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8 June. Ezekiel chapters 26-31
Chapters 26-28 are an extended prophecy against the cities of Tyre and Sidon – the cities of the Phoenecians, long enemies of Israel and differing from them in being a seagoing nation (whereas the Israelites never were known as sailors, and seem to have regarded the sea as inherently evil). The great sin of the Phoenecians, it seems, was pride. They had become rich through trading with many other nations, and thought that they were superior to all other peoples, and had no need of God. Indeed they are charged her with thinking of themselves as gods (28:2-6) – the ultimate sin. As St Paul famously wrote “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). We could think of examples today – for instance those who would “make America great again” when in fact only humility before God, rather than national pride, can truly bring about such an outcome.
In chapters 29-31 the Lord’s judgement is turned southwards towards Egypt. For the sins of idolatry and pride (pictured as claiming that the river Nile which brought fertility to the land was their own creation) they too would be brought low, as Assyria had been. In fact the land of Egypt was to be made uninhabitable for forty years (29:11), perhaps echoing the forty years in which Israel had been condemned to live in the wilderness after leaving Egypt) and would never become a world power again. That has indeed come to pass – Egypt which once was the leading culture of the near east for many centuries has never again risen to such prominence.
In between these two extended judgements is a short but positive affirmation of the settled future that God had in mind for Israel after dealing with all the other nations around them (28:25-26). Sometimes a short work of affirmation is all it takes to boost someone’s self-esteem, whereas criticism often has to be repeated at length before it is accepted.