By Dan & Brenda Cathcart
The video version of this
teaching is available at: https://youtu.be/S7D8zsgeXiU
The scripture reading for
this teaching is Ezekiel 28:25-29:21
Last week at our Shabbat
Service, our discussion questions included one about how we sanctify or hallow
God’s name. Since, because of time constraints, we didn’t get to it to any
degree, we assigned the question as “homework” for our congregation. It just so happens that this week’s Haftarah
reading from the prophet Ezekiel is all about how God’s name will be sanctified
or hallowed in Israel and the nations. It opens with a tremendous promise with
the last two verses of chapter 28.
Ezekiel 28:25-26 NKJV 25 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "When I
have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are
scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will
dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. 26 "And they
will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will
dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise
them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God."'"
Ezekiel is telling his
readers, and us, that Israel will be regathered from their exile and
reestablished in their land. Through
this restoration, God will be sanctified or hallowed before the entire world. Everyone will see that the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob is the creator of the universe.
How is this sanctification accomplished by God’s actions and dealings
with these other nations? Ezekiel’s
prophesy in this Haftarah reading is primarily dealing with Egypt, however
Egypt is often a metaphor for the nations in general.
The prophecies of Ezekiel
are perhaps the easiest to date because the prophet himself was careful to
reference dates in his writings. In
order to understand Ezekiel, and any Biblical prophets and their prophecy for
that matter, it is important to have a clear picture of the historical context
of their writings.
Ezekiel was born around 622
BCE into a priestly linage. His age and
date of birth are inferred from the dating of his first divine encounter.
Ezekiel 1:1-2 NKJV 1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year,
in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives
by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2
On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's
captivity,
Ezekiel was born and raised
in Judah and was an eye witness to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by
the armies of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Ezekiel’s prophecies contained in
this week’s haftarah deal with Egypt.
Egypt played an important role at this critical time in Judah’s history.
Around the time of Ezekiel’s
birth, Babylon was a rising power in the Middle East. Egypt had allied itself
with Assyria to try and stop the aggression of Babylon. We are familiar with the story of Judah’s
king Josiah who led the Judean army against Pharaoh Necho’s Egyptian army to
stop them from joining up with the Assyrians.
The ensuing battle at Megiddo resulted in the death of Josiah when he
was struck by an arrow just as the battle began.
This attempt to stop the
Assyrians failed, Josiah died, and after a succession of evil kings, Judah fell
into the hands of the Babylonians and were taken into exile. Ezekiel, along with the priesthood and the
temple treasury, were among the first to be taken captive. All of Ezekiel’s
prophecies are given while in captivity in Babylon.
Five times in this week’s
Haftarah, Ezekiel uses the phrase, “Then they will know that I am the LORD.” The first time this phrase is used is when
Ezekiel speaks of Israel’s return from captivity and possession of the land
that was promised to them in the covenant with Abraham. We have already read Ezekiel 28:25-26 in the
opening of this Haftarah where Ezekiel speaks of their return and the
conditions that they will find in the land.
While in captivity, it would
have been an easy matter for the people to lose hope and simply forget their
heritage and their God and assimilate into Babylonian society. In the first
place their exile to Babylon was the result of their turning away from God and
adopting the ways and religious practices of their pagan neighbors. Through his
prophecies, Ezekiel supplies the people of Judah with hope for their return and
also pronounces God’s judgment on Israel’s enemies, specifically Egypt.
The choice of words in
Ezekiel 28:26-27 is quite interesting. As we examine the original Hebrew text,
we see that in the Hebrew the word translated as “gathered” is in the perfect
tense. It is as if their return to the land and their prosperity is as good as
accomplished. This is a great assurance
that they will be rescued from their captivity and dwell in their own land in
prosperity.
In Ezekiel chapter 29, the
prophet begins his prophecy against Egypt. God will be known through Egypt’s
demise.
Ezekiel 29:1-3 NKJV 1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on
the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2
"Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy
against him, and against all Egypt. 3 "Speak, and say, 'Thus says the Lord
GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster
who lies in the midst of his rivers, Who has said, 'My River is my own; I have
made it for myself.'
Egypt was historically a
frequent thorn in the side of the people of Israel. Probably for good reason.
Actually, the next several chapters of Ezekiel are devoted to this prophecy
against Egypt. In our reading for this week, Ezekiel uses a couple of metaphors
to describe God’s judgment on Egypt.
In verse 3, the words
translated as “great monster” is the Hebrew word “tannim.” #8577 meaning a
marine or land monster, sea-serpent or dragon, etc. It is most often used to
describe a crocodile with which the Nile River was infested.
