Thus saith the Lord God: I will also destroy the idols, and I will
cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more
a prince of the land of Egypt; and I will put a fear in the land of
Egypt. And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan,
and will execute judgments in No. And I will pour my fury upon Sin,
the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No. And I
will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be
rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily. The young men of
Aven and of Phi-beseth shall fall by the sword; and these cities
shall go into captivity. At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be
darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp
of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover
her, and her daughters shall go into captivity. Thus will I execute
judgments in Egypt; and they shall know that I am the Lord (verses
13-19).
Their idols and images were to be destroyed so as to reveal their
nothingness. So it was many centuries before when Israel was in the
house of bondage and the power of God in judgment exposed the things
which the Egyptians worshipped. Noph, which is mentioned in verse 13,
is Memphis. Memphis was the prominent seat of the worship of Ptah and
Apis. It was the great temple city, founded by Menes. What has become of
this marvellous city with its magnificent temple structures and carved,
colossal images and idols?
Abd-ul-Latif, an Arab traveller, who visited it in the thirteenth
century, says: "Its ruins still offer to the eyes of the spectator a
collection of wonderful works which confound the intellect, and to
describe which the most eloquent man would labor in vain. The longer we
look upon the scene, the higher rises the admiration it inspires; and
every new glance that we cast upon the ruins reveals a new charm.
Scarcely have they awakened a distinct idea in the soul of the
spectator, than a still more admirable idea suggests itself; and just as
you believe you have gained complete knowledge of them, at that very
moment the conviction forces itself on the mind, that what you think you
know is still very far from the truth."
But even the magnificent ruins, the mute witnesses of a past glory, are
gone. The very site of Noph (Memphis) is now a matter of dispute. Only a
few immense carved stones remain in the desert sand. Temples, idols and
images are forever gone. The prophet Ezekiel knew undoubtedly of the
far-famed city, its influence and power in the religious life of Egypt.
How could he announce such utter ruin for that city unless the Lord had
revealed it to him and put His own words into his mouth? What a great
evidence prophecy is that the Bible is the Word of God! "No," mentioned
three times in verses 14-16, is Thebes, the ancient capital of Egypt,
called by the Greeks "Diospolis," the City of Jupiter. "No" is also
mentioned by Nahum (iii:8). Her ruins bear witness of a past,
indescribable splendor. The great Temple of Carnac was there. An
authority saith: "The ruins of the temple of Carnac is the largest and
most splendid ruin of which, perhaps, either ancient or modern times can
boast. All here is sublime, all majestic. With pain one tears oneself
from Thebes. Her monuments fix the traveller's eyes and fill his mind
with vast ideas. Beholding colossal figures and stately obelisks which
seem to surpass human powers." What a city No, Thebes the capital, must
have been! The Lord alone could foretell that it should be rent asunder.
The ruins bear witness that God's message was faithfully delivered by
Ezekiel. And so was fulfilled, "There shall be no more a prince out of
the land of Egypt." No native prince has had complete rule over the
land. The other places mentioned are Sin, which is Pelusium, now
completely buried in the sand. Aven is Heliopolis, the center of the
worship of Ba, the god of the sun. Pi-beseth is Bubastis, where the
sacred cats were mummied, likewise a desolation now. Tehaphnehes or
Daphnis also passed through the judgment. What a remarkable fulfillment
of what the Lord announced through His servant Ezekiel! May we here be
reminded in our solemn times that the same omniscient Lord, who knows
the end from the beginning, has spoken concerning this age, now closing
in its predicted apostasy. Nations today steeped in bloodshed; nations
filled with covetousness and hatred; an apostate professing Christendom
and the indifferent masses have written over against them the
judgment-wrath of the coming King. And He who fulfilled the words spoken
through Ezekiel will also fulfill every other prediction uttered by His
Holy prophets and apostles.