A Cedar in Lebanon. Ezekiel 31:1-18

Transcription

1 1 A Cedar in Lebanon Ezekiel 31:1-18

2 2 A Cedar in Lebanon Text: Ezekiel 31:1-18, In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his hordes: Who are you like in your greatness? Consider Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches, like a forest giving shade, and extremely tall; its top reached into the clouds. The water made it grow; underground springs made it grow tall. Rivers flowed all around the place it was planted, while smaller channels watered all the trees of the field. Therefore it grew taller than all the trees of the field; its boughs grew large and its branches grew long, because of the plentiful water in its shoots. All the birds of the sky nested in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth, in its shade all the great nations lived. It was beautiful in its loftiness, in the length of its branches; for its roots went down deep to plentiful waters. The cedars in the garden of God could not eclipse it, nor could the fir trees match its boughs; the plane trees were as nothing compared to its branches; no tree in the garden of God could rival its beauty. I made it beautiful with its many branches; all the trees of Eden, in the garden of God, envied it. Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says: Because it was tall in stature, and its top reached into the clouds, and it was proud

3 3 of its height, I gave it over to the leader of the nations. He has judged it thoroughly, as its sinfulness deserves. I have thrown it out. Foreigners from the most terrifying nations have cut it down and left it to lie there on the mountains. In all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in the ravines of the land. All the peoples of the land have departed from its shade and left it. On its ruins all the birds of the sky will live, and all the wild animals will walk on its branches. For this reason no watered trees will grow so tall; their tops will not reach into the clouds, nor will the wellwatered ones grow that high. For all of them have been appointed to die in the lower parts of the earth; they will be among mere mortals, with those who descend to the Pit. This is what the sovereign LORD says: On the day it went down to Sheol I caused observers to lament. I covered it with the deep and held back its rivers; its plentiful water was restrained. I clothed Lebanon in black for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it. I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I threw it down to Sheol, along with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and the best of Lebanon, all that were well-watered, were comforted in the earth below. Those who lived in its shade, its allies among the nations, also went down with it to Sheol, to those killed by the sword. Which of the trees of Eden was like you in majesty and loftiness? You will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword! This is what will happen to Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the sovereign LORD. (NET) Introduction: I. Pharaoh and the Egyptian nation are compared to the mighty Assyrian empire which in turn is compared to a great cedar tree. (See Smith.) A. The Egyptians and Assyrians would be cut down and cast into Sheol by the Babylonians, Smith wrote.

4 4 B. Part of this chapter is written in prose and part in poetry as is true in a number of other chapters. (See Smith.) II. Coffman wrote, The source of the features of this allegory is not to be sought in Babylonian mythology, nor should we believe that the Garden of God referred to herein is a reference to a mythological Garden of Eden. III. Coffman outlined this chapter as follows: A. The mighty cedar described (verses 1-9), B. The disastrous overthrow of the mighty cedar (verses 10-14), C. The consequences of the fall of the mighty cedar (verses 14-17), and D. The God-given answer to the question raised in verse 2, Who can be compared with you in majesty? IV. McGee outlined Ezekiel 31 as follows: A. The greatness and glory of Pharaoh in Egypt (verses 1-9). B. The fall of Egypt (verses 10-14). C. The lamentation over the fall of the tree and the crises which came to the nations of the world because of it. (verses 15-18). V. McGee wrote, Egypt looms large in the history of the nation of Israel. A. Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and certain minor prophets deal with Egypt, McGee wrote.

5 5 Commentary: Ezekiel 31:1, In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: (NET) I. In the eleventh year, in the third month on the first day, A. Hamilton dates this oracle, revelation to June 21, 586 (587 B.C., Coffman) B.C.E. This oracle was received seven weeks after the previous oracle, Fredenburg wrote. B. Coffman placed this date at a couple of months before the fall of Jerusalem and less than twenty-five years after the dramatic fall of Nineveh to Babylon in 612 B.C. 1. Clarke placed the receipt of this oracle on June 19, a month before Jerusalem was taken by the Chaldeans. 2. The Pulpit Commentary dated this oracle to June, 586 B.C., six days short of two months after the oracle of Ezekiel 30:20-26 when Ezekiel was moved to expand his prediction of the downfall of Egypt into a parable which is partly a replica of those in: a. Ezekiel 19:1-14, And you, sing a lament for the princes of Israel, and say: What a lioness was your mother among the lions! She lay among young lions; she reared her cubs. She reared one of her cubs; he became a young lion. He learned to tear prey; he devoured people. The nations heard about him; he was trapped in their pit. They brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. When she realized that she waited in vain, her hope was lost. She took another of her cubs and made him a young lion. He walked about among the lions; he became a young lion. He learned to tear prey; he devoured people.