In ancient Egypt, the Nile
river and the crocodile were considered sacred. The crocodile itself was
worshiped as a god. A Jewish commentary explains:
“The ancient Egyptians believed that the Nile was holy and the
Crocodiles inhabiting it possessed divine powers. One huge crocodile was
believed to rule over all of them, and to have created himself as well as the
Nile. To this huge crocodile, the prophet (Ezekiel) compared Pharaoh; for his
power on land was equivalent to that of the crocodile in the Nile.”[i]
Ezekiel continues his
prophecy against Egypt with this comparison and speaks of Pharaoh’s demise.
Ezekiel 29:4-5 NKJV 4 But I will put hooks in your jaws, And
cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales; I will bring you up out
of the midst of your rivers, And all the fish in your rivers will stick to your
scales. 5 I will leave you in the wilderness, You and all the fish of your
rivers; You shall fall on the open field; You shall not be picked up or
gathered. I have given you as food To the beasts of the field And to the birds
of the heavens.
The way to render a
crocodile helpless is to use a hook in its jaw and bring it out of its primary
environment, the water. Ezekiel is using
the imagery of the crocodile/creator god of Egypt to illustrate that Pharaoh,
and hence all of Egypt, will be brought down.
Egypt will face their own exile when, as Ezekiel put it, they are
“given… as food to the beasts of the field and to the birds of the
heavens.” Egypt will be broken and
brought down.
Ezekiel 29:6-7 NKJV 6 "Then all the inhabitants of Egypt
Shall know that I am the LORD, Because they have been a staff of reed to the
house of Israel. 7 When they took hold of you with the hand, You broke and tore
all their shoulders; When they leaned on you, You broke and made all their
backs quiver."
In this way, through the
demise of Pharaoh and the power of Egypt, the LORD will be hallowed or known
among the nations!
Ezekiel 29:8-9 NKJV 8 'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
"Surely I will bring a sword upon you and cut off from you man and beast.
9 "And the land of Egypt shall become desolate and waste; then they will
know that I am the LORD, because he said, 'The River is mine, and I have made
it.'
In verse 9, Ezekiel reveals
that God would be known through the desolation of Egypt. The LORD is the
creator of the Nile and the giver of life and power, not their crocodile god.
God would make their once beautiful and fertile land a wasteland and a desert.
The word translated a
desolate is #8077 Shem-aw-mah’, meaning devastation, desolation, or waste. The word also implies astonishment. People will look upon the devastated land of
Egypt in horror and astonishment at how they have been brought down and left in
a state of devastation. The Nile river is the lifeline for the prosperity of
Egypt. It seems that Ezekiel is suggesting
the God’s judgment on Egypt would include a demise or shrinkage of the Nile.
Ezekiel 29:10 NKJV 10 "Indeed, therefore, I am against you
and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and
desolate, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Ethiopia.
As suggested by Ezekiel in
verse 9, Egypt would recognize the LORD as the God of the universe and creator
of all, including the Nile.
The judgment pronounced on
Egypt through Ezekiel’s prophecy went even further, God would be known through
Egypt’s reversal of fortune. They would experience an exile which paralleled
that of Judah’s exile to Babylon.
Ezekiel 29:11-12 NKJV 11 "Neither foot of man shall pass
through it nor foot of beast pass through it, and it shall be uninhabited forty
years. 12 "I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the
countries that are desolate; and among the cities that are laid waste, her
cities shall be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among
the nations and disperse them throughout the countries."
Ezekiel’s words seem to
indicate that the exile of the Egyptians and the desolation of their land would
be worse than the desolation of the surrounding nations. John B Taylor in his
commentary on Ezekiel writes:
“… subsequent history has consisted of repeated conquests and
humiliation. (for Egypt) She has never been anything more than a “lowly
kingdom” and it is unlikely that she will ever again enjoy the glory that once
was hers.”[ii]
Ezekiel later give a prophecy
about the return of Egypt to their land, but unlike the promises given to Judah
and Israel, Egypt will never again obtain the glory she once had.
Ezekiel 29:13-16 NKJV 13 'Yet, thus says the Lord GOD: "At
the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom
they were scattered. 14 "I will bring back the captives of Egypt and cause
them to return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there
they shall be a lowly kingdom. 15 "It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms;
it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them
so that they will not rule over the nations anymore. 16 "No longer shall
it be the confidence of the house of Israel, but will remind them of their
iniquity when they turned to follow them. Then they shall know that I am the
Lord GOD."'"
Ezekiel, then, shows that
God would be known through fulfilled prophecy. In this last section of our
Haftarah reading we see the prediction of specific events which will cause the
previous prophecies to come to pass.
