To Know that He is the LORD

Ezekiel 30:13-26

13 'Thus says the Lord GOD:

"I will also destroy the idols,
And cause the images to cease from Noph;
There shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt;
I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

14 I will make Pathros desolate,
Set fire to Zoan,
And execute judgments in No.

15 I will pour My fury on Sin, the strength of Egypt;
I will cut off the multitude of No,
16 And set a fire in Egypt;
Sin shall have great pain,
No shall be split open,
And Noph shall be in distress daily.

17 The young men of Aven and Pi Beseth shall fall by the sword,
And these cities shall go into captivity.
18 At Tehaphnehes the day shall also be darkened,
When I break the yokes of Egypt there.
And her arrogant strength shall cease in her;
As for her, a cloud shall cover her,
And her daughters shall go into captivity.

19 Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt,
Then they shall know that I am the LORD."'"

20 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 21 "Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and see, it has not been bandaged for healing, nor a splint put on to bind it, to make it strong enough to hold a sword. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Surely I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, both the strong one and the one that was broken; and I will make the sword fall out of his hand. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them throughout the countries. 24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he will groan before him with the groanings of a mortally wounded man. 25 Thus I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; 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 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.'"

The proclamation of the LORD against Egypt and her Pharaoh was devastating news for them.  He began by addressing their idolatry with numerous false and lifeless gods of stone and wood.  Memphis (Noph) near today’s Cairo would cease from their idol worship and the royalty who were themselves worshipped as gods would be likewise taken away, leaving the people of Egypt in fear as exposed and helpless without any baseless hope any longer.  All the places mentioned were large cities which were centers of these false religions and military might like Thebes (No) and Tehaphnehes where the pharaohs lived.  These would be cut off in pain and daily distress from their fate under the tool of God’s hand which was Babylon.  The arrogance of denying God and worship of man and images of beasts (Romans 1:22-23) which was their fleeting strength would be annihilated.  This is how the Lord judged Egypt and the people would know that He is the one and only true God to be feared and honored.  They were to bow down to Him and no other (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10).  These judgements were given so they would “know that I am the LORD.”  God broke the might of Egypt like a one-armed man with a broken arm trying to fight with the other; God broke one and knocked the sword out of the other to demonstrate His sovereign power over them.  He would further put temporary power into the arm of Babylon as His weapon to subdue Egypt and her arrogant pride of idolatry and immortality.  They would be defeated, scattered, and their pride smothered for working against Him and His chosen people until they gave honor and glory to the only God.  Then their humiliating defeat would point them to Him and away from the worship of lifeless objects and mortal men, just as later the Romans would come to know their Caesar’s were not God through their own defeat.  The lessons for us are to worship and trust in God alone through His Christ and not rely on or serve any other.  We are to know that He alone is the LORD and no leader or nation or created imagination of our own hands.