6 6 He broke down their strongholds and devastated their cities. The land and everything in it was frightened at the sound of his roaring. The nations the surrounding regions attacked him. They threw their net over him; he was caught in their pit. They put him in a collar with hooks; they brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him to prison so that his voice would not be heard any longer on the mountains of Israel. Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by water. It was fruitful and full of branches because it was wellwatered. Its boughs were strong, fit for rulers scepters; it reached up into the clouds. It stood out because of its height and its many branches. But it was plucked up in anger; it was thrown down to the ground. The east wind dried up its fruit; its strong branches broke off and withered a fire consumed them. Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. A fire has gone out from its branch; it has consumed its shoot and its fruit. No strong branch was left in it, nor a scepter to rule. This is a lament song, and has become a lament song. (NET) b. Daniel 4:10-14, Here are the visions of my mind while I was on my bed. While I was watching, there was a tree in the middle of the land. It was enormously tall. The tree grew large and strong. Its top reached far into the sky; it could be seen from the borders of all the land. Its foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful; on it there was food enough for all. Under it the wild animals used to seek shade, and in its branches the birds of the sky used to nest. All creatures used to feed themselves from it. While I was watching in my mind s visions

7 7 on my bed, a holy sentinel came down from heaven. He called out loudly as follows: Chop down the tree and lop off its branches! Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit! Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches! (NET) II. the word of the Lord came to me: A. Ezekiel continually reassured his audience that what he was telling them was the word of the LORD which had been directly communicated to him. Ezekiel 31:2, Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his hordes: Who are you like in your greatness? (NET) I. Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes: A. How was Ezekiel, an exile in Babylon, to say, proclaim a message to the Pharaoh of Egypt? B. Hordes, as used here, literally means abundance, but here Hamilton wrote, it refers to Pharaoh s armies and to his arrogance. 1. The abundance could apply to: a. wealth, i. Ezekiel 30:4, A sword will come against Egypt and panic will overtake Ethiopia when the slain fall in Egypt and they carry away her wealth and dismantle her foundations. (NET) b. people, i. Ezekiel 29:19, Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says: Look, I am about to give

8 8 the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He will carry off her wealth, capture her loot, and seize her plunder; it will be his army s wages. (NET) ii. Ezekiel 30:10, This is what the sovereign LORD says: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt, by the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. (NET) C. This parable is addressed not only to Pharaoh, but also to his multitudes. 1. Ezekiel 30:4, A sword will come against Egypt and panic will overtake Ethiopia when the slain fall in Egypt and they carry away her wealth and dismantle her foundations. (NET) 2. Mark 4:30, He also asked, To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it? (NET) II. Who can be compared with you in majesty? A. God was here quoted as saying no one could compare with Pharaoh in arrogance, believing himself to be really great. (See Fredenburg.) B. To Whom can Pharaoh be compared, likened? C. Egypt for perhaps two thousand years had been a truly great nation, a cultural center, a military power and the breadbasket of the ancient world. (See McGee.) D. This same question is repeated at the end of this chapter; Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty?