Ezekiel 29:17-20 NKJV 17 And it came to pass in the
twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that
the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 18 "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head
was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army
received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it. 19
"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Surely I will give the land of Egypt
to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her
spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. 20 'I
have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,'
says the Lord GOD.
This last prophecy of
Ezekiel in our Haftarah reading is given seventeen years later. Judah and the
Children of Israel had been carried off into exile in foreign lands, yet God
was not finished with His work! Judgment continued for Israel’s neighbors even
as Israel’s exile in Babylon and Assyria continued. The king of Babylon laid
siege to the port city of Tyre but came up dry after thirteen years of effort. The city had sent their treasures out to sea
and there was no plunder for the Babylonian army.
Beginning in verse 29,
Ezekiel says that God will give Egypt to Babylon. All through Israel’s time in exile, God is
still faithful to His covenant with the Children of Israel and working to
destroy their enemies. God allowed the
Babylonians to succeed the Assyrians as the super power of the region. God allowed the Babylonians to conquer
Jerusalem, to destroy the temple, and take Judah into captivity as judgment for
their iniquities.
God allowed the Babylonians
to capture Egypt. A fragment of an ancient Babylonian text, part of what is
known as the “Chronicles of the Chaldean Kings” records Babylon invading Egypt
about 568/567 BCE corresponding to the history recorded by Flavius Josephus in
Antiquities of the Jews.
The Haftarah begins where it
started with a promise to restore Israel to their land which was promised to
them through Abraham.
Ezekiel 29:21 NKJV 21 'In that day I will cause the horn of the
house of Israel to spring forth, and I will open your mouth to speak in their
midst. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.'"
The phrase, “the horn of the
House of Israel” has been problematic with Bible scholars and commentators for
centuries. What is this “horn?” This verse in Ezekiel is the only place in
scripture where this exact phrase is used. The Hebrew word for horn here is
#7161 keh-ren meaning a corner as in the corner of the altar or a mountain
peak. Figuratively it means power, as from a leader. We see this usage in 1st
Samuel
1 Samuel 2:10 NKJV 10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be
broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge
the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to His king, And exalt the
horn of His anointed."
And in 2nd
Samuel.
2 Samuel 22:3 NKJV 3 The God of my strength, in whom I will
trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My
Savior, You save me from violence.
This is the context in
which, I think Ezekiel is using the term “horn.” This final verse of chapter 29 is not only
speaking of the return of the people from exile in Babylon, but also of the
ultimate return at the end of the age when Messiah will be that horn and
finally establish a united kingdom in the land!
Daniel, being a contemporary
of Ezekiel speaks of horns as evil leaders and kings found in his vision in
chapter 8.
Daniel 8:8-9 NKJV 8 Therefore the male goat grew very great; but
when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four
notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. 9 And out of one of them
came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the
east, and toward the Glorious Land.
The book of Revelation has
imagery similar to Daniel’s vision using “horns” to describe kings who bow down
to the beast. But the key to understanding Ezekiel’s prophecy in this Haftarah
is to refer to the words of Zacharias as his voice is returned to him after the
birth of his son John the Baptist.
Luke 1:67-70 NKJV 67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with
the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 "Blessed is the Lord God of
Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, 69 And has raised up a horn
of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, 70 As He spoke by the
mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,
This prophecy spoken by
Zacharias, which continues for several more verses, reflects Ezekiel’s words
and speaks of a horn rising from the house of David who is none other than the promised
Messiah!
It is our prayer as
believers in Yeshua the Messiah that all the world will come to believe in the
one true God. That all of the Jewish
people will hear the words of the prophets and see their prophecies being
fulfilled in their very midst. Ezekiel
was and is the faithful messenger of God and his words are just as trustworthy
and accurate today as they were in his time. This is the intent of Ezekiel’s
final words in our Haftarah, “… I (God) will open your mouth to speak in their
midst. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”
Study Questions:
1. Discuss the connection of
this teaching to the Torah Portion Va’era Exodus 6:2-9:35?
2. The Bible often uses Egypt
as a metaphor for the nations in general. In this Haftarah, we learned that God
is known through the humbling of Egypt.
How can this be applied to the nations today?
3. Discuss the reference in
Ezekiel 29:6-7 to Egypt being referred to as a “staff of reeds” to Israel.
4. What are the four
theological lessons that Egypt, and by extension, the nations and us today to
learn from Ezekiel’s prophecy?
5. The Jewish people have
experienced dispersion and exile from their land several times over their
history and yet, have been able to maintain their ethnic and religious identity
despite their exile. Discuss how that have
accomplished this when no other civilization in history has be able to do
so. What are both the positive and
negative aspects of this accomplishment?
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