus Christ, Who is already victorious.

Ezekiel 29:13

Ezekiel 29:13 says, Yet thus saith the Lord God; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered:  God said that after forty yea rs, He was going to gather the people of Egypt from wherever they were scattered.  They were going to be scattered in other countries for forty years, the same amount of time the people of Israel had wandered in the wilderness after God delivered them from captivity in Egypt years before.  This would correspond with the time that Cyrus became the ruler and seventy years after the people of Judah were taken away captive. Even if a nation, or a person, turns away from God and suffers for it in this lifetime, if they repent and come to Him by faith, it is never too late to be restored.  Of course, the people of Egypt did not turn to God, so their restoration, no matter how long it lasted, would only be temporary.

 Verse fourteen adds, And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.  God said for those forty years, the people of Egypt, who had once been rich and powerful, would be the lowest of people.  They would be humbled before God and before the rest of the world, but then He would restore them as a nation.  Powerful nations often fall, especially if they are standing against God, and often their fall is great.  

Verse fifteen continues, It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.  God said that once He sent His judgment on Egypt it would then be seen as the basest of kingdoms and would never again rule over other nations.  When God’s final judgment comes on Satan and those who serve them, they will become the basest of beings and will never again rule or even have any power over those who are redeemed by accepting God’s gift of salvation.   

Verse sixteen concludes, And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord God.  God said that when Egypt fell never to be a great power again that the people of Israel would quit looking to them for their strength which caused them to fall into iniquity.  Then, the people would know that God is God.  As followers of Christ, we cannot look to anyone or anything in the world to bring us peace and happiness outside of God’s will, and if we do, it is going to fail.  Then when we realize this, we should once again acknowledge that God alone is God.  

Ezekiel 29:8

Ezekiel 29 :8 says, Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.  God said that He was going to bring a sword against the people of Egypt and they and their animals would be killed.   I am always reluctant to say that God actually caused the destruction of anyone, but if He knew that they were never going to repent and turn to Him, He may have.  I do know that one day, everyone who has not put their faith in Jesus Christ will be sent away to everlasting punishment, which is much worse than just dying physically.  

Verse nine adds, 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.  God said that Egypt was going to become desolate, because they had claimed that the river was the source of their power, even claiming that they had made the river. People may claim many things to be their source of power today, other than God, and may even claim that some other gods are responsible for their success, but they will one day find out how wrong they were.   

Verse ten continues, 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 of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. God said He was against the people of Egypt and their rivers, and their entire land was going to be laid waste.  If God is against us today, or I believe more accurately if we are against Him, one day everything we have will be destroyed and we will go away to everlasting punishment. If we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, this will never apply to us though. 

Verse eleven states, No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. God said that no man or beast would pass through Egypt and it would be uninhabited for forty years.  The punishment of the land of Egypt itself was to be for a limited time, but those of her people who died without asking God’s forgiveness would suffer their punishment forever.  Sometimes, a nation may become almost desolate because of their claiming that other gods have made them successful, but the main concern should always be what will happen to the people of that nation who have denied God.  

Verse twelve adds, And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.   God said that Egypt was going to become desolate for forty years and her people were to become scattered throughout the other nations.  When God’s final judgment comes, those who are sent away for their refusal to accept God’s gift of salvation will be sent away to everlasting punishment and it will not matter what happens to their country and their punishment will not be for a limited time but will be forever.