9 9 Ezekiel 31:3, Consider Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches, like a forest giving shade, and extremely tall; its top reached into the clouds. (NET) I. Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage. A. Pharaoh allegorically compares his empire to that of Assyria as a tall cedar which was well-watered by the heavy tributes from its vassal kingdoms, Hamilton wrote. B. Haughty Pharaoh compared himself and his nation in pomp and power to mighty Assyria and in sheer beauty and wonder to the best of the cedars of Lebanon. (See Smith and Coffman.) 1. Fredenburg wrote, Ezekiel s characterization of Pharaoh demonstrates his view that the king of Egypt, like the king of Tyre, was superhumanly great in his own mind. C. Egypt was likened to Assyria represented by a great cedar of Lebanon that stood above the other trees of the forest. (See McGee.) 1. Mighty Assyria fell. Mighty Egypt would certainly fall! (See McGee.) 2. Assyria had passed away in spite of its greatness, and so would Egypt. (The Pulpit Commentary) Ezekiel 31:4, The water made it grow; underground springs made it grow tall. Rivers flowed all around the place it was planted, while smaller channels watered all the trees of the field. (NET) I. The waters nourished it, deep springs made it grow tall; their streams flowed all around its base and sent their channels to all the trees of the field.

10 10 A. Coffman concluded the waters which nourished the Assyrian empire were the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. 1. Coffman identified the channels as the elaborate system of canals that pertained to the Euphrates River, and perhaps also to the Tigris. 2. Related Scriptures: a. Ezekiel 17:5, He took one of the seedlings of the land, placed it in a cultivated plot; a shoot by abundant water, like a willow he planted it. (NET) b. Psalm 1:3, He is like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the proper time, and its leaves never fall off. He succeeds in everything he attempts. (NET) c. Jeremiah 17:8, They will be like a tree planted near a stream whose roots spread out toward the water. It has nothing to fear when the heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought. It does not stop bearing fruit. (NET) d. Numbers 24:6, They are like valleys stretched forth, like gardens by the river s side, like aloes that the LORD has planted, and like cedar trees beside the waters. (NET) Ezekiel 31:5, Therefore it grew taller than all the trees of the field; its boughs grew large and its branches grew long, because of the plentiful water in its shoots. (NET) I. So it towered higher than all the trees of the field; its boughs increased and its branches grew long, spreading because of abundant waters.

11 11 A. Nothing negative is said about this wondrous tree which represents Assyria. 1. It was with the very best that Pharaoh compared himself. Ezekiel 31:6, All the birds of the sky nested in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth, in its shade all the great nations lived. (NET) I. All the birds of the air nested in its boughs, all the beasts of the field gave birth under its branches; A. This figure was the natural symbol of the fact that all the neighboring nations owned the sovereignty of Assyria and were sheltered by her protection. (The Pulpit Commentary) 1. Ezekiel 17:23, I will plant it on a high mountain of Israel, and it will raise branches and produce fruit and become a beautiful cedar. Every bird will live under it; Every winged creature will live in the shade of its branches. (NET) 2. Daniel 4:9, saying, Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, in whom I know there to be a spirit of the holy gods and whom no mystery baffles, consider my dream that I saw and set forth its interpretation! (NET) 3. Matthew 13:32, It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest in its branches. (NET) II. All the great nations lived in its shade. A. Many nations depended on Assyria and were benefited by that relationship.

12 12 1. Of course, Assyria was known for its atrocities and heartless treatment of its vanquished adversaries. Ezekiel 31:7, It was beautiful in its loftiness, in the length of its branches; for its roots went down deep to plentiful waters. (NET) I. It was majestic in beauty, with its spreading boughs, for its roots went down to abundant waters. A. The streams that nourished Assyria were the tributary payments of vassal nations and other commercial resources that poured into Assyrian coffers, Fredenburg wrote. Ezekiel 31:8, The cedars in the garden of God could not eclipse it, nor could the fir trees match its boughs; the plane trees were as nothing compared to its branches; no tree in the garden of God could rival its beauty. (NET) I. The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, nor could the plane (chestnut) trees compare with its branches A. Indeed, historically, no previous empire had as vast a reach or might as Assyria at the height of its power, Fredenburg wrote. B. Coffman wrote, The extravagant glory of the great Assyrian empire is fittingly represented here as being the equal of those trees that God had planted in the garden of Eden. 1. The arrogance of Assyria had no limits! a. Greater than the trees in the garden of God? i. Ridiculous. II. no tree in the garden of God could match its beauty.

