Our True and Trustworthy Shepherd

Ezekiel 34:11-31 

11 'For thus says the Lord GOD: "Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down," says the Lord GOD. 16 "I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment."

17 'And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. 18 Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? 19 And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet."

20 'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: "Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. 21 Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, 22 therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

25 "I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. 27 Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. 29 I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. 30 Thus they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people," says the Lord GOD.'

31 "You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God," says the Lord GOD.

After seeing the irresponsible shepherds of God’s children in the first half of this chapter, we find the answer declared is God Himself as our true and trustworthy shepherd.  He searches for the lost sheep who are of His flock as one who seeks to save (Matthew 18:11, Luke 19:10, John 10:14, Romans 3:11, 5:8) and not to mislead or to expect them to find the Shepherd on their own as of that was even possible (John 6:44, 64-65)!  The same God who promised to seek out the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24, Luke 15:4) now seeks the rest of His flock out of every nation and people group (Revelation 5:9) from all the world.  Ezekiel called them to the promised land of Israel as a foreshadowing for us because we and they together now anticipate the call to a better heavenly country (Hebrews 11:16) in eternity as an unearned reward that never fades away (1 Peter 1:4, 5:4).  We also will be fed and find rest in that good pasture as His sheep (Psalm 1:3) who have our great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) to tend to us with His loving kindness and goodness of grace before His face forevermore.  What a loving hope to be gathered to our Shepherd by His drawing that leads to such an end in that blessed flock!  He said, "I will seek what was lost,” and now our Lord has fulfilled this word to all of His children called according to the faith of Abraham who heard God and trusted the promise because he knew that He who calls and who promised is absolutely faithful (Romans 4:16, 20-21, Galatians 3:7-9, Hebrews 10:23).  There is also a warning for the flock here to remember that the goats among them will be taken out to preserve His sheep (Matthew 25:32-33) and set one Shepherd over us to keep us humble and not self-serving with ambition but to treat others as we want to be treated and shepherded (1 Peter 5:2-4).  The we’d of David, Jesus the Christ, is our Shepherd who fulfilled this promise and who tends His sheep and to care and feed us all we need.  This is his covenant of everlasting peace that cannot fade away because the eternal sacrifice of Jesus covers all time and all sin completely, a covenant much anticipated then but realized for us now in Him.  His grace is our showers of blessing spoken of here to have that peace that does not pass away (Romans 5:1, John 16:33).  Yes, we know the LORD because He has broken the yoke of sin from our necks that held us in bondage with only the just sentence of death before us until He set us free indeed!  Whom shall we fear (Psalm 27:1) then?  Just as He was with Israel, so He is with all His people chosen and called in Christ; we are His flock in His world’s pasture and He is our God who is our great Shepherd.  In these things we have a more certain hope (Hebrews 6:19), sure and steadfast under the true and trustworthy Shepherd of our souls. 

Irresponsible Shepherds

Ezekiel 34:1-10

1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them."

7 'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 "As I live," says the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock"— 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD! 10 Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them."

The word of the LORD was given against the shepherds of God’s children who needed feeding me leading but received neither from those appointed over them.  The woe spoken to such irresponsible shepherds was very pointed and specific.  They had been feeding themselves instead of the flock they were given charge over in self-seeking and self-gratification instead of selfless service and care for the sheep.  Likened to actual shepherds with real sheep, a parable was told of how they took wool and food from the sheep and slaughtered them for their own appetites, yet neglected to feed the flock as was needed for their health and even their very survival.  They did not give strength to the weak ones nor did they heal the sick among those leaning on the shepherds for their care or those wounded and needing attention.   They did not even seek and save those who were lost (Matthew 18:12).  Instead they leaned on the staff of their own understanding and cared only for their own health and wealth.  What was far worse was how they ruled over the sheep of God’s pasture with force and cruelty, overbearing harshness instead love and service (1 Peter 5:2-3).  Their pride swallowed up any remaining humility and they abused the flock entrusted to them by leading them into idolatry and immortality in false worship and unlawful living contrary to God’s word.  Therefore the sheep were scattered without a true shepherd and were prey to all those roaming about looking to devour them (1 Peter 5:8).  It seemed as though there was no hope for them as they wandered without anyone seeming to know that they were gone!  Was no one asking about or searching for them?  The LORD then spoke through Ezekiel to those irresponsible shepherds about their selfish behavior and lack of care for those entrusted to them.  He told them quite clearly that He was now set against them and would hold them accountable for the state of these sheep.  He would stop them from feeding them lies and cruelty of neglect and abuse, of misleading and not feeding them.  He would then deliver the downtrodden sheep into His own care and take away their source of food and gain from their mistreatment and exploitation for their own gain.  This is also true for the shepherds today who use the sheep to their own advantage and gain and who mislead them in false teaching and manipulation until they are scattered.  God looks out for His children and keeps them from the adversary and that one’s minions of destruction; He cares for each of His sheep that He has personally chosen and called, and will give them solid food and loving kindness of care (John 10:10-11, 27-29).  That is our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  Woe to the irresponsible shepherds put in care of the flock and not serving them as they have been entrusted to do!  There are many today who still claim to be shepherds, leading large ministries but with deceptive, false, and self-seeking agendas.  Instead of humbly feeding the people, they ask for more from them and only give empty hope of health, wealth, and miracles.  The problem is that these go against God and His word and leave the sheep to wander in hunger for truth with empty hopes.  They need Jesus Christ, walking by faith, solid teaching, and sacrificial examples.

