The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “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-- 3 you are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you; 4 by your wisdom and your understanding you have made wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; 5 by your great wisdom in your trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth-- 6 therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you make your heart like the heart of a god, 7 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. 8 They shall thrust you down into the pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas. 9 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? 10 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 Tyre11 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me:12 “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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. 16 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. 17 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. 18 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. 19 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 Sidon20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her 22 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; 23 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. 24 “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 Security25 “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. 26 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.” Meditation Pride comes before the fall. Humility comes before honor (Proverbs 18:12). Adam and Eve historically fell from grace when they followed the temptation to “be like God” (Genesis 3:5) and this reality occurs again and again throughout human history. Tyre’s story is a tragic testimony of this reality. Tyre was wise, wealthy, and winning the global trade wars. Their honor was their riches and in pride they believed deluded divine claims. God is clear: The leaders of Tyre were not God (2, 6, 9). The “heart of pride” (2, 5, 8, 9, 17), causing the leaders of Tyre to believe they were like God, led to judgment, falling down to death in “the heart of the seas” (8). Pride comes before the fall. The regal arrogance of King Herod uses the language of this lament for Tyre to express his haughtiness, claiming his words were “the voice of god, not of man” (Acts 12:19-23). Herod was struck down dead. Where is hope for arrogant hearts? Jesus is the King of Kings who, being in the form of God took the form of a servant, humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus died so arrogant hearts can find forgiveness. God’s grace invites us to repent of haughtiness and turn to God in humility. We must beg for mercy, repenting from finding honor in riches of the world and asking for God to create in us clean hearts and restore unto us the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:10). Richly Dwelling -Are you prideful? Where are you believing the lie that you can be like god? -What do you need to turn from- trying to control like God? Trying to know everything or be everywhere like God? Living with no limits like God?... be specific. -Jesus was God who died so people like you and me can repent from trying to be like God and be restored by His grace. Humility comes before honor! Humble yourself before the Lord and drink deeply from His grace. Key Verses 2 “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… 8 They shall thrust you down into the pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas.” Comments are closed.
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AuthorPastor Mitchell celebrates twenty-five years of marriage with Lisa & together they have four adventurous children. |