Introduction
Judgment against Tyre’s king
‘The word of the LORD came to me: ‘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. Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you? By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud. ‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, 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 splendour. They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas. 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. You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ Ezekiel 28:1-10
It was the pride of Tyre that brought about her ruin.
Note, Ezekiel 28:1ff is often used to refer to the past history of Satan. Ezekiel 28:2 is used of Satan, when he got above his station. Ezekiel 28:8, records Satan’s fall from heaven. Ezekiel 28:13 shows he was in Eden as recorded in Genesis 2-3.
In answer to this we quickly note the context of Ezekiel 28 is clearly concerning, ‘the prince of Tyre’, Ezekiel 28:1. In Ezekiel 28:2 he is clearly shown to be a man not a spirit being, who thought himself a god. Acts 12:20-25. Ezekiel 28:13 may be simply a reference that the Tyrians were prosperous because God had given them what they had; Eden being symbolic of that.
Any man on earth who would set himself up as one to be worshiped, has declared his own doom, Acts 14. Only God is to be worshiped, for it was He who created all things. The city of Tyre, therefore, was to pay the price for the arrogance of their king. We would assume, however, that they would not have been punished because of their innocence in this matter.
They evidently accepted him as a god, and thus gave him worship. Daniel was but a man, but wiser than the king of Tyre. This statement was a mockery of the king for his arrogant presumption that he would be as wise as God. If the king claimed to be a god, then he would have to be omniscient, and thus no secret could be hidden from him.
The king’s self-deception was that his great acquisition of treasures led him to believe that he was as wise as Solomon. But he went one step further. He thought he was as wise as a god. His worldly wisdom to acquire riches was not a qualification for claiming to be a god. So, because he claimed to be God, God would send a ruthless army against him in order to bring him down. And once he was brought down, he was asked if he would still claim to be a god.
‘The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysotile 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. 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. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 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. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendour. So, I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. 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. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’ Ezekiel 28:11-19
King’s Satan like rule
More lamentations because of the destruction of their nation. God had set the king of Tyre in his position as the king, Romans 13:1-4. But because of his sin, God would bring him down. He was a leader that God raised up in order to accomplish His purpose among His people. But when the sin of materialism took control of his life, he was taken out by God.
The people would actually learn a lesson from the fall of the king of Tyre. He exalted himself among the people as a god. However, he was brought down. Though they may not have recognised that it was God who brought him down, they certainly learned that one as the great king of Tyre could be no god, for he was brought down by another king who was more powerful than he.
‘The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Son of man, set your face against Sidon; prophesy against her and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘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. 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. ‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbours who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. ‘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 holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. 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 neighbours who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.’ Ezekiel 28:20-26
Judgment against Sidon
Sidon is also to Perish by pestilence and sword. Sixteen years from now, after Nebuchadnezzar has laid a 13-year siege against Tyre, Ezekiel will now record a footnote to his present prophecy. The fall of Sidon but to complete annihilation. In contrast, the Lord’s people to be healed.
Since Tyre and Sidon were sister cities, they were considered in prophecy together. What affected one, affected the other, Isaiah 23:1-2 / Mark 7:24-26 / Acts 12:20. Ezekiel and the other prophets spoke against both Tyre and Sidon. They proclaimed that they would fall. Once they fell, God’s prophets were proved to be sent from God who only can know the future.
The nations that surrounded Israel continually plagued them throughout their history. But this would come to an end, for these nations would be terminated by God. This was done when the Medo-Persian Empire assumed control of all the former possessions of the Assyrians and Babylonians.
When God brought His people back to the land of Palestine, the people who were already in the land, and the territory of all neighbouring nations, were under the authority of the Medo-Persian Empire.
They could not rise up against the returned remnant of Israel, lest they be seen as rising up against the Medo-Persian authority that was in control of all Palestine and surrounding regions.
For this reason, the Jews dwelt safely in the land when they returned, for they were under the protection of the Medo-Persians, Ezra and Nehemiah. God would be set apart in their minds as the only true and living God.