A Lament For Egypt

The first thing you need to know about Egypt is – it’s upside down. 🙃

Pathros was the Hebrew name for “Upper Egypt” which is the southern part of Egypt.

“Lower Egypt” is in the north.

😏 At least “Middle Egypt” is in the middle.

Yes. But don’t mix it up with “the Middle Kingdom” which was a period of Egypt’s history from 2055-1650 BC.

😒 You’re killin’ me.

Don’t shoot me. I’m just the messenger.

The “upper,” “middle,” and “lower” are all about elevation, not points on a compass. The Nile starts in the highlands south of Egypt (ancient Ethiopia) and flows north. So upstream is down and downstream is up.

😐 And that’s the FIRST thing I gotta know about Egypt? I’m not sure I can handle a second thing.

Well, it might help to know the more modern names for old Egyptian cities:

• Noph (Memphis)
• No (Thebes)
• Pibeseth (Bubastis, northeast of Cairo)
• Aven/On (Heliopolis, buried under modern Cairo)
• Sin (Pelusium, northeastern edge of the Nile Delta on the Sinai Peninsula)
• Zoan (Tanis, in the northeastern Delta near Cairo)

😲 Tanis?! That lost city in Indiana Jones where he found the location of The Well of Souls in the map room?

No. That’s Hollywood. There really was a city called Tanis and it wasn’t lost.

That’s enough background. Let’s look at chapter 30. It may have something to teach us about the coming day of Judgment.

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“For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭30‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This coming judgement on Egypt is called “the Day of the Lord.”

😐 There sure are a lot of those in the Old Testament.

True. But they all have some things in common that form a pattern of what to expect in the future “day of the Lord.”

• Death. Lots of death. ☠️
• Dark clouds. Sometimes also thunder, hail, lightening, and destructive wind.
  • 😏 So… just a typical spring day in the Midwest?
  • Oh no. Huh uh. You are not allowed in the bullets. Out you go. 👉🏼
  • 😒 awww c’mon
  • Nope. Shooo… (sigh…where was I?)
• Doom on the nations
• Judgement
• Darkness even during the day
• Scattered people and refugees
• Economic collapse
• Destruction
• Civilizational overthrow

😏 Sounds peachy.

The first message (chapter 29) about the fall of Egypt came in the 10th year (of Ezekiel’s captivity) in the 10th month.

Then a couple months later, the LORD gives Ezekiel another message – he’s going to break both of Pharaoh’s arms and strengthen the arms of Nebuchadnezzar.

Yahweh gives Ezekiel the details that it will be Babylon who attacks and plunders Egypt and causes them to be destabilized and nonfunctional for 40 years. He gives Ezekiel this message before it happens because only an all-powerful, infinite, outside-of-time, living God can do that. The whole point of foretelling the future is…

(Say it with me…)

“…Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭30‬:‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