Bible Lessons: Ezekiel 28

 
THIS third chapter dealing with the ancient market city of Tyre takes up first its “prince” (verses 1 to 10) and afterward its “kind”. The “prince” (and the “king”) here addressed, may very well have been the then ruler of the city, but what is written about him is as the representative of what was characteristic of the place. Tyre was a proud city; its people were world-traders, and their markets had brought them great wealth. The spirit of the Tyrians was the spirit of the world then, and it is the character of the world today as a great commercial system.
The same principles may be traced in Nebuchadnezzar in the grand palace of Babylon (Daniel 4:29, 3029At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. 30The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty? (Daniel 4:29‑30)), in the thoughts of the “certain rich man” of Luke 12:16-2016And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? (Luke 12:16‑20), and in the language of the Assyrian conqueror in Isaiah 10:7-147Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. 8For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? 9Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? 10As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? 12Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. 13For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: 14And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. (Isaiah 10:7‑14).
In these representative cases God is forgotten; it is as though He were not, and that man is altogether master of himself and of the world in which he was born and grew up, and in which, unless converted, he will in due time, die under the appointment of God, and meet His judgment.
Full of pride and ignorant of the truth of God, he readily thinks of himself as supreme, as wiser than Daniel (Daniel 1:17-2017As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. 20And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. (Daniel 1:17‑20), etc.); nothing secret is difficult for him to solve. That is man’s boastful opinion of himself, when business success has crowned his efforts, and he stops to take measure of his accomplishments. God, however, is not thus to be disposed of, and verses 6 to 10 promise a certain end to the pride, the wisdom, and the glory of man. There was a day coming in which Tyre should be humbled, and there is a day fixed by God when judgment will overtake all who will not before its dawn have fled for refuge to lay hold of His offer of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verses 11 to 19, while addressed to the ruler of Tyre under the title of “king”, as the earlier portion of the chapter gives him the lesser title of “prince”, are belied to have a much deeper significance than could have attached to the seaport of ancient renown and its head. The language of these verses, telling of a very exalted person who, enjoying God’s favor, but carried away with pride-and, rejected by Him, is to be dealt with in consuming vengeance, goes deeper than the position of Tyre, and of the world at large, pointing in fact to God’s enemy, the prince and god of this world (2 Cor. 4:44In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:4); John 12: 31 and 14:30).
Applied to Tyre, verses 11 to 17 present the position of the city before God gave Hp Israel, while His earthly people were still in the land and His throne was in Jerusalem. Israel was then the center of His government and of blessing on earth. Tyre, being within its borders (Joshua 19:24-3124And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families. 25And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, 26And Alammelech, and Amad, and Misheal; and reacheth to Carmel westward, and to Shihor-libnath; 27And turneth toward the sunrising to Beth-dagon, and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the valley of Jiphthah-el toward the north side of Beth-emek, and Neiel, and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand, 28And Hebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, even unto great Zidon; 29And then the coast turneth to Ramah, and to the strong city Tyre; and the coast turneth to Hosah; and the outgoings thereof are at the sea from the coast to Achzib: 30Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob: twenty and two cities with their villages. 31This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages. (Joshua 19:24‑31), Judges 1:31, 3231Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob: 32But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out. (Judges 1:31‑32)) was in the garden of God—a term which, however, included the nations bordering Israel (see chapter 31:8, 9), if not, broadly, the whole world as God’s creation.
In a special way, the king and people of Tyre had enjoyed a relationship with Israel (see 1 Kings 5, and 2 Samuel 5:1111And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house. (2 Samuel 5:11)), but this position of favor was despised as pride filled the heart; they exalted themselves against God, boasted their equality with Him. Privileges despised bring greater judgment.
Now the world has enjoyed God’s favor, as His Word fully shows, but how has it treated Him? The same Book declares this, also, and the centuries since the apostles’ days have not altered the character of man before God, except as there is evidently progress downward, away from God, where there is not faith in exercise. Judgment, therefore, draws near. And the judgment of the world and its god, its usurping ruler, will take place at the same time (Rev. 12:7-17; 19:117And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 13And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:7‑17)
11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11) to 20:15).
In so far as the language of verses 12 to 17 appears to be applicable to Satan, it describes the position of an exalted person among the angels of God. He was the (or an), anointed covering cherub, acting in the government of God; he had been on the holy mountain of God (where God’s authority was exercised). He walked up and down in the midst of stones of fire, Where the moral perfections of God were displayed in a glory before which evil could not abide. No outward temptation (as with man) befell this person; “thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness” (verse 17).
Verses 20 to 24 state the judgment of Sidon, north of the city of Tyre. Thrice in these verses is it said that “they shall know that I am Jehovah”; this is a prose, not of salvation, but that the subjects, of His judicial dealings would be compelled to own His power.
Are we who know Him, prepared for that meeting in the air? The time is at hand!
ML-12/15/1935