Ezekiel 28:11-19; 25-26
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Ezek. 28:11-15
Ezek. 28:11-15
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “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 was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.
What do you make of the description of the king of Tyre?
Does this description remind you of anyone else?
Some interpreters see a connection to Adam in the description. He was created perfectly. He was wise and beautiful. He was also in the Garden of Eden. However, he was not a cherub and he certainly wasn’t a guardian/anointed cherub. And yet, there was a point at which sin did enter him and through him it enters us (Rom. 5:12).
Other interpreters see a connection to Satan (cf. Isa. 14:12ff).
Whatever the strict meaning, it seems pretty clear that this is a demonic/Satanic spirit at work; a spirit of pride (1 Tim. 3:6).
In Proverbs 16:18 we know that ,
The New King James Version Chapter 16
Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.
Was prepared for you on the day you were created. This speaks to intentionality. God had created Tyre for a special purpose and as they grew in wealth, power, and status they decided to elevate themselves (Ezek. 28:2, 5, 17) and become their own god. In the Apocrypha, Sirach 10:12 states this about pride,
12 The beginning of human pride is to forsake the Lord; the heart has withdrawn from its Maker.
The precious stones are similar to the stones worn by Aaron in his breastplate and the stones that made up the wall of the new Jerusalem.
17 And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; 18 the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings.
18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
Ezek. 28:16-19
Ezek. 28:16-19
16 “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. 17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. 18 “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. 19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever.” ’ ”
This is the second time that we are told why the heart of the king of Tyre was lifted up with pride. First, it was because of riches (28:5). Second, it was because of beauty (28:17).
Tyre was once a friend of Israel. Later, Tyre took pleasure in the downfall of Jerusalem (Ezek. 26:2).
“For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:16-17).
Tyre in the Bible (What is the significance of the city of Tyre in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org)
The same people who saw Tyre rise to prominence would watch it pulmmet to obscurity as it imploded (18).
Ezek. 28:25-26
Ezek. 28:25-26
25 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. 26 And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God.” ’ ”
God promises to bless Israel in such a profound way that all who looks upon its people will undoubtly declare that the God of the Jews is God indeed.
I believe this is equally the case in our lives and it is often lost upon us as a people, that the blessings, the gifts, whatsoever we may receive from God is done with the sole purpose of revealing God to a lost and dying world.