A Song and a Dance

Ezekiel 33:21-33

21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, "The city has been captured!"

22 Now the hand of the LORD had been upon me the evening before the man came who had escaped. And He had opened my mouth; so when he came to me in the morning, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute.

23 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 24 "Son of man, they who inhabit those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.'

25 "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "You eat meat with blood, you lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land? 26 You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you defile one another's wives. Should you then possess the land?"'

27 "Say thus to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "As I live, surely those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and caves shall die of the pestilence. 28 For I will make the land most desolate, her arrogant strength shall cease, and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through. 29 Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed."'

30 "As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, 'Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.' 31 So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. 32 Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them. 33 And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them."

God’s people had a song and a dance instead of hearing and heeding the word of the LORD.  They listened when God opened Ezekiel’s mouth after holding his words for a time, only to hear how Thor sins of idolatry and immortality had caused them to lose their inheritance given by the covenant to Abraham and Isaac which they broke by disregard no disobedience.  They openly did contrary to the laws of the commandments with eating blood and worship of idols, they relied on strength to kill and lived in immoral ways with each other’s wives and husbands in disregard for the marriage covenant which is a shadow of the covenant with God in commitment and wholehearted purity.  Then they still thought they should own the land of covenant after broken these with Him!  The LORD therefore told them the sword would devour them and they would lose their land given over to desolation for a time.  They were hearers but not doers of God’s word.  They ran to hear what the prophet would tell them, but then go off forgetting everything (James 1:23-24) they had been told.  They mouthed words of love to others but instead turned to run after their own gain instead of others (1 Corinthians 10:24).  They heard the lovely music of preaching and teaching but did not heed the lyrics to learn and live accordingly.  May we learn from their bad example to do the good and listen to hear, trust, and do God’s word.  May we not just give a song and a dance around obedience. 

A Watchman’s Fair and Merciful Message

Ezekiel 33:1-20

1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.'

7 "So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. 8 When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

10 "Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: 'Thus you say, "If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?"' 11 Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'

12 "Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: 'The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.' 13 When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die. 14 Again, when I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, 15 if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 16 None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

17 "Yet the children of your people say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' But it is their way which is not fair! 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it. 19 But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it. 20 Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not fair.' O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways."

