Ezekiel 30:1-19 – God has the whole world in His hand.

Ezekiel 30:1-19 is the third segment of Ezekiel’s message of judgment on Egypt. It starts by referring to “the Day of the Lord” in verses 1-2.  This phrase “the Day of the Lord” usually refers to a period and not just one day. It leaves a sense of the certainty of God’s prescribed judgment. It would be an awful period of gloom where the very foundation of Egypt would be shaken. News of her calamities would also terrify her allies. Specifically mentioned in verse 5 were Egypt’s allies. They were Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all of Arabia, and Libya.

Verses 6-8 then went on to show how thorough the attack on Egypt would be.  From north to south, no part of Egypt would be left untouched. Every part of the country would be burned, and the people distraught. At the destruction, the Lord’s hand in the judgment would be recognized and He would be acknowledged. The destruction would be so catastrophic that the people of nearby Ethiopia would be petrified and stricken with terror.  They could sense that they would be the next target of the judgment of God.  

Nebuchadnezzar and his army were once again singled out in verses 10-11 as the instrument God would use. These ruthless, evil strangers would come and devastate Egypt. God would even dry up the Nile. This is an indication that He would remove any obstacle that would come in the way of the invading army. In other words, God Himself was paving the way for the invasion and delivering Egypt into the hands of the invaders. The whole country and all her cities would be left in ruin. Furthermore, their idols would be crushed, their strongholds burnt and the people captured as their leaders were slaughtered.  The oppression and bondage that Egypt had imposed on the people would be broken. Through the judgment, Egypt would know that the Lord indeed is God. 

The phrase “And they will know that I am the Lord” repeatedly occurs throughout the book of Ezekiel. Evidently, God wants to be known as the only true God. We cannot go away from this passage without realizing that the destiny of all nations lies in the hand of God. He uses each one to extend His purpose of making Himself known. Every which way He reveals Himself proves that He alone deserves our worship. It also shows that no other so-called god is worthy of worship. Let us worship Him alone, for He alone is worthy of our worship!