Should This Matter?

“Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that light In the midst of his rivers which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of the rivers an d all the fish of they rivers shall stick unto thy scales…”

Ezekiel 29:2-4

We all have been confronted with the chicken and the egg debate: ‘Which came first: the chicken or the egg?’

While this question may seem silly and entertaining, it is actually a quite philosophically and scientifically baffling dilemma. Depending on how you look at the scenario, you can come up with a different answer.

In this passage of Ezekiel, God presents a similar question: ‘which came first: the crocodile or the Nile River?’ In so doing, God is making a very harsh point to Pharaoh but essentially asking, ‘Which came first: Pharaoh or Egypt?’. The answer to this question, however, is clear.

Ezekiel 29 begins a long prophesy against Egypt. Prophecies against Egypt are certainly not unique as there are several of them in the Old Testament. However, to me, this oracle stands out due to the allegory that God uses which is comparing Pharaoh to the crocodile.

As most know, the Nile River is famous for its crocodile population. These giant creatures can grow up to 20 feet and over 2,000 pounds. They are known to be vicious and efficient predators with the capacity to attack and kill even large men. The Nile crocodile’s thick scales act as armor for skin, and the water provides the perfect cover to surprise its large prey. Their aggressive nature puts fear into the hearts of even the strongest of men.

Therefore, it is no surprise that Egyptians revered the crocodile. They even worshipped Sobek, a crocodilian god likely representing fertility, military power, and protection. In their worship, Egyptians were known to even breed these creatures and then mummify them! At some point in Egyptian history, the worship of Sobek began to include the thought that the Pharaoh was even considered a living incarnation of this god.

With the understanding of the reverence of the crocodile, we can better appreciate the comparison that God is making in this passage. God compares Pharaoh to the crocodile who says, “My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.”

On the surface, the crocodile seems to rule the Nile. But, we all know that it is the Nile River that actually sustains the crocodile. Without the river, the crocodile would have no home, no prey, and no cover. He would be food for the beasts of the open field (see verse 5 in the passage). While powerful, his strength is actually derived from the Nile River. It would be foolish for the crocodile to say that he made the river for himself because the river actually gives him his power. Suppose I remove the crocodile from the Nile, the Nile would still flow. However, if I remove the Nile from the crocodile, it would die.

Now lets link this picture to Pharaoh. Like a foolish crocodile, Pharaoh believes that he made Egypt great. That Egypt’s power and wealth was a result from his rule. However, Pharaoh is great because of Egypt. His power is due to the country holding him up. If he were to be removed from Egypt, he would be just a man susceptible to harm, and the nation of Egypt would continue on.

Why is this so? Because Egypt’s power and wealth is actually from God. It is GOD who built Egypt to where it is, and it is GOD who can destroy Egypt.

So, what will happen to Pharaoh? He will be hooked, dragged from his “river,” and thrown into the wilderness to be prey for the beasts and birds. Just as the crocodile cannot survive outside of the Nile, neither will Pharaoh succeed outside of Egypt. His pride is sorely misplaced.

The Pharaoh likely spoken of here is Pharaoh Hophra (a.k.a. Apries) who reigned from 589 BC – 570 BC. He was known to be an active builder in Egypt, making Egypt’s building more impressive and greater during his reign. His reign occurs during the powerful rise of the Babylonian Empire. Nebuchadnezzar pushed south acquiring all nations that he touched. Despite God’s distinct warning to the nations to submit to Nebuchadnezzar’s authority and in response to the plea of King Zedekiah of Judah, Hophra sent troops to stop Babylon’s siege on Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar temporarily leaves the siege of Jerusalem to fight Hophra but Hophra withdraws his army to avoid a major conflict (Jeremiah 34:21 and 37:5). In response to this misstep along with other internal battles, Hophra is overthrown by his own general, Amasis. He escapes to Babylon and later returns to Egypt with Babylon troops. He attempts to fight Amasis but is yet again defeated. This time, he is captured by Amasis who allegedly treats him respectfully but gives him over to the people of Egypt who strangle him.

The accuracy of God’s prophecy is STUNNING! Pharaoh Hophra’s pride led him to believe that he was invincible, but he finds that he isn’t. His building projects enhance Egypt likely making him think that it was he making Egypt what it is. However, just as God promised, he is hooked and pulled out of Egypt just like a crocodile is hooked and pulled out of the Nile River. He is sent out into the wilderness, Babylon, but his supposed ‘greatness’ cannot make him powerful enough to defeat Amasis. Amasis rules Egypt in Hophra’s absence and Egypt continues on without Hophra. In fact, he is unable to defeat Amasis because it was Egypt that gave him his power, not him who gave Egypt her power. In the end, he is devoured by Egypt.

Do you see a little bit of Pharaoh in yourself? Do you think that you are the king/queen of your life? Do you believe that it is YOU who built your life or gave success?

If so, you are sadly mistaken. If God were to remove us from the world, the world would continue as long as God wanted it to. Even the most powerful, the smartest, the most beautiful, and – get this – the most good person did not build this world. God did. We do not sustain this world or even our lives, GOD DOES! Next time you think that you made your successes, think again! Next time you place your faith in a leader to solve problems, check yourself! Give credit where credit is due.

Just like He did to Pharaoh, God can hook our jaws and pull us from our situations to show that we are not really in charge. We are not the Nile, we are merely the crocodiles.