God's Judgment Is fair but thankfully it is also merciful and good.  This is the basis of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.  The watchman was commanded to speak the truth with tough love, alerting the people to the impending and imminent judgment of God.  If he did not warn them, he himself answered to the LORD for his inaction as Paul later hinted at in Romans 1:16 and 1 Corinthians 9:16 for our example.  The watchman warns of danger straight away and leaves it to the hearers for their response.  Either they heed and prepare themselves for life or they ignore it to their own peril of death and destruction.  If, however, the watchman does not warn them for any reason and leaves them to their fate at the hands of the enemy at the gate then he also answers for their destruction because he did not care for their souls.  The question is how much of this pertains to us in spreading the good news of Christ who rescues us from eternal destruction by telling as many as we can of the bad news of God’s wrath on sin, righteousness in Him, and the judgment to come (John 16:8-11) and then speaking the good news of that atoning work of His sacrificial death and the resulting hope of our own resurrection in Him.  While we may not be held to the severity of account that this watchman Ezekiel was, yet the desire to see men and women escape the enemy’s deceit and lasting effects of the resulting sin of rebellion since Adam should also drive us in love as willing watchers to not cease warning others (Acts 19:8, 10, 20:31, 2 Corinthians 5:11) through teaching and reasoning from the scriptures.  This includes then that we warn those bent on living in sin just what the end of that is under God’s wrath according to His word (John 3:18) just as life through forgiveness is freely offered in Christ (John 5:24) to those hearing and turning in repentance with faith to trust His work (John 6:29) and who receive Him by heeding the warnings of the watchmen.  Yes, we all have earned the wages paid out by our inherited and ongoing sin (Romans 3:23, 6:23) and deserve God’s just anger, yet we know it is God’s character to desire to be destroyed, but as He says here, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die?”  That is God’s wrath and grace of love (Psalm 85:10) joined together in His righteousness to make us holy as originally created to be in His presence in the Garden if we hear and heed the warnings of the watchmen.  He further says here that “'The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him” as a warning hinting that we can no more earn our salvation than a wicked man can escape judgement because we know that their is nobody really righteous who does good enough to earn a release from our legal sentence that fits our crime against God (Romans 3:20-23).  We are warned not to trust in our own perceived righteousness because that in itself is sin, but the wicked who turns “and does what is lawful and right,” this one will be spared judgement and “None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him.”  This is the root of the gospel spelled out for us.  Yet some today echo the same response then that God is not fair!  It is our ways which are unfair and unjust and without mercy, righteousness, or grace.  God’s ways are both fair and merciful to we who are undeserving and unable to earn the peace with Him that we earnestly seek in our yearnings for safety and hope for tomorrow.  Christ Jesus is the only answer (Acts 4:12) to these things which we speak of as His watchmen with this fair and yet merciful message of salvation.  May we then be compelled (Job 32:18-20, 2 Corinthians 5:14) to watch for others (Acts 19:8, 10) and not just ourselves that we might glorify God and see  eyes opened as men and women are delivered from hopeless darkness to light of hope eternal (1 Peter 2:9-10).  Amen and amen.

Consigned to the Pit

Ezekiel 32:17-32

17 It came to pass also in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

18 "Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt,
And cast them down to the depths of the earth,
Her and the daughters of the famous nations,
With those who go down to the Pit:
19 'Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down, be placed with the uncircumcised.'

20 "They shall fall in the midst of those slain by the sword;
She is delivered to the sword,
Drawing her and all her multitudes.

21 The strong among the mighty
Shall speak to him out of the midst of hell
With those who help him:
'They have gone down,
They lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.'

22 "Assyria is there, and all her company,
With their graves all around her,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword.
23 Her graves are set in the recesses of the Pit,
And her company is all around her grave,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword,
Who caused terror in the land of the living.

24 "There is Elam and all her multitude,
All around her grave,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword,
Who have gone down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth,
Who caused their terror in the land of the living;
Now they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.

25 They have set her bed in the midst of the slain,
With all her multitude,
With her graves all around it,
All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword;
Though their terror was caused
In the land of the living,
Yet they bear their shame
With those who go down to the Pit;
It was put in the midst of the slain.

26 "There are Meshech and Tubal and all their multitudes,
With all their graves around it,
All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword,
Though they caused their terror in the land of the living.

27 They do not lie with the mighty
Who are fallen of the uncircumcised,
Who have gone down to hell with their weapons of war;
They have laid their swords under their heads,
But their iniquities will be on their bones,
Because of the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.

28 Yes, you shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised,
And lie with those slain by the sword.

29 "There is Edom,
Her kings and all her princes,
Who despite their might
Are laid beside those slain by the sword;
They shall lie with the uncircumcised,
And with those who go down to the Pit.

30 There are the princes of the north,
All of them, and all the Sidonians,
Who have gone down with the slain
In shame at the terror which they caused by their might;
They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword,
And bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.

31 "Pharaoh will see them
And be comforted over all his multitude,
Pharaoh and all his army,
Slain by the sword,"
Says the Lord GOD.

32 "For I have caused My terror in the land of the living;
And he shall be placed in the midst of the uncircumcised
With those slain by the sword,
Pharaoh and all his multitude,"
Says the Lord GOD.

