Read Ezekiel 28
A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre
28 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘In the pride of your heart
you say, “I am a god;
I sit on the throne of a god
in the heart of the seas.”
But you are a mere mortal and not a god,
though you think you are as wise as a god.
3 Are you wiser than Daniel?
Is no secret hidden from you?
4 By your wisdom and understanding
you have gained wealth for yourself
and amassed gold and silver
in your treasuries.
5 By your great skill in trading
you have increased your wealth,
and because of your wealth
your heart has grown proud.
6 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘Because you think you are wise,
as wise as a god,
7 I am going to bring foreigners against you,
the most ruthless of nations;
they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom
and pierce your shining splendor.
8 They will bring you down to the pit,
and you will die a violent death
in the heart of the seas.
9 Will you then say, “I am a god,”
in the presence of those who kill you?
You will be but a mortal, not a god,
in the hands of those who slay you.
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised
at the hands of foreigners.
I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
11 The word of the Lord came to me: 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentconcerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lordsays:
“‘You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire come out from you,
and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching.
19 All the nations who knew you
are appalled at you;
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.’”
A Prophecy Against Sidon
20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, set your face againstSidon; prophesy against her 22 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lordsays:
“‘I am against you, Sidon,
and among you I will display my glory.
You will know that I am the Lord,
when I inflict punishment on you
and within you am proved to be holy.
23 I will send a plague upon you
and make blood flow in your streets.
The slain will fall within you,
with the sword against you on every side.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
24 “‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.
25 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holythrough them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’”
Go Deeper
The Oxford Dictionary defines pride as “the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s own importance,” and Ezekiel 28 demonstrates God’s response when His creation, humans, become prideful through prophecies against the ruler of Tyre, against the nation of Sidon, and for the people of Israel.
In the first part of the chapter, God focuses on the leader of Tyre, who allowed the amassing of wealth and wisdom to distort his perspective of who he was. Rather than using his wisdom and wealth for God’s purposes and recognizing God’s blessing, the king of Tyre became prideful and thought of these achievements as his own. The prophecy shares how God will correct the ruler of Tyre’s perspective by allowing the destruction of the kingdom and his death.
The nation of Sidon was about 20 miles away from Tyre, and the history of the two are often intertwined. Based on Ezekiel’s prophecy against Sidon in verses 20-23, it seems the nation also had grown proud and forgotten why they were blessed. God shares that difficult times will also come to Sidon to remind them “that I am the Lord.”
The nation of Israel had been proud, as well, (see the entire Old Testament) and lost their land, wealth, and wisdom by being dispersed throughout the region. The prophecy for the people of Israel was one of redemption. God shares He will bring them together, return their land, and protect them so that “they will know I am the Lord their God.”
As humans, we often grow proud of our accomplishments: the job we have, the degree we earned, the appearance we present, the house we bought, and the money we make. These achievements are not sinful in themselves, it’s what we do with these things and how we allow them to affect us that makes the difference. Proverbs 3 states “Honor the Lord with your wealth,” and “Blessed are those who find wisdom,” and it warns “do not despise the Lord’s discipline,and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.”
God wants good for us. And He wants us to remember that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).
Questions
Where do you see the attributes of sinful pride in the world around us?
Where do you find the attributes of sinful pride in yourself?
What actions can you take this week to “fear the Lord and shun evil,” as instructed in Proverbs 3?
Watch This
Scholars offer multiple interpretations for verses 11-19. Many scholars believe this is a reference to Satan’s fall and presence in Genesis. Check out this sermon from Harris Creek’s “Unseen Battles” sermon series on Ezekiel 28.
3 thoughts on “Ezekiel 28”
Reading of the demise of Tyre’s king and the people of Sidon who received God’s judgement, this verse stood out to me, “No longer will Israel’s scornful neighbors prick and tear at her like thorns and briers. For they will know that I am the sovereign Lord” (v24). These wicked nations have been a thorn in the side of God’s chosen people treating them with contempt. The closing portion of this chapter revealing the restoration of Israel clearly has yet to happen, as we know the turmoil going on in Israel presently. What hope it gives us that one day Christ will right all wrongs and set up his eternal kingdom where the faithful will dwell together in safety and harmony.
I cannot imagine how God must have felt during all of this. He gave them several opportunities to right their wrongs. I know as a mom when I would have to follow through with punishment to a child, it was heart breaking for me also. He gave them chance after chance but He will make it right.
.Matthew Henry says “God will be glorified in the restoration of his people to their former safety and prosperity. God had been dishonored by the sins of his people, and their sufferings too had given occasion to the enemy to blaspheme (Isa. 52:5); but God will now both cure them of their sins and ease them of their troubles, and so will be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, will recover the honor of his holiness, to the satisfaction of all the world”
God thank You for You being first in my life. This is about You, everyday , everything, let me remember that my life is Yours and all I do, say, think, and act is to be glorifying to You. Thank You for boldness to speak about You and Your goodness in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!
I know there have been times that I have been prideful in accomplishments rather than giving God the glory. I may have said the right thing, but pride lurks in the heart. In His grace, God removed me from the source of pride: our family relocated from the college where I taught, and I am now teaching at an inner city junior high school. May I guard my heart to prevent pride from creeping back in.