Ezekiel 31 Commentary
It should be as simple as this: Every civilization has its own day. A time comes for a rise and a time comes for a fall. Assyria is one empire that went up beautifully but it all came down to nothing. The brevity of human endeavors! No empire lasts.
Such is the fate of Egypt.
But why is Ezekiel talking about the trees of the Garden of Eden? Of course, it isn’t the first time Ezekiel is making this trip deep into the beginning of things. To put it loosely, Assyria has outshined Israel. During the days of King David and King Solomon, Israel was a powerful kingdom. Jacob extended his influence beyond his vast borders. Not before nor after did Israel come this close to fulfilling God’s promise of land to Abraham.
Years of wickedness and compromise had reduced Israel to nothing. Instead and in places where David’s name was revered, Assyria stood tall and spread its influence. Conquered and humiliated, Israel’s trees lived under the shadow of the big tree.
Like Israel, the big tree becomes wicked; it is cut down. Egypt has the same fate.
You cannot read about the trees in the Garden of God without thinking about a special tree, also resident in the Garden. It is the Tree of Life; it never dies. It never runs out of breath; it is eternal! The other trees in Eden are mortal and have become even less than the trees of the nations.
As we see tree after tree fall down, let’s keep our minds focused on the special tree that never dies. He was there in the beginning – the tree of life. Of course, the chapter has come this far but we are forced to think too much about all these elements because of Ezekiel’s references and graphics of Eden and the trees in the Garden of God.
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