Introduction
In this session on Ezekiel 32:1-16, we focus on the poetic Lament over Egypt’s destruction. God tells Ezekiel to sing a bitter funeral song for Pharaoh of Egypt, comparing him to a roaring lion and a restless monster in the seas that muddy the waters. Because Egypt made nations afraid and proud, God will cast a net over Egypt and leave its ruined body spread across the mountains and valleys for the beasts and birds to feed upon.
Objectives
By the end of this session, the learner will have:
- Understood the dangers of national pride and self-reliance.
- Recognised that human empires fall when they oppose God’s moral order.
- Understood how God judges Egypt.
Outline
- Danger of national pride and self-reliance.
- Human empires fall when they oppose God’s moral order.
Group Study Time
Ezekiel 32: 1-16
Connecting
- Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
- Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
- Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
- Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.
Comprehending
- Read Ezekiel 29:3 and Isaiah 14:13-15. What does God say about the sin of pride?
- Read Ezekiel 32:1-16. What did Pharaoh’s lament look like? What animals does God use to describe Pharaoh, and what do they reveal about Pharaoh’s attitude? List God’s promised punishment for Egypt’s sin of pride.
- Read Ezekiel 32:7–8. Why does God darken the heavenly lights and cover the land with gloom?
- How does pride blind powerful people or nations today to their limits?
Committing
- Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
- List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
- Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
- Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
- Sin to confess
- Promise to claim
- Attitude to change
- Command to keep
- Error to change
- Prayer to make
- Example to copy
- Truth to obey and
- Something praiseworthy
Communicating
- Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
- Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
- Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.