Ezekiel tells us more about the future of Tyre, Egypt and his people Israel. May the Lord show you its relevance for us today. Be blessed.
Ezekiel 28: Prophecy Against the Prince of Tyre
1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 "Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because your heart is proud, and you have said, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,' yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make your heart like the heart of a god---
3 you are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you;
4 by your wisdom and your understanding you have made wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;
5 by your great wisdom in your trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth---
6 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you make your heart like the heart of a god,
7 therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you, the most ruthless of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendour.
8 They shall thrust you down into the pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas.
9 Will you still say, 'I am a god,' in the presence of those who kill you, though you are but a man, and no god, in the hands of those who slay you?
10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners; for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD."
A Lament over the King of Tyre
11 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me:
12 "Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared.
14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.
16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.
18 By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you.
19 All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever."
Prophecy Against Sidon
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 neighbours who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.
Israel Gathered in Security
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 neighbours who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God."
Ezekiel 29: Prophecy Against Egypt
1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:
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, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the midst of his streams, that says, 'My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.'
4 I will put hooks in your jaws, and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales; and I will draw you up out of the midst of your streams, with all the fish of your streams that stick to your scales.
5 And I will cast you out into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your streams; you shall fall on the open field, and not be brought together or gathered. To the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens I give you as food.
6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD." Because you have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel,
7 when they grasped you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins to shake.
8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will bring a sword upon you, and will cut off from you man and beast,
9 and the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste. Then they will know that I am the LORD." Because you said, 'The Nile is mine, and I made it,'
10 therefore, behold, I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush.
11 No foot of man shall pass through it, and no foot of beast shall pass through it; it shall be uninhabited forty years.
12 And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries, and her cities shall be a desolation forty years among cities that are laid waste. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries.
13 "For 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 and I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom.
15 It shall be the most lowly of the kingdoms, and never again exalt itself above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will never again rule over the nations.
16 And it shall never again be the reliance of the house of Israel, recalling their iniquity, when they turn to them for aid. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD."
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 labour 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 labour 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 laboured, 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."
Things to think about…
1. In Ezek 28:1-10 we still see the continued prophecy against Tyre. This judgement looks at how the king of Tyre would have his pride brought low. In the same way we are to submit to Christ’s Spirit and not allow pride and self-will to captivate our hearts. Without Christ, we can do nothing.
2. Ezek 28:11-19 speaks of Tyre, but clearly this passage has strong parallels to the character and history of Satan before and after his fall in the setting of the garden of Eden. He started to worship himself and what he was, rather than worshiping the One who had made him. He was designed to worship, not be worshiped. This of course is the same issue that we as fallen beings still face today. The attraction to worship ourselves or creation rather than the Creator is very enticing. What is the only thing that stops humanity from worshiping idols? Ans:- The Spirit of Christ to fall upon the heart.
3. Israel did eventually return from Babylon after seventy years of captivity and inhabit Jerusalem and Judea. Is this what Ezek 28:25, 26 is referring to or is there an end times prophecy being spoken about here, what do you think? I believe it is being fulfilled in our day. Israel is executing judgement upon its neighbours. This did not happen when they returned to the land after their captivity in Babylon right up to being governed by the Romans. It is only true in today’s setting. Let us pray that the fulness of vs 26 is fulfilled, “Then they will know that I am the LORD their God”.
4. Ezekiel 29 contains a significant prophecy against the land of Egypt. Verse 18 says “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labour hard against Tyre”. This was true. The city of Tyre was under siege from the Babylonians for thirteen years. They got nothing for their troubles, the city was broke. God says he would repay the Babylonians for their efforts by carrying off wealth from Egypt, vss 19,20. This was literally fulfilled in 567BC when Egypt was plundered by Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord uses pagan kings to carry out His purposes. Even King Neb was humbled by the Lord for seven years until he realised that the God of Israel had done it all.
5. In Ezek 29:13-16 the prophecy against Egypt was that they would never rise to their previous heights as a nation. As such they would never be a distraction or temptation by Israel to seek them out for security. Egypt was restored after 40 years and they retuned under the Persians around 530BC. But Egypt has never again been a world superpower. God’s word will be fulfilled to the letter. Not one dash or dot will fall.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Title was “thought it would never happen” – Reading Ezek 24:1-14
1. Ezekiel is told to put a cupper pot on boil and fill it with the choice meats. Who were the choice meats and why were they in the pot?
2. When leaders pull down truth, everyone suffer. We saw this last week with the Victorian premier speaking out against biblical Christianity after sacking of the newly appointed Essendon AFL coach. What should our response be?
3. Discuss your understanding of the promises of God. Refer to Deuteronomy 28.
4. Pray for each other and the outreach of the gospel.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for the leadership of our country.
2. Pray for the people of Iran. There is horrible oppression of women who are being beaten and killed by a corrupt government, simply for refusing to wear a head covering.
3. Pray for Ukraine and the final defeat of Russian aggression.
4. The right choice for a full time Youth and Young Adults Pastor to start Jan 2023 and the finances to support them.
5. Health of Ross Goltz, Zac - sciatica
6. More young families and youth into the church.
7. Ministry leaders within the church.
8. Our One for Israel ministry.
9. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
10. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. The marriage of James and Kirstine Smith.
2. Visitors to church on Sunday.
3. Some returning back to church after a while away.
4. Worship on Sunday – thankyou Suzy, Gina, Ashley. Bec on Words and Doug on sound. Thankyou. Suzy and Maddison in café always do a stellar job. Thankyou for those who welcomed at the door.
5. All those who faithfully serve in ministries, Worship, Sound/Technical/Kids Church/ Cell Groups/Admin - Bulletins/Finances/Property/Welcoming/Spiritual Leadership/Cafe
6. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Members Meeting – AGM 6th November after the service.
2. Remember to check your duty rosters.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