Egypt and those supporting her were sent down to the Pit, a word describing a well or cistern used here of death and the world where the dead go to.  In verse 21, the more often heard word Sheol is used of this netherworld, a place often described as where the wicked were sent for punishment and not just where they went when they died.  The picture given by the word Pit is also one of universal slaughter and universal burial as it is used for describing the grave after death.  One thing is certain here, that the enemies of God and His people would be killed and buried as punishment.  Egypt was sent there for her pride of perceived beauty but whose fame meant nothing because they were uncircumcised, not in covenant with the LORD.  It was as if the “strong among the mighty” of the dead in Sheol were warning Egypt and her followers of their fate to follow them there in the punishment of death and destruction.  Assyria along with Elam who caused such fearful terror among the living now suffered death there (Ezekiel 31:16-17).  Their prideful boasting turned to shame at such a defeat in death at God’s hand which slayed them and cast them down into the pit of death and despair because they had no promises of a covenant with the Almighty LORD God as His people did whom they had opposed in life.  Meshech, Tubal, the Sidonians, and all their multitudes along with Edom and her kings and princes all were there with these as punishment as well.  Many were sentenced to death for their crimes against God and His people in their idolatry and immortality contrary to God’s word.  They all down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth in shame with their weapons of war and their unforgiven sin and terror they spread while still alive.  Their reign of terror exercised with worldly might did not help them escape judgement, shame, and a cruel death by the sword.  Pharaoh would gloat seeing others sent to the Pit, but he himself would join them all in death by the sword and know God’s terror in the land of the living and the dead.  This lesson is one of comfort to all the chosen people of God in Christ, for we are not going with despair to the Pit but with assurance of a certain hope of the resurrection because we are in an unbreakable covenant with God in Christ Jesus as those circumcised in the heart (Romans 2:29, Colossians 2:11) and not defeated by death.  Our punishment of judgment has been atoned for and we have only life without terror (1 John 4:18) and shame to look forward to after death!  We are not consigned to the Pit of despair and torment but to a risen and living hope (1 Peter 1:3-4) to be transformed from death to life (John 5:24). 

The Darkness of Judgment

Ezekiel 32:1-16

1 And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:

You are like a young lion among the nations,
And you are like a monster in the seas,
Bursting forth in your rivers,
Troubling the waters with your feet,
And fouling their rivers.

3 'Thus says the Lord GOD:
"I will therefore spread My net over you with a company of many people,
And they will draw you up in My net.
4 Then I will leave you on the land;
I will cast you out on the open fields,
And cause to settle on you all the birds of the heavens.
And with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth.
5 I will lay your flesh on the mountains,
And fill the valleys with your carcass.

6 "I will also water the land with the flow of your blood,
Even to the mountains;
And the riverbeds will be full of you.

7 When I put out your light,
I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
And the moon shall not give her light.
8 All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you,
And bring darkness upon your land,"
Says the Lord GOD.

9 'I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known. 10 Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they shall tremble every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.

11 For thus says the Lord GOD: "The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. 12 By the swords of the mighty warriors, all of them the most terrible of the nations, I will cause your multitude to fall.

"They shall plunder the pomp of Egypt,
And all its multitude shall be destroyed.

13 Also I will destroy all its animals
From beside its great waters;
The foot of man shall muddy them no more,
Nor shall the hooves of animals muddy them.
14 Then I will make their waters clear,
And make their rivers run like oil,"
Says the Lord GOD.

15 "When I make the land of Egypt desolate,
And the country is destitute of all that once filled it,
When I strike all who dwell in it,
Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

16 "This is the lamentation
With which they shall lament her;
The daughters of the nations shall lament her;
They shall lament for her, for Egypt,
And for all her multitude,"
Says the Lord GOD.'"

