以西結書32:11-16

32:11 主耶和華如此說：「巴比倫王的刀必臨到你。

32:12 我必藉勇士的刀使你的眾民仆倒；這勇士都是列國中強暴的。他們必使埃及的驕傲歸於無有；埃及的眾民必被滅絕。

32:13 我必從埃及多水旁除滅所有的走獸；人腳獸蹄必不再攪渾這水。

32:14 那時，我必使埃及河澄清，江河像油緩流。這是主耶和華說的。

32:15 我使埃及地變為荒廢淒涼；這地缺少從前所充滿的，又擊殺其中一切的居民。那時，他們就知道我是耶和華。

32:16 「人必用這哀歌去哀哭，列國的女子為埃及和她的群眾也必以此悲哀。這是主耶和華說的。」

11 "For thus says the Lord God: The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. 12 I will cause your multitude to fall by the swords of mighty ones, all of them most ruthless of nations.

 "They shall bring to ruin the pride of Egypt,

and all its multitude shall perish.

13 I will destroy all its beasts

from beside many waters;

 and no foot of man shall trouble them anymore,

nor shall the hoofs of beasts trouble them.

14 Then I will make their waters clear,

and cause their rivers to run like oil,

declares the Lord God.

15 When I make the land of Egypt desolate,

and when the land is desolate of all that fills it,

when I strike down all who dwell in it,

then they will know that I am the Lord.

16 This is a lamentation that shall be chanted; the daughters of the nations shall chant it; over Egypt, and over all her multitude, shall they chant it, declares the Lord God."

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    上帝透過先知一而再地說道埃及的敗亡，就是要猶太人認識不是要倚靠強權，要倚靠上帝與接受上帝的安排，因為人外有人，常常使人本身覺得自己渺小而自卑，轉而依附別人。

    其實聖經不鼓勵人有依附或迷戀的精神，因為這樣讓人沒有辦法信靠上帝，只有依附團體或他人而生活，以致失去作人的意義。國家更是不可如此，要靠主堅定自立自強，才不會變成附庸國。

    同樣教會更不要去依附那些不信的團體或別的宗教團體，因為我們是屬基督的，不可和他們同負一軛，讓自己走入上帝的憤怒中，不要忘記我們示眾價買贖的一群！

以西結書32章

      以西結書32:1-10  , 以西結書32:11-16   ,  以西結書32:17-32    ,

以西結書32:1-10

32:1 十二年十二月初一日，耶和華的話臨到我說：

32:2 「人子啊，你要為埃及王法老作哀歌，說：從前你在列國中，如同少壯獅子；現在你卻像海中的大魚。你衝出江河，用爪攪動諸水，使江河渾濁。

32:3 主耶和華如此說：我必用多國的人民，將我的網撒在你身上，把你拉上來。

32:4 我必將你丟在地上，拋在田野，使空中的飛鳥都落在你身上，使遍地的野獸吃你得飽。

32:5 我必將你的肉丟在山間，用你高大的屍首填滿山谷。

32:6 我又必用你的血澆灌你所游泳之地，漫過山頂；河道都必充滿。

32:7 我將你撲滅的時候，要把天遮蔽，使眾星昏暗，以密雲遮掩太陽，月亮也不放光。

32:8 我必使天上的亮光都在你以上變為昏暗，使你的地上黑暗。這是主耶和華說的。

32:9 「我使你敗亡的風聲傳到你所不認識的各國。那時，我必使多民的心因你愁煩。

32:10 我在許多國民和君王面前向你掄我的刀，國民就必因你驚奇，君王也必因你極其恐慌。在你仆倒的日子，他們各人為自己的性命時刻戰兢。」

1 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:2 "Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

"You consider yourself a lion of the nations,

but you are like a dragon in the seas;

 you burst forth in your rivers,

trouble the waters with your feet,

and foul their rivers.

3 Thus says the Lord God:

 I will throw my net over you

with a host of many peoples,

and they will haul you up in my dragnet.

4 And I will cast you on the ground;

on the open field I will fling you,

and will cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you,

and I will gorge the beasts of the whole earth with you.

5 I will strew your flesh upon the mountains

and fill the valleys with your carcass.

6 I will drench the land even to the mountains

with your flowing blood,

and the ravines will be full of you.

7 When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens

and make their stars dark;

I will cover the sun with a cloud,

and the moon shall not give its light.

8 All the bright lights of heaven

will I make dark over you,

and put darkness on your land,

declares the Lord God.

9 "I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries that you have not known. 10 I will make many peoples appalled at you, and the hair of their kings shall bristle with horror because of you, when I brandish my sword before them. They shall tremble every moment, every one for his own life, on the day of your downfall.