13 13 A. Assyria, under the figure of a marvelous cedar of Lebanon, claimed to be even more wondrous than any tree in the garden of God. (See Hamilton.) 1. Ezekiel 28:13, You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and emerald, the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; your settings and mounts were made of gold. On the day you were created they were prepared. (NET) 2. Genesis 2:8, The LORD God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. (NET) 3. Exodus 27:5, You are to put it under the ledge of the altar below, so that the network will come halfway up the altar. (NET) 4. Genesis 30:37, But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible. (NET) 5. Egypt claimed to be more glorious, grandiose than Assyria! a. Pharaoh certainly had an inflated opinion of himself. b. Ezekiel 28:12-15, Son of man, sing a lament for the king of Tyre, and say to him, This is what the sovereign LORD says: You were the sealer of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and emerald, the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper,

14 14 the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; your settings and mounts were made of gold. On the day you were created they were prepared. I placed you there with an anointed guardian cherub; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked about amidst fiery stones. You were blameless in your behavior from the day you were created, until sin was discovered in you. (NET) B. Smith identified the garden of God as the entire world; in other words, Egypt claimed to be the most wonderful thing in the entire world. Ezekiel 31:9, I made it beautiful with its many branches; all the trees of Eden, in the garden of God, envied it. (NET) I. I made it beautiful with abundant branches, A. It was Yahweh who made Assyria great. Assyria could not have reached this level of success without divine help. (See Fredenburg.) II. the envy of all the trees of Eden in the garden of God. A. Pharaoh needed to remember that God s gifts could be taken back! (See Fredenburg.) Ezekiel 31:10, Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says: Because it was tall in stature, and its top reached into the clouds, and it was proud of its height, (NET) I. Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because it towered on high, lifting its top above the thick foliage, and A. Bear in mind that once glorious Assyria had already been destroyed and Babylon was the power of the day!

15 15 B. The prophetic element of this chapter emphasizes the coming destruction of Egypt. 1. Assyria had been destroyed. Egypt would be destroyed. 2. Pharaoh was filled with pride and evidently did not face the fact that his destruction was imminent. (See McGee.) II. because it was proud of its height, A. Because of arrogance and pride, Egypt would be destroyed just as Assyria had been destroyed. 1. Isaiah 10:5, Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, is as good as dead, a cudgel with which I angrily punish. (NET) Ezekiel 31:11 I gave it over to the leader of the nations. He has judged it thoroughly, as its sinfulness deserves. I have thrown it out. (NET) I. I handed it over to the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. A. Egypt, which thought of itself as equal or superior to Assyria, would also be subject like Assyria to a horrendous defeat which, Hamilton wrote, befell Assyria at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar at Harran in 609 B.C.E. and at Carchemish in 605 B.C.E. B. The ruler of the nations at that time was Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. (See McGee.) II. I cast it aside, 1. Egypt would be conquered by the Babylonians, Chaldeans.

16 16 A. If Pharaoh compared himself with Assyria when it was at the peak of its success, Pharaoh would have to accept the destruction that came to Assyria. 1. The tall, stately cedar that towered high above all the other trees in the forest would also be more likely to attract damaging, destructive lightning strikes. (The Pulpit Commentary) 2. This was the lesson for both Assyria and Egypt and, perhaps, all others who are arrogant and prideful. a. Isaiah 10:5, Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, is as good as dead, a cudgel with which I angrily punish. (NET) Ezekiel 31:12, Foreigners from the most terrifying nations have cut it down and left it to lie there on the mountains. In all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in the ravines of the land. All the peoples of the land have departed from its shade and left it. (NET) I. and the most ruthless of foreign nations cut it down and left it. A. Historically this refers to Babylon s defeats of Assyria at Haran in 609 B.C. and at Carchemish in 605 B.C. (Fredenburg) 1. Ezekiel 30:11, He and his people with him, the most terrifying of the nations, will be brought there to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with corpses. (NET) B. Egypt would again face Babylon and would suffer a devastating defeat! II. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys; its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land.