This lamentation for Pharaoh and Egypt was illuminating in bringing darkness of judgment from above to the land of idolatry and immortality which had helped God’s people to seek strength and protection apart from the LORD.  The imagery God used here brings to mind the final judgment on all the earth as if Egypt was a type describing the greater end of lord who gather against God and His chosen ones.  The casting of their defeated bodies on the field which the birds and animals devoured smells of the battle in Armageddon (Isaiah 34:3-4, Revelation 16:16, 19:15, 21) and the making of the stars dark with sun and moon ceasing their light is as illuminating as the judgment in Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:12-13.  Here it was Egypt being judged and overwhelmingly defeated by the hand of God in Nebuchadnezzar’s army, but in the final battle of judgment against all who offend God it will be the Word of God using the sword of His mouth as the weapon (which is God’s word itself) to defeat those opposing Him and His people.  Egypt was as a powerful lion or sea monster causing disruption and disaster among the nations; the adversary also causes death and destruction (John 10:10) and will similarly be vanquished.  The nations were astonished at the fall of great Egypt and her Pharaoh just as all will do even more at the fall of Babylon to come (Isaiah 21:9, Revelation 14:8) where His enemies will find their justice in God’s judgment.  The sword of ancient Babylon was used to defeat the enemy Egypt and the sword of God’s own mouth will defeat the fallen world set against Him and His Christ (John 1:1, 14) in the end as this picture is painted for us.  All arrogant pomp and circumstance of man will be humbled to bow before the Lord of all as Egypt was humbled in defeat.  God’s judgment will make all looking on see and know He is the Lord by acknowledging His sovereignty and sovereign right to judge all evil which is disobedience to Him according to His word.  The lament for Egypt was great in the world then; how much more sorrow will they be for all judged eternally!  The darkness of judgment will come as a thief in the night and many will mourn who were not prepared.  May all who read and hear these things and take the gospel of deliverance from such judgment to heart and turn from their sin to Him.

Egypt Felled as a Proud Tree

Ezekiel 31:1-18 

1 Now it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude:

Whom are you like in your greatness?

3 Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon,
With fine branches that shaded the forest,
And of high stature;
And its top was among the thick boughs.

4 The waters made it grow;
Underground waters gave it height,
With their rivers running around the place where it was planted,
And sent out rivulets to all the trees of the field.

5 'Therefore its height was exalted above all the trees of the field;
Its boughs were multiplied,
And its branches became long because of the abundance of water,
As it sent them out.

6 All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs;
Under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young;
And in its shadow all great nations made their home.

7 'Thus it was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches,
Because its roots reached to abundant waters.
8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it;
The fir trees were not like its boughs,
And the chestnut trees were not like its branches;
No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty.

9 I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches,
So that all the trees of Eden envied it,
That were in the garden of God.'

10 "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because you have increased in height, and it set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was lifted up in its height, 11 therefore I will deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations, and he shall surely deal with it; I have driven it out for its wickedness. 12 And aliens, the most terrible of the nations, have cut it down and left it; its branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys; its boughs lie broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the peoples of the earth have gone from under its shadow and left it.

13 'On its ruin will remain all the birds of the heavens,
And all the beasts of the field will come to its branches—

14 So that no trees by the waters may ever again exalt themselves for their height, nor set their tops among the thick boughs, that no tree which drinks water may ever be high enough to reach up to them.

'For they have all been delivered to death,
To the depths of the earth,
Among the children of men who go down to the Pit.'

15 "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'In the day when it went down to hell, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it. I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were held back. I caused Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it. 16 I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to hell together with those who descend into the Pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the depths of the earth. 17 They also went down to hell with it, with those slain by the sword; and those who were its strong arm dwelt in its shadows among the nations.

18 To which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the depths of the earth; you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,' says the Lord GOD."

God asked the question of who was like the great Pharaoh and his people and then compared Egypt to towering Assyria as a cedar in Lebanon.  Assyria Had been a cedar of high stature giving her shade over others, well watered and prosperously placed to tower over all around.  Such nourishment made her proudly rise above all other and cover them with plenty of lush branches to exhibit her majestic wealth and importance to lesser trees of the nations all around who took submissive shelter under her boughs of plenty.  No other tree could match the great beauty until even the trees of Eden envied her position and power over the rest.  Likewise, Egypt had towered over the nations in pride and power with military might and idolatrous influence.  She would have her pride and wickedness cut down with a mighty crash for her fall from the place of envy as all who relied on her protection fled away from the destruction lest they be caught up with her fall.  God promised to do this by the hand of a more powerful nation, Babylon, and keep the other surrounding trees from reaching up to gain that height of self-importance again.  Death and the Pit were assigned to Egypt for her pride against the LORD and defilement of His people with idolatry and immortality of false worship and trust.  Just as Lebanon mourned the loss of Assyria, so there would be great sorrow at the fall of Egypt on her way to join that one in hell for the same devilish pride and arrogant wickedness.  There would be no more tree in Eden that would envy either any longer when the end was seen to be in the depths of the Pit where the uncircumcised (those not in covenant with God) were thrown down into.  In the final judgment there will also be many there for their pride and lack of trust in God’s work and word in Jesus Christ for deliverance from the sin of prideful idolatry and immorality.  These examples of those trusting in their own power and position in this world who gained the world but lost their souls (Mark 8:36) are a warning to the world today to listen to the gospel and turn in faith from sin to Him.  Sheltering under powers of the world will only lead to a great fall into the Pit prepared for others (Matthew 25:41) who reject the Lord and His Savior and pridefully attempt to lift themselves above Him (Isaiah 14:13-14).  Egypt was felled as a proud mighty tree for such aspirations.  May we then learn from this and humble ourselves under the mighty hand of the Lord and rely on Him alone through Christ, His Word who lives in us and depart from such sins (2 Timothy 2:19) of pride, idolatry, and immortality.  This is a warning not to exalt ourselves above God, but to humble ourselves in repentance and faith to trust Him as our shelter and protection.

