Ezekiel 30:20-26 Broken Arms
God tells Ezekiel about Egypt’s downfall. She has ‘broken arms’ and cannot lift the sword to defend herself. Nebuchadnezzar’s arms are made STRONG by God.
We have already seen that God was using Nebuchadnezzar to deliver His judgment to the nations, including Judah. Egypt is the latest nation that God has promised judgment upon. The might that Egypt had will no longer be with them.
Egypt was a powerful nation at the time Judah turned to her for help. She was certain she was strong enough to stand against Nebuchadnezzar. But she wasn’t. In her first confrontation with Nebuchadnezzar, she lost; God ‘broke her arm’. She had no strength to give to Judah from then on. She was busy nursing her own wounds. God wasn’t through with her yet though, and neither was Nebuchadnezzar.
Egypt would be left alone for a while but her ‘arm’ never healed. Her power had decreased in the region and she couldn’t get it back. She had no support to offer anyone so she didn’t even try. She hung Judah out to dry while Nebuchadnezzar laid his three-year siege on Jerusalem. She was silent as the people were led into captivity. And she remained silent while Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Tyre for 13 years. She probably didn’t want to draw attention to herself as she was still not in ‘fighting shape’.
God wasn’t finished with her though. He would pay her back for abandoning Judah. She too would become one of Nebuchadnezzar’s conquests. God said He would rebreak the broken arm and also break the strong one, thereby leaving her defenseless. And reducing her role in the region to a minor one.
There is something that I have been wondering about. God didn’t want Israel relying on or entering into any alliance with Egypt from the beginning onward. I believe that Solomon was the first one to break that command. He married a daughter of Pharaoh in order to form a political and economic alliance. He purchased his horses from Egypt. I’m not certain, but he may have also purchased the use of their army.
God said that Egypt was like a ‘reed’ instead of a ‘staff’, at least for Judah. Every time Judah tried to ‘lean on’ Egypt, Egypt failed her. She either didn’t come to the rescue of Judah or failed to deliver on the full package. At one point, Egypt took King Jehoiachin and placed his uncle on the throne, Jehoiakim. He was to be their vessel king, until he rebelled against Egypt and threw his hat in with Nebuchadnezzar, for a time. King Hezekiah would try and make an alliance with Egypt against Nebuchadnezzar during his time on the throne. That alliance never resulted in help for Judah.
My question is, why was God angry at Egypt for these failed alliances? He was rightly angry with Judah for their actions with a people He told them to STAY AWAY from. Judah was the one under God’s covenant. They should have received the harshest punishment. They were punished severely but they were not the only ones. God punished EVERYONE in that region. Talk about ‘the spanking mood’!
Yes, God cited reasons for his anger against these other nations. But He was NOT their God. They had their own false gods they bowed down to. They counted Him as Israel’s God, NOT theirs. Which brings me to the answer I believe I just received. We see that answer repeated in SO MANY places when He speaks of judging the nations.
The answer is simple. He did all the things He promised so they would KNOW that there was ONE TRUE GOD. Their gods were powerless to stop His hand. This was also so they would KNOW that, just because Judah was falling/fell, it didn’t make Him any less powerful. They were to KNOW that it was HIS hand that worked ALL these things in our world. “The proof was in the putting”; putting them ALL in their places.
Father God, You ARE God over ALL. Even those who would dismiss You cannot stop You. You are Lord of ALL creation! You rule it all but You make Your home in my heart. That is the difference between those who reject You and Your children. You have power over both but You only ‘look after’ the ones who call You Lord. THAT IS ME. THANK YOU for ‘looking after’ me. Thank You for loving me! Your ofteh times stubborn child.