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    埃及要像海怪一般被巴比倫來滅亡，這是上帝的旨意。縱使埃及人是敬拜太陽神的，太陽卻會被烏雲遮蔽，無法庇佑它的子民，這也說明敬拜受造為神的後果！再次提醒猶大人不要想依賴埃及，埃及是不堪一擊的！

    基督徒既然明白這層道理，就不要受到人的影響，以「民粹」當力量，那是一件很可憐與虛空的作法！教會是上帝的經營，不是人數的多寡之問題，就像基甸的勇士只要三百人，不是要兩萬人！不要以群眾力量來做事，而是要靠聖靈來行事！

    今日我們要本著一個精神—只見耶穌基督，不見其他的。教會人再多，沒有耶穌基督就不是教會了！

以西結書31:15-18

31:15 主耶和華如此說：「它下陰間的那日，我便使人悲哀。我為它遮蓋深淵，使江河凝結，大水停流；我也使黎巴嫩為它悽慘，田野的諸樹都因它發昏。

31:16 我將它扔到陰間，與下坑的人一同下去。那時，列國聽見它墜落的響聲就都震動，並且伊甸的一切樹─就是黎巴嫩得水滋潤、最佳最美的樹─都在陰府受了安慰。

31:17 它們也與它同下陰間，到被殺的人那裡。它們曾作它的膀臂，在列國中它的蔭下居住。

31:18 在這樣榮耀威勢上，在伊甸園諸樹中，誰能與你相比呢？然而你要與伊甸的諸樹一同下到陰府，在未受割禮的人中，與被殺的人一同躺臥。法老和他的群眾乃是如此。這是主耶和華說的。」

“Thus says the Lord God: On the day the cedar went down to Sheol I caused mourning; I closed the deep over it, and restrained its rivers, and many waters were stopped. I clothed Lebanon in gloom for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it.  I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit. And all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the world below.  They also went down to Sheol with it, to those who are slain by the sword; yes, those who were its arm, who lived under its shadow among the nations.

  “Whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? You shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the world below. You shall lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword.      

“This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God.”

**********

  先知在此說明與亞述一同滅亡的國家，因為亞述也滅亡，就覺得舒坦一點，畢竟自己的勢力也沒亞述大，亞述都滅亡了，自己滅亡就比較可接受了。話鋒一轉帶到法老，既然勢力大的亞述國因為驕傲都被上帝砍伐滅亡了，埃及為何能例外呢？西元前667-653年亞述還曾經佔領埃及呢！亞述都會滅亡了，埃及算什麼呢？

  這也警告我們，不要自己以為剛強，不要自以為有辦法，再厲害、再有辦法的，都無法逃離滅亡的命運，更何況是一般普通通的人，更是不可以自覺的不可一視，更是要謙卑！

  也因此，人要自己謙卑尤其是在上帝面前，要靠耶穌基督的拯救，信靠與順服在上帝大能手下，才能蒙福到永遠！

以西結書31:10-14

31:10 所以主耶和華如此說：「因它高大，樹尖插入雲中，心驕氣傲，

31:11 我就必將他交給列國中大有威勢的人；他必定辦他。我因他的罪惡，已經驅逐他。

31:12 外邦人，就是列邦中強暴的，將它砍斷棄掉。它的枝條落在山間和一切谷中，它的枝子折斷，落在地的一切河旁。地上的眾民已經走去，離開它的蔭下。

31:13 空中的飛鳥都要宿在這敗落的樹上，田野的走獸都要臥在它的枝條下，

31:14 好使水旁的諸樹不因高大而自尊，也不將樹尖插入雲中，並且那些得水滋潤、有勢力的，也不得高大自立。因為它們在世人中，和下坑的人都被交與死亡，到陰府去了。」

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height,  I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out.  Foreigners, the most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land, and all the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it.  On its fallen trunk dwell all the birds of the heavens, and on its branches are all the beasts of the field.  All this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to towering height or set their tops among the clouds, and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For they are all given over to death, to the world below, among the children of man, with those who go down to the pit.

************

    香柏樹的高大華美，卻沒有說這樣有什麼不對，但是其內心高傲，上帝就要懲罰之。上帝的懲罰就是「砍斷這棵自高的香柏樹」。讓依附於他群眾棄他而去。但是香柏樹被砍伐後，還是有不少生物依附於其殘驅之中。這也表示人的無知，只知倚靠那無法長遠的偶想或強權，而不倚靠真正有能力的上帝。

    無論如何，有勢力而自高自大的國家，最終都要和世人一樣會死亡（滅亡）。所以這些強國也不能自高自大，仍然要敬畏上帝，以免遭受到滅亡之命運。強權國家如此，每一個人也是如此，要倚靠上帝！

    求主幫助我們，讓我們不要自高自大，要靠耶穌基督的名來成為上帝的兒女，行在上帝要我們行的道路，我們才可以享受永生之福，得真正的安息！

以西結書31章

      以西結書31:1-9  ,   以西結書31:10-14  ,   以西結書31:15-18 ,