To Know that He is the LORD

Ezekiel 30:13-26

13 'Thus says the Lord GOD:

"I will also destroy the idols,
And cause the images to cease from Noph;
There shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt;
I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

14 I will make Pathros desolate,
Set fire to Zoan,
And execute judgments in No.

15 I will pour My fury on Sin, the strength of Egypt;
I will cut off the multitude of No,
16 And set a fire in Egypt;
Sin shall have great pain,
No shall be split open,
And Noph shall be in distress daily.

17 The young men of Aven and Pi Beseth shall fall by the sword,
And these cities shall go into captivity.
18 At Tehaphnehes the day shall also be darkened,
When I break the yokes of Egypt there.
And her arrogant strength shall cease in her;
As for her, a cloud shall cover her,
And her daughters shall go into captivity.

19 Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt,
Then they shall know that I am the LORD."'"

20 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 21 "Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and see, it has not been bandaged for healing, nor a splint put on to bind it, to make it strong enough to hold a sword. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Surely I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, both the strong one and the one that was broken; and I will make the sword fall out of his hand. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them throughout the countries. 24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he will groan before him with the groanings of a mortally wounded man. 25 Thus I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; they shall know that I am the LORD, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. 26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.'"

The proclamation of the LORD against Egypt and her Pharaoh was devastating news for them.  He began by addressing their idolatry with numerous false and lifeless gods of stone and wood.  Memphis (Noph) near today’s Cairo would cease from their idol worship and the royalty who were themselves worshipped as gods would be likewise taken away, leaving the people of Egypt in fear as exposed and helpless without any baseless hope any longer.  All the places mentioned were large cities which were centers of these false religions and military might like Thebes (No) and Tehaphnehes where the pharaohs lived.  These would be cut off in pain and daily distress from their fate under the tool of God’s hand which was Babylon.  The arrogance of denying God and worship of man and images of beasts (Romans 1:22-23) which was their fleeting strength would be annihilated.  This is how the Lord judged Egypt and the people would know that He is the one and only true God to be feared and honored.  They were to bow down to Him and no other (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10).  These judgements were given so they would “know that I am the LORD.”  God broke the might of Egypt like a one-armed man with a broken arm trying to fight with the other; God broke one and knocked the sword out of the other to demonstrate His sovereign power over them.  He would further put temporary power into the arm of Babylon as His weapon to subdue Egypt and her arrogant pride of idolatry and immortality.  They would be defeated, scattered, and their pride smothered for working against Him and His chosen people until they gave honor and glory to the only God.  Then their humiliating defeat would point them to Him and away from the worship of lifeless objects and mortal men, just as later the Romans would come to know their Caesar’s were not God through their own defeat.  The lessons for us are to worship and trust in God alone through His Christ and not rely on or serve any other.  We are to know that He alone is the LORD and no leader or nation or created imagination of our own hands.

Judgment on Egypt and Her Allies

Ezekiel 30:1-12 

1 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, 2 "Son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD:

"Wail, 'Woe to the day!'
3 For the day is near,
Even the day of the LORD is near;
It will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles.

4 The sword shall come upon Egypt,
And great anguish shall be in Ethiopia,
When the slain fall in Egypt,
And they take away her wealth,
And her foundations are broken down.

5 "Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all the mingled people, Chub, and the men of the lands who are allied, shall fall with them by the sword."

6 'Thus says the LORD:
"Those who uphold Egypt shall fall,
And the pride of her power shall come down.
From Migdol to Syene
Those within her shall fall by the sword,"
Says the Lord GOD.

7 "They shall be desolate in the midst of the desolate countries,
And her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are laid waste.
8 Then they will know that I am the LORD,
When I have set a fire in Egypt
And all her helpers are destroyed.