17 17 A. The tree (Assyria) was cut down and left to decay. 1. All those who had been sheltered by Assyria would have its protection no longer. III. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it. A. Those who as vassals had paid tribute to Assyria were no longer under this obligation. Ezekiel 31:13, On its ruins all the birds of the sky will live, and all the wild animals will walk on its branches., (NET) I. All the birds of the air settled on the fallen tree, and all the beasts of the field were among its branches. A. The birds and wild beasts are still there; but instead of dwelling in the boughs, the vultures, owls, jackals and hyenas hover and creep over the carcass of the dead decaying trunk!, Coffman wrote. B. The defeats of Assyria and later of Egypt were likened to the fall of a mighty cedar of Lebanon which then is left to be on the ground and rot. C. The prophet, as it were, corrects his imagery. The birds and beasts are still there, but instead of dwelling in the boughs, they (vultures and owls, jackals and hyenas) hover and creep as over the carcass of the dead, decaying trunk, The Pulpit Commentary states. Ezekiel 31:14, For this reason no watered trees will grow so tall; their tops will not reach into the clouds, nor will the well-watered ones grow that high. For all of them have been appointed to die in the lower parts of the earth; they will be among mere mortals, with those who descend to the Pit. (NET)

18 18 I. Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. A. Striving for human greatness even if it is achieved is vain, futile. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) 1. Both Assyria and Egypt, each in its own time, learned this lesson. II. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height. A. Assyria was unique. Humanly viewed, Assyria s status and achievements had been remarkable. 1. Egypt viewed itself at least as Assyria s equal. 2. Egypt viewed Assyria as its model. III. they are all destined for death, for the earth below, among mortal men with those who go down to the pit. A. The scenery changes from Eden to Sheol, The Pulpit Commentary reads. 1. Ezekiel 32:17-32, In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, wail over the horde of Egypt. Bring it down; bring her and the daughters of powerful nations down to the lower parts of the earth, along with those who descend to the Pit. Say to them, Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised! They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; they carry her and all her hordes away. The bravest of the warriors will speak to him from the midst of Sheol along with his allies, saying: The uncircumcised have come down; they lie still, killed by the sword. Assyria is there with all her assembly around her grave,

19 19 all of them struck down by the sword. 23 Their graves are located in the remote slopes of the Pit. Her assembly is around her grave, all of them struck down by the sword, those who spread terror in the land of the living. Elam is there with all her hordes around her grave; all of them struck down by the sword. They went down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, those who spread terror in the land of the living. Now they will bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit. Among the dead they have made a bed for her, along with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for their terror had spread in the land of the living. They bear their shame along with those who descend to the Pit; they are placed among the dead. Meshech-Tubal is there, along with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for they spread their terror in the land of the living. They do not lie with the fallen warriors of ancient times, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, having their swords placed under their heads and their shields on their bones, when the terror of these warriors was in the land of the living. But as for you, in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken, and you will lie with those killed by the sword. Edom is there with her kings and all her princes. Despite their might they are laid with those killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised and those who descend to the Pit. All the leaders of the north are there, along with all the Sidonians; despite their might they have gone down in shameful terror with the dead. They lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, and bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit. Pharaoh will see them and be consoled over all his hordes who were killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his army, declares the sovereign LORD. Indeed, I terrified him in the land of the living, yet

20 20 he will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the sovereign LORD. (NET) Ezekiel 31:15, This is what the sovereign LORD says: On the day it went down to Sheol I caused observers to lament. I covered it with the deep and held back its rivers; its plentiful water was restrained. I clothed Lebanon in black for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it. (NET) I. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day it was brought down to the grave (Hebrew: sheol) I covered the deep springs with mourning for it; A. The grave welcomes all equally, Hamilton wrote. 1. In the pit, grave all are equal whether Egypt, Assyria, Babylon or some small, weak, poor inconsequential tribe. B. Following the fall of Assyria, the ruthless Babylonian army caused the vanquished Assyrians great grief. C. Pharaoh would also be killed and brought down to the grave and sheol, the unseen world of the dead. 1. Ecclesiastes 12:7, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the life s breath returns to God who gave it. (NET) II. I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained. A. Defeated Assyria was deprived of the abundant blessings to which they had long been accustomed. (See Coffman.) B. All nature is pictured as being in deep sorrow grieving the fall of Assyria.

