Bible reading and commentary: Ezekiel 29-32

Part of accurate reading of the Bible and good discernment is to understand the difference between "current prophecy events" as they are documented in the Bible and "future prophecy" events, which are ones still to occur in the future. I thought I would point you to one that is very easy to understand of the "current events" type of prophesy.

If you read chapters 30, 31, 32 of Ezekiel you will see that the Lord God is telling his prophet Ezekiel how he is going to smite the Pharaoh, leader of the Egyptians. Ezekiel names the pharaoh, Hophra, and is also detailed in dating the month and day when he receives his prophecies. Additionally, the action is centered as the Babylonians (the Chaldeans) are besieging Jerusalem, so Biblical scholars are able to precisely date the prophecies as Ezekiel receives them from God. For example, the prophesy that opens Ezekiel 31 occurred "On the first day of the third month in the eleventh year," which was in modern calendar terms June 21, 587 BC.

Now, if you read a Bible with a lot of footnotes, such as my NAB Personal Study Edition, scholars explain the historical events in their context. The Pharaoh had come to help Jerusalem defend itself against the invading Chaldeans. The prophecies to Ezekiel from God expresses his wrath at Egypt for interfering (for their own purposes, since they were seeking to gain their own control) with the chastisement that the Babylonians were about to deliver to Israel, specifically Judah. Thus one learns in reading and comprehending this section of the Bible a specific example of how God allows his chosen people, who have continually sinned and defied God, to fall. God allows the Egyptians to be severely beaten in battle due to their interference in God's divine punishment of Judah.

Now, in case you think that is "mean" of God, think again, and observe how sometimes what is "best" for a country is not so easy to discern. Modern day Iraq is an example where it is difficult to say that invasions, alliances, insurgence and all the variations have been advantageous to the country of Iraq, or not. Likewise God knew that the Babylonians would not slaughter the Jews, but would carry them away to Babylon in slavery. The interference of Egypt, led by the Pharaoh, would not only be unacceptable because of their stepping into the middle of God's chastisement of Judah, but it also expanded the entire conflict and the resulting casualties. God always knows better, and when he speaks through a genuine prophet like Ezekiel, people better obey, even if they don't understand all the facts on the face of what they are hearing.

Now, here is the Wikipedia entry for this very pharaoh, called Hophra by Ezekiel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hophra

So here is a very easy to understand example of three aspects of God's words and the genuine historical events recorded in the Bible:

1. Ezekiel documents both the siege of Judah by the Chaldeans, a historic event that is documented in historic records outside of the Bible AND a pharaoh by name, whose existence is also documented in his home land's records. Thus this is an easy to ponder example of the reality of the events in the Bible.

2. Ezekiel documents prophecy by God that clearly relates to the actual events of the day. These are not mystical prophecies of a long off future time. These are actually "hands off" warnings regarding Egypt's actual interference in the chastisement of Judah that the Lord God is permitting to happen. So you can ponder the prophecies and know exactly what they relate to and how they indeed did occur (notice the prophecy and then the date of death of the Pharaoh).

3. This is an example of how only God knows the larger plan for the greatest good, even if it does not seem that way on the surface. Here God allows Israel to fall, in order to be chastised but also to be taken into captivity, and not slaughtered. The prophets knew to trust in God and they are diligent in recording these prophecies and events so that witness remains for future generations.

Remember also that Jesus is descended from the House of David, through both his earthly father Joseph (whose lineage is recorded in Matthew 1) and through his mother Mary. Therefore one of those ancestors listed in the genealogy of Jesus through Joseph's side would have been among those carried away to Babylon, and likewise a biological ancestor through Mary's undocumented lineage would also have been in the Babylon captivity. You can now appreciate how God's plan is much larger than any human can comprehend. The "assistance" of the pharaoh could have resulted in a slaughter instead of a captivity, and the killing of one or both of the ancestors of Joseph and Mary. Think about it. That is why God's plans should not be meddled with, for he will not tolerate it and much collateral damage can be done through meddling. For example, one knows that God would not have allowed the ancestor of Mary to be killed, but one has no way of knowing if the ancestor of Joseph would have fallen if the Egyptians had been allowed to extend the siege and battle into greater numbers of those slaughtered. Mary and the virginal birth of the Messiah through her are Biblically promised and assured by God, and thus protected, even from whatever humans are doing, so that God's prophecies are always fulfilled. But St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, is implied (the lineage of David) but not promised specifically. Thus the perfect spouse's (I don't mean sin free, but the blessed spouse of Mary) very existence is obviously known and foreseen by God and part of his greater plan. But I explain this to you to show you that interferring in God's plan in theory could result in very unhappy outcomes, such as what if St. Joseph's ancestor had been killed and so this great, strong and gentle man had never been born? That is why a true prophet hears and obeys God in ALL things, even if they seem difficult to understand on their face.

I hope you find this useful! God understands, and this is why the Bible is such a gift of the generations, that people need to see "how things work" and "why" as best as they can, so that their faith is strengthened. That is why these "ancient" and "boring" events are recorded for posterity to learn and understand. So I thought that as part of my series in helping people to better understand both God and the fullness of the Bible, this is a great intersection of ability to see and understand specific events that are proven to have existed in both historic and Biblical records.