|
|
Prophecy Against the Prince of Tyre
28 The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Because your heart is proud,
and you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,’
yet you are but a man, and no god,
though you make your heart like the heart of a god—
you are indeed wiser than Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you;
by your wisdom and your understanding
you have made wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries;
by your great wisdom in your trade
you have increased your wealth,
and your heart has become proud in your wealth—
therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
Because you make your heart
like the heart of a god,
therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you,
the most ruthless of the nations;
and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
and defile your splendor.
They shall thrust you down into the pit,
and you shall die the death of the slain
in the heart of the seas.
Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’
in the presence of those who kill you,
though you are but a man, and no god,
in the hands of those who slay you?
You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.”
A Lament over the King of Tyre
Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD:
“You were the signet of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,
sardius, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle;
and crafted in gold were your settings
and your engravings.
On the day that you were created
they were prepared.
You were an anointed guardian cherub.
I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created,
till unrighteousness was found in you.
In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub,
from the midst of the stones of fire.
Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I exposed you before kings,
to feast their eyes on you.
By the multitude of your iniquities,
in the unrighteousness of your trade
you profaned your sanctuaries;
so I brought fire out from your midst;
it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
in the sight of all who saw you.
All who know you among the peoples
are appalled at you;
you have come to a dreadful end
and shall be no more forever.”
Prophecy Against Sidon
The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her and say, Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,
and I will manifest my glory in your midst.
And they shall know that I am the LORD
when I execute judgments in her
and manifest my holiness in her;
for I will send pestilence into her,
and blood into her streets;
and the slain shall fall in her midst,
by the sword that is against her on every side.
Then they will know that I am the LORD.
“And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.
Israel Gathered in Security
“Thus says the Lord GOD: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.”
(ESV)
Ezekiel 28 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
This chapter raises a lot of questions. From where did Ezekiel derive his imagery used in this chapter? Was it from Genesis? Furthermore, who is the king of Tyre being compared to? It seems in the first oracle (verses 1-10) it is Adam. However, in the second oracle (verses 11-19) it could be Satan. It is also interesting to note that there were many familiar mythological traditions that would have resonated with the readers from Canaan at that time. It would not be out of the question for an oracle against a pagan nation like Tyre to include references to ancient mythological traditions.
Though it reads eerily familiar to Genesis by our standards, scholars who have focused on the history and context tend to reject this theory. The primary context is a judgment against a human king. It was rare for an OT prophet or writer to draw a connection to the demonic realm in order to explain the origin of something. I actually stumbled across a Neo-Babylonian mythical text in my study of this chapter with remarkable similarities to Ezekiel’s writing, but I won’t bore you with the details!
The reason I find all of this so fascinating is that most today associate this passage with Satan and draw conclusions about pride, beauty, status, and power. This is because Ezekiel seems to be comparing the king of Tyre to a divine being who rebelled against God. In other words, the motivating force behind the actions of the king was a rebellious divine being (such as Satan).
Pride comes before the fall. The Lord is over all people and all history. Those points are obvious. However, what struck me today was the abstract creativity of Ezekiel to use common and familiar mythological accounts in order to draw people to truth. The writing in this chapter is stunning. A creative and influential communicator can use all things necessary to draw people on the fringe toward The Lord in all His glory. This should be our heart’s desire as well.