9 On that day messengers shall go forth from Me in ships
To make the careless Ethiopians afraid,
And great anguish shall come upon them,
As on the day of Egypt;
For indeed it is coming!"

10 'Thus says the Lord GOD:
"I will also make a multitude of Egypt to cease
By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
11 He and his people with him, the most terrible of the nations,
Shall be brought to destroy the land;
They shall draw their swords against Egypt,
And fill the land with the slain.

12 I will make the rivers dry,
And sell the land into the hand of the wicked;
I will make the land waste, and all that is in it,
By the hand of aliens.
I, the LORD, have spoken."

The day of the LORD was foretold to warn Egypt and those supporting her of the divine judgment for offering military aid to Israel who was under the discipline of God for her idolatry and immortality.  Both nations faced the mighty Babylonian armies of different reasons; Israel as a tool to humble and purge through tough discipline, and Egypt for daring to help defend God’s people against God’s will.  This was the same Egypt that had turned on Joseph (Exodus 1:8-9) and the people of God after he saved their land from famine and now would turn the people back to the idols they had left behind there on their way to the promised land.   The sword of judgment would fall on Egypt and Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, and others who upheld her.  They would all fall by the sword of God’s wrath at the hand of Babylon for this.  The pride of earthly power would be annihilated as the fire of vengeance would send a powerful message to all those who would stand against His people to lead them into sin against Him.  The carnage was great across the devastated land by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.  Only a wasteland remained of the once mighty superpower of the ancient world.  The LORD spoke these things by the mouth of His messenger Ezekiel to make it clear to them and us what steps He takes to protect and restore His people from their sin and punish the enemies who lead them astray after idols and immoral pursuits.  The Lord still defends all His chosen children until the judgment of that final day of the Lord.  He will avenge His people (Romans 12:19, Revelation 6:9-10) whom He had had disciplined and corrected in the sanctifying grace of His love.  When we suffer in this life we can hold to the comforting assurance that they will be judged and we will be avenged by his hand and not our own.  Vengeance is the Lord’s.  Trust in His word and work in Christ is our eternal assurance when all will be made right at last.

A Weak Staff to Lean On

Ezekiel 29:1-21 

1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt. 3 Speak, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD:

"Behold, I am against you,
O Pharaoh king of Egypt,
O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers,
Who has said, 'My River is my own;
I have made it for myself.'

4 But I will put hooks in your jaws,
And cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales;
I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers,
And all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales.

5 I will leave you in the wilderness,
You and all the fish of your rivers;
You shall fall on the open field;
You shall not be picked up or gathered.
I have given you as food
To the beasts of the field
And to the birds of the heavens.

6 "Then all the inhabitants of Egypt
Shall know that I am the LORD,
Because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.

7 When they took hold of you with the hand,
You broke and tore all their shoulders;
When they leaned on you,
You broke and made all their backs quiver."

8 'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I will bring a sword upon you and cut off from you man and beast. 9 And the land of Egypt shall become desolate and waste; then they will know that I am the LORD, because he said, 'The River is mine, and I have made it.' 10 Indeed, therefore, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Ethiopia. 11 Neither foot of man shall pass through it nor foot of beast pass through it, and it shall be uninhabited forty years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and among the cities that are laid waste, her cities shall be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries."

13 'Yet, thus says the Lord GOD: "At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered. 14 I will bring back the captives of Egypt and cause them to return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom. 15 It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore. 16 No longer shall it be the confidence of the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity when they turned to follow them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD."'"

17 And it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 18 "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,' says the Lord GOD.

21 'In that day I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to spring forth, and I will open your mouth to speak in their midst. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.'"