21 21 C. Holding the streams back may refer to the failure of the Nile River to annually overflow its banks. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) 1. Ezekiel 30:12, I will dry up the waterways and hand the land over to evil men. I will make the land and everything in it desolate by the hand of foreigners. I, the LORD, have spoken! (NET) III. Because of it I clothed Lebanon with gloom, and all the trees of the field withered away. A. Ezekiel 26:15-18, This is what the sovereign LORD says to Tyre: Oh, how the coastlands will shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, at the massive slaughter in your midst! All the princes of the sea will vacate their thrones. They will remove their robes and strip off their embroidered clothes; they will clothe themselves with trembling. They will sit on the ground; they will tremble continually and be shocked at what has happened to you. They will sing this lament over you: How you have perished you have vanished from the seas, O renowned city, once mighty in the sea, she and her inhabitants, who spread their terror! Now the coastlands will tremble on the day of your fall; the coastlands by the sea will be terrified by your passing. (NET) B. Ezekiel 27:26-36, Your rowers have brought you into surging waters. The east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas. Your wealth, products, and merchandise, your sailors and captains, your ship s carpenters, your merchants, and all your fighting men within you, along with all your crew who are in you, will fall into the heart of the seas on the day of your downfall. At the sound of your captains cry the waves will surge; They will descend from their ships all who handle

22 22 the oar, the sailors and all the sea captains they will stand on the land. They will lament loudly over you and cry bitterly. They will throw dust on their heads and roll in the ashes; they will tear out their hair because of you and put on sackcloth, and they will weep bitterly over you with intense mourning. As they wail they will lament over you, chanting: Who was like Tyre, like a tower in the midst of the sea? When your products went out from the seas, you satisfied many peoples; with the abundance of your wealth and merchandise you enriched the kings of the earth. Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and all your company have sunk along with you. All the inhabitants of the coastlands are shocked at you, and their kings are horribly afraid their faces are troubled. The traders among the peoples hiss at you; you have become a horror, and will be no more. (NET) Ezekiel 31:16 I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I threw it down to Sheol, along with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and the best of Lebanon, all that were well-watered, were comforted in the earth below. (NET) I. I made the nations tremble at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the grave with those who go down to the pit. A. All nations needed to understand that if destruction befell mighty Assyria, it could befall them as well. (See Fredenburg) 1. Egypt failed to learn this lesson in time to benefit by it. 2. All human pride, ambition and earthly accomplishments end in the grave. (See Coffman.) B. All of Assyria s allies grieved and trembled at the fall of Assyria and the same would occur later when Egypt fell. (See Clarke.)

23 23 II. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all the trees that were well-watered, were consoled in the earth below. A. The Pulpit Commentary states that this verse contrasts the effects of the fall of Assyria on: 1. the nations that survived Assyria s fall and on a. These nations mourn and shake with fear realizing they may soon fall also. 2. the nations that had already perished. a. Those in Sheol were comforted realizing a greater nation than they had fallen. 3. Related Scriptures: a. Isaiah 14:4-20, you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: Look how the oppressor has met his end! Hostility has ceased! The LORD has broken the club of the wicked, the scepter of rulers. It furiously struck down nations with unceasing blows. It angrily ruled over nations, oppressing them without restraint. The whole earth rests and is quiet; they break into song. The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, Since you fell asleep, no woodsman comes up to chop us down! Sheol below is stirred up about you, ready to meet you when you arrive. It rouses the spirits of the dead for you, all the former leaders of the earth; it makes all the former kings of the nations rise from their thrones. All of them respond to you, saying: You too have become weak like us! You have become just like us! Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of

