20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, it has not been bound up, to heal it by binding it with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong arm and the one that was broken, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries. 24 And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him like a man mortally wounded. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. 26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
REFLECTION:
God declared twice “put my sword in his hand” (v24) and “put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon” (v25). This is to remind the people: Babylon’s sword is a tool of God’s discipline, Egypt is the object of God’s punishment. God used Babylon to discipline Judah and punish the nations. Egypt not only could not stay out of the matter, but also had to be severely punished. Because Egypt tempted Judah to rebel against Babylon, not only did it fail to provide help, but it aggravated the suffering of the people, tempted the people to take refuge in the world and refuse to trust their own God. God declared twice that he would strengthen the “arms of the king of Babylon” (v. 24, 25) and four times that he would break the “arms of Pharaoh” (v. 21, 22, 24, 25). This is also a reminder to the people: In the past, Israel was a nation chosen by God because they were led by God with power and outstretched arms. But now, they have forgotten the “arms of the Lord”, and instead sought salvation from Egypt, relying on the “arms of Pharaoh” to fight against the “arms of the king of Babylon.” Therefore, God wanted to strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and break the arms of Pharaoh, and use the arms of the enemy to discipline the people’s disobedience. Today, many believers also want to rely on political methods to solve spiritual problems, hoping to use the arms of Pharaoh to break the arms of the King of Babylon. The result is futile because they cannot understand God’s will and cannot see the purpose of the judgment. If we forget the source of our strength, we will lose strength without knowing it, and become weak and incompetent in spiritual warfare. History tells us that only “the arm of the Lord” is powerful and reliable. Therefore, no matter what the trouble is, we should look to God, “for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.” (Psalm 98:1).
PRAYER:
Pray for God to give you the faith and courage to let go of the “arms” of the world you are grasping and dare not let go. Instead, seek God’s help, so that you will be able to face all difficulties, especially in spiritual warfare, that you can rely on the power of God to overcome the flesh and the world, so as to experience more deeply that He is the omnipotent God and the God of salvation.
17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was rubbed bare, yet neither he nor his army got anything from Tyre to pay for the labor that he had performed against her. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off its wealth and despoil it and plunder it; and it shall be the wages for his army. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as his payment for which he labored, because they worked for me, declares the Lord God.
21 “On that day I will cause a horn to spring up for the house of Israel, and I will open your lips among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
REFLECTION:
“In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month” was the twenty-seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s exile in Babylon, about 571 BC. At this time, the City of Jerusalem had been destroyed for nearly sixteen years. “Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was rubbed bare” refers to Babylon’s siege of Tyre for 13 years from 586-573 BC. Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers wear helmets and carry siege equipment for a long time, so their heads are bald and shoulders are rubbed bare. God allowed Babylon to continue to invade Egypt and obtain compensation, because God would continue to use the Babylonian Empire as His tool to judge the nations. About three years later, Nebuchadnezzar will invade Egypt in 568 BC and attack Pharaoh Ahmose II, fulfilling the word of God. After Ezekiel’s prophecy was fulfilled, no one dared to question the prophet anymore, so he could speak boldly. God always has His own timetable. It is God who allows the people to laugh at the prophet, and it is God who is able to prove that the prophet’s prophecy is not in vain. The task that the prophet receives is: “you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear” (2:7). Therefore, we don’t need to be discouraged because everyone doesn’t listen to the gospel, nor do we need to be excited because the audience is enthusiastic, but “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2).
PRAYER:
Pray for God to give you more wisdom and dexterity, so that you can preach the gospel of God clearly among your friends and relatives; pray for more humility and obedience, so that your enthusiasm for preaching the gospel is not affected by the actual result, because you understand that you are only a vessel used by God, and it is God who does the works, and God has His own time to accomplish everything.
20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her 22 and say, Thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,
and I will manifest my glory in your midst.
And they shall know that I am the Lord
when I execute judgments in her
and manifest my holiness in her; 23 for I will send pestilence into her,
and blood into her streets;
and the slain shall fall in her midst,
by the sword that is against her on every side.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
24 “And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.
25 “Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”
REFLECTION:
Sidon is another important seaport in Phoenicia and the oldest Phoenician city-state, located 40 kilometers north of Tyre. Tyre and Sidon are sister cities and are often regarded as one. The biggest difference between Sidon and Tyre is that it lacks the defensive advantage of a fort and is easily controlled by foreign enemies. During the Babylonian Empire, Sidon was also an ally of Egypt, who incited Judah to rebel against Babylon. After the destruction of Jerusalem, Sidon also surrendered to Babylon and later became a vassal state of the Persian Empire. In 351 BC, after the defeat of Persian King Artaxerxes III’s first battle in Egypt, Sidon King Tennes took the opportunity to declare independence from Persia, but he failed and was killed. Sidon was burned and 40,000 people were killed in the fire, fulfilling God’s judgment. “Behold, I am against you, O Sidon” (v22) and “Behold, I am against you, O Tyre” (26:3) is an echo indicating that God’s judgment on the sister cities of Tyre and Sidon is actually the same. Therefore, God did not specifically point out Sidon’s sin, but declared that Sidon was judged to reveal God’s own glory. Tyre and Sidon are symbols of civilization and prosperity in the eyes of people, but in God’s eyes they are typical of people relying on themselves and worshiping idols. Tyre and Sidon glorified their wealth and wisdom, and tempted the people of Israel to follow. They were wicked and unable to “dwell securely” in the Promised Land and enjoy God’s grace, which became the greatest challenge to rest in peace. Reflect on our peace today, is it built on the foundation of prosperity, or on the foundation of God’s Word? May we take Tyre and Sidon as a lesson and understand that only the embrace of God can make us truly rest in peace.
PRAYER:
Come to God quietly and ask God to examine what kind of foundation your inner peace is built on? If your peace comes from your wealth and achievements, or something else, ask God to cleanse your heart and give you more courage, so that you can bravely put aside your dependence on the world and receive true peace from God’s word to live a holy life.
