Ezekiel 28:1-26 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Ezekiel 28:1-26. Let’s go!
Ezekiel 28:1-10 (NIV)
1 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 man 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 man, 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.'”
On verses 1-10: Here the Lord has a message specifically for “the ruler of Tyre”, whom scholars identify as Ethbaal III, who ruled over Tyre from approximately 590 B.C. to 573 B.C. The message is that because Ethbaal III in his pride called himself a god (v2, 9) and considered himself “as wise as a god” (v2, 6), Ethbaal III would be brought down by foreigners and die a violent death, proving himself to be anything but a god. That the ruler of Tyre “will die the death of the uncircumcised” suggests that the ruler of Tyre will be cut off from God for eternity.
What can we learn from this? One of the most dangerous things we can do is to allow pride to poison our thinking. As Scripture says repeatedly, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Ezekiel 28:11-19 (NIV)
11 The word of the LORD came to me:
12 “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 model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, 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, O 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.'”
On verses 11-19: This message is for the “king of Tyre” (v12). However, these verses seem to be talking about someone other than Ethbaal III the ruler of Tyre described in verses 1-10. For when was Ethbaal III ever in the Garden of Eden (v13)? Why would God call Ethbaal III “the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (v12)? When was Ethbaal ever “ordained” by God, “anointed as a guardian cherub” (v14) or “on the holy mount of God” (v14)? Indeed this is odd language to be using to describing a human being like Ethbaal III.
Some scholars think that this is just very flowery language for the same person Ethbaal III. However, many other scholars believe, and I would agree, that the king of Tyre being addressed in verses 11-19 is probably not Ethbaal III but rather Satan. Under this latter interpretation, verses 11-15 describe Satan’s beauty, power and high status in heaven before he rebelled against God, and verses 16-19 describe how Satan’s pride caused him to be thrown down from heaven and ultimately defeated. This interpretation also explains why God separates His messages to the “ruler of Tyre” (Ethbaal III) and the “king of Tyre” (Satan) rather than lumping them all into one message.
What can we learn from this? If the King of Tyre being described here is Satan, we can learn several things about Satan from these verses: among other things, that he is a created being (v15); that he had great wisdom, beauty and power (v12); that he was a guardian cherub, meaning a high positioned angel (v14); that his heart became proud and his wisdom became corrupt (v17); that he was expelled from heaven (v16); and that as powerful as he is, Satan is no match for God and is subject to God’s authority (v18-19).
Ezekiel 28:20-24 (NIV)
20 The word of the LORD came to me:
21 “Son of man, set your face against Sidon; prophesy against her
22 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘I am against you, O Sidon, and I will gain glory within you. They will know that I am the LORD, when I inflict punishment on her and show myself holy within her.
23 I will send a plague upon her and make blood flow in her streets. The slain will fall within her, with the sword against her on every side. Then they 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.
On verses 20-24: The next city the Lord has a message for is Sidon, another coastal city located 20 miles north of Tyre. In Scripture Sidon is often mentioned together with Tyre (e.g. 1 Chronicles 22:4; Joel 3:4; Zechariah 9:2; Matthew 11:21; Acts 12:20). The Lord promises to punish Sidon (v22-23), seemingly because Sidon was one of Israel’s “malicious neighbors” (v24) who acted as one of the “painful briers and sharp thorns” (v24) that would trouble Israel.
What can we learn from this? Here again we see God’s commitment to faithfully defend His people, even when His people were unfaithful to Him. God is faithful even when we are faithless.
Ezekiel 28:25-26 (NIV)
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 show myself holy among 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.'”
On verses 25-26: Much of the book of Ezekiel talks about the unfaithfulness of Israel (that is, both the northern kingdom of Israel and even more the southern kingdom of Judah) and how God would punish them for their unfaithfulness. However, here in verses 25-26 we see hope for all of Israel, as God promises that one day He will gather His people, let them live in their own land and thrive there, while at the same time punishing their neighbours who mistreated them.
God will discipline us, but because we are His children, God’s plan in the end is always to find a way to restore us and to bring us to a blessed and glorious place with Him. It reminds me of 2 Samuel 14:14, which says, “Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.”
Holy Spirit, please help me today and every day to practice humility and to not allow pride to poison my thoughts, my decisions or my words. Thank You that You are faithful even when we are unfaithful, and that You relentlessly find a way to bring us back to You when we have gone astray. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