24 24 your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you. Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations! You said to yourself, I will climb up to the sky. Above the stars of El I will set up my throne. I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon. I will climb up to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High! But you were brought down to Sheol, to the remote slopes of the Pit. Those who see you stare at you, they look at you carefully, thinking: Is this the man who shook the earth, the one who made kingdoms tremble? Is this the one who made the world like a desert, who ruined its cities, and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home? As for all the kings of the nations, all of them lie down in splendor, each in his own tomb. But you have been thrown out of your grave like a shoot that is thrown away. You lie among the slain, among those who have been slashed by the sword, among those headed for the stones of the Pit, as if you were a mangled corpse. You will not be buried with them, because you destroyed your land and killed your people. The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again. (NET) b. Ezekiel 32:17-32, In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, wail over the horde of Egypt. Bring it down; bring her and the daughters of powerful nations down to the lower parts of the earth, along with those who descend to the Pit. Say to them, Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised! They

25 25 will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; they carry her and all her hordes away. The bravest of the warriors will speak to him from the midst of Sheol along with his allies, saying: The uncircumcised have come down; they lie still, killed by the sword. Assyria is there with all her assembly around her grave, all of them struck down by the sword. Their graves are located in the remote slopes of the Pit. Her assembly is around her grave, all of them struck down by the sword, those who spread terror in the land of the living. Elam is there with all her hordes around her grave; all of them struck down by the sword. They went down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, those who spread terror in the land of the living. Now they will bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit. Among the dead they have made a bed for her, along with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for their terror had spread in the land of the living. They bear their shame along with those who descend to the Pit; they are placed among the dead. Meshech-Tubal is there, along with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for they spread their terror in the land of the living. They do not lie with the fallen warriors of ancient times, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, having their swords placed under their heads and their shields on their bones, when the terror of these warriors was in the land of the living. But as for you, in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken, and you will lie with those killed by the sword. Edom is there with her kings and all her princes. Despite their might they are laid with those killed by the sword; they lie

26 26 with the uncircumcised and those who descend to the Pit. All the leaders of the north are there, along with all the Sidonians; despite their might they have gone down in shameful terror with the dead. They lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, and bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit. Pharaoh will see them and be consoled over all his hordes who were killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his army, declares the sovereign LORD. Indeed, I terrified him in the land of the living, yet he will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the sovereign LORD. (NET) Ezekiel 31:17, Those who lived in its shade, its allies among the nations, also went down with it to Sheol, to those killed by the sword. (NET) I. Those who lived in its shade, its allies among the nations, had also gone down to the grave with it, joining those killed by the sword. A. The words point to the allies, in the first instance of Assyria, and secondly of Egypt, The Pulpit Commentary states. B. The last words of the verse present a striking parallel to Lamentations 4:20, Our very life breath the LORD s anointed king was caught in their traps, of whom we thought, Under his protection we will survive among the nations. (NET) Ezekiel 31:18, Which of the trees of Eden was like you in majesty and loftiness? You will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword! This is what will happen to Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the sovereign LORD. (NET)

27 27 I. Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? A. For Egypt the obvious answer is, None of them. (Fredenburg) B. God through Ezekiel now speaks to Pharaoh Hophra saying in effect, All that I have said of Assyria is true of you (Egypt). (See The Pulpit Commentary.) II. Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; A. Pharaoh s end would be that of Assyria, destruction and death. 1. The same humiliating end that came to Assyria is also stored up for Pharaoh. (Coffman) a. Pharaoh was in fact assassinated, murdered! III. You will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword. A. Egyptians practiced circumcision, Hamilton wrote, and Ezekiel may have used this expression as scorn for Egypt. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) 1. Jeremiah 9:25-26, The LORD says, Watch out! The time is soon coming when I will punish all those who are circumcised only in the flesh. That is, I will punish the Egyptians, the Judeans, the Edomites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples. I will do so because none of the people of those nations are really circumcised in the LORD s sight. Moreover, none of the people of Israel are circumcised when it comes to their hearts. (NET)

