37 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
37 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Ezekiel 32:17–32"
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date = "2023-06-03"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel32.17-32)
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Two weeks after he was given the lament to sing over Pharaoh, Ezekiel receives
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another prophecy concerning the people of Egypt. In short, the message is
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that the multitudes of Egypt will be sent to the realm of the dead by way of
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the sword. Usually, that would be the end of the message, but this time the
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narrative follows the slain multitudes into Sheol (also called the pit or the
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underworld) and describes those who are already present.
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Egypt joins the likes of Assyria, Elam, Meshech-Tubal, Edom, and Sidon. Each of
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these nations' multitudes lie in their graves, consigned to this place because
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of their iniquities and the terror they brought about to their neighbors while
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they lived. This pit they reside in is not a place of honor like the one the
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mighty men of old are presumed to dwell, but one of shame and misery.
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Over and over again in this passage, the people are said to lie in the place
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of the uncircumcised. This is a shorthand to say they were not God's covenant
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people. They were not living in the ways of their father Noah and as revealed
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through Moses. They could have. Both Ruth and Rahab were foreigners who chose to
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follow the Lord and these two women in particular became part of the Messianic
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line of promise.
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It also seems good to point out that the Bible always describes a real,
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experienced afterlife, whether it is a reward or punishment. Death isn't the
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end of anyone; it is not oblivion that awaits us all. While there is still time
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before we reach our final destinations, your trajectory is fixed once you die.
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Do not delay in responding to the Lord's call for your soul.
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* * *
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All mankind passes before Your throne, and You judge every one of us.
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