28 28 2. Ezekiel 28:10, You will die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners; for I have spoken, declares the sovereign LORD. (NET) B. Yahweh s last word against arrogance is the silence of a common grave of nation and people, Hamilton wrote. C. Arrogant Pharaoh would find himself among the despised uncircumcised and totally humiliated. (See Smith.) D. In the grave all are equal. Proud and arrogant Egypt would be on the level with even the despised uncircumcised. IV. This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord. A. God always has the last word! That last word was shameful humiliation and would come to Pharaoh! (Fredenburg) B. All that was said in this allegory regarding the majestic cedar of Lebanon and Assyria refers ultimately to Pharaoh and Egypt! Conclusion: I. Coffman wrote, There is a tremendous warning here against all human pride, arrogance, and unbridled ambition that mortals partake of in their efforts to exalt themselves and to ignore the claims of holiness and righteousness which God imposes upon all who are born into this world, apparently oblivious to the fact that, We shall all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.. II. Clarke advised, the lesson here is humility. However elevated a person or nation may become, God can bring them down. God abhors, hates pride and arrogance. Pride can make devils of angels and friends of men.

29 29 Questions By John C. Sewell Ezekiel 31:1-18 (Questions based on NIV text) 1. In Ezekiel 31 and the are compared to the which in turn is compared to a. 2. Coffman wrote, The source of the features of this is not to be sought in, nor should we believe that the of referred to herein is a reference to a of 3. How did Coffman outline Ezekiel 31? 4. How did McGee outline Ezekiel 31?

30 30 5. The oracle presented in Ezekiel 31 was given on the first day of the third month of the eleventh year of what? 6. According to our calendar, on what day, month and year was this oracle given to Ezekiel? 7. How much time elapsed between this oracle and the previous oracle of Ezekiel 30:20? 8. How much time elapsed between this oracle and the fall of Jerusalem? Which came first? 9. How much time elapsed between this oracle and the fall of Nineveh, defeat of the Assyrian Empire by the Babylonians?

31 How was Ezekiel, an exile in Babylon, to deliver a message to the Egyptian king? 11. What does hordes as used in Ezekiel 31:2 mean? 12. for perhaps years had been a truly, a, a and the of the. 13. Ezekiel 31:2 and 18 contain comparable questions; viz., Who can be compared with you in majesty? and Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? To whom do these questions apply? What is inferred by these questions? What are the answers to these questions?

32 Describe the cedar of Lebanon as discussed in Ezekiel What is represented by the cedar of Lebanon? 16. Fredenburg wrote, s characterization of demonstrates his view that the of, like the of, was in his own. 17. How does God view arrogance, a haughty spirit? 18.. would certainly! had in spite of its, and so would..

33 What do deep springs, streams and channels represent in Ezekiel 31:4? 20. Nothing is said about this which represents. It was with the very that. 21. What do the boughs, long branches, root, birds and beasts of the field in Ezekiel 31:5-7 represent? 22. Identify the garden of God and Eden, as used in this chapter. 23., no previous had as vast a or as at the of its. The of the great is fittingly represented here as being the of those that had

34 34 in the of. The of had no. 24. Pharaoh, at the peak of his glory, needed to that s could be. 25. had been by the, would be be the. was filled with and evidently did not face the fact that his was. Because of and would be just as had been. 26. Identify the ruler of the nations and the most ruthless of foreign nations as used in Ezekiel 31: If compared himself with when it was at the of its, would have to the that came to. 28. What happened to the majestic cedar of Lebanon once it had fallen?

35 What happened to Assyria once it had fallen? 30. for even if it is is,. Both and, each in its own, this. 31. In view of the great Roman Empire, the British Empire on which the sun never set and, yes, the United States following World War II, how can it be said in Ezekiel 31:14 that no other nation (trees) would ever reach such a height? 32. Define the earth below, the pit, grave and Sheol. How do these relate to Assyria and Egypt? 33. Whatever happened to Pharaoh Hophra?

36 What does, I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained mean? See Ezekiel 31: All, and in the. 36. All of s and at the of and the same would occur when. 37. Contrast the effects of the fall of Assyria on nations that survived and on nations which had already fallen. 38. through now speaks to saying in effect, All that I have said of is true of you ( ). You will be brought down to the. You will among the, with those by the. would find himself among the and would be.

37 How are all the dead equal? Are there ways in which all the dead are not equal? If so, what are these ways? 40. There is a here against all, and. The lesson here is. No matter how a or may become, God can bring them. God, and. can make of!