Egypt was a weak staff (2 Kings 18:21-22) for God’s people to lean on to support their resistance to the Babylonian invaders.  Ezekiel therefore brought God’s word of judgment against Egypt and her leader for the arrogant pride to rely on their kingdom for power and the great Nile River as a symbol of their wealth in trade like Tyre had done.  God spoke against the monster fish of Egypt in that river to say He would hook him and his people and throw them on dry land to wither away and provide food for the animals and birds to devour at will.  This would expose the weakness of Pharaoh to all his followers and to the rest of the world , especially to Israel who had relied on a weak staff to wage war instead of the Almighty God of their fathers.  God’s people would then discover how frail it was to lean on any other as a reliance for defense or support.  Only the LORD God Almighty can lend His omnipotence to deliver His chosen ones.  We can find no army on earth that can deliver us from harm or through the adversity we face.  That is our lesson for we who are in Christ today, Jew and Gentile, male or female (there is no third gender), slave or free (Galatians 3:28) - we are all called in Jesus Christ as one people whom he delivers forever in His strength and not from any other.  Egypt was judged and laid waste for forty years for helping Israel and then was a broken nation with little power or influence again in history to remind God’s people of their sin and who they must turn to and rely on for deliverance.  No nation, political party, government system, armaments of war can save us from judgment, only the Judge Himself.  May we not repeat the error of leaning on any such weak reed staff instead of the Lord alone for our salvation and keeping until His return.  Babylon was plundered by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon who God used as His instrument of judgment until He judged Babylon as well when He was through with them.  Egypt lost much as His tool against Tyre and recouped their losses in plundering Egypt until God brought them low as well.  As for God’s people, they would hear the word of God in all these judgments by the mouth of Ezekiel.  Then they would know and honor God as their LORD again.  May we know and confess His sovereignty to avoid such suffering as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13) and not look to the world for direction or deliverance from adversity. 

How God is Known and Glorified

Ezekiel 28:20-26 

20 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 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;
I will be glorified in your midst;
And they shall know that I am the LORD,
When I execute judgments in her and am hallowed in her.

23 For I will send pestilence upon her,
And blood in her streets;
The wounded shall be judged in her midst
By the sword against her on every side;
Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

24 "And there shall no longer be a pricking brier or a painful thorn for the house of Israel from among all who are around them, who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD."

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."'"

Sidon was judged along with Tyre as an enemy of God’s people.  These proclamations define the sin as well as the blessings on His people as the surrounding nations are held to account and His righteous judgments are spelled out in word and action.  The LORD would be seen through His judgments as holy in the midst of the ungodly who watched on as He acted for His name’s sake and for His chosen people.  He sent disease and bloodshed of war to silence them that they would stop and listen to their sentence and confess that He alone is the sovereign LORD of all, including them as well as Israel.  These who opposed and mocked the people of God were as thorns of brier bushes that irritated the chosen as they walked through life amidst the ungodly.  When they were removed from the path of the people of God, then the irritation and despising would be forcibly ceased and they would finally acknowledge the LORD God of Israel was Lord of lords and King of kings (Deuteronomy 10:17, 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, 19:16).  In the final day of the world’s judgment this confession will be made by all people as well as they bow in subjection to Him (Romans 14:11-12, Philippians 2:10-11)!  All who oppose God and mock Him and His people will be judged and held to account just as Sidon and Tyre were.  When God’s name is then revealed as holy to all, then His chosen people from out of every nation who are called to Him will have peace from those who despise and mock them.  They will dwell in eternal security as they pass through the judgment and live according to the reconciling grace of God in Jesus Christ the Lord of all.  Then everyone who is delivered to and by Himself will know He is the LORD their God.  This is the hope of judgment which is how God is known and glorified! 

Lamentation for the Fallen One?

Ezekiel 28:11-19 

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.

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 lament of woe was for more than a fallen king of Tyre.  It was of the one who was in the Gard of Eden, made to be perfectly wise and beautiful until pride lifted him up and he was cast down (Isaiah 14:12-14).  The picture of the king of fallen Tyre in her pride and defiance against the LORD is a type of parable almost about the anointed cherub, satan, who was there in the beginning of man’s creation with God until he talked Eve into doubting God’s word to her through Adam and brought him also into disobedience through that same deception (2 Corinthians 11:3).  The evil one spoken of here was made as an outwardly beautiful angelic being with an array of jewels as a covering and evidently sounding musically appealing.  He walked in God’s presence before the throne (Job 1:6-7, 2:1-2) as an observer of man until he fell in arrogant pride from God’s good graces.  Until that time he was still as perfect outwardly, but the evil of pride to stand against God and His creation brought eternal judgment on him as he sought to destroy God’s good creation with more lies (Genesis 3:2-4) and deceit through pride (Revelation 12:9, 17).  He will be held accountable and judged to condemnation in the end through the Messiah as promised (Genesis 3:15), however, which brings hope and restoration to God’s creation of man and all the rest (Romans 8:21-22)!  The king of Tyre was cast out for trading with the known world across the sea, but this one will be cast out for trading the truth for a lie () and that profane thing was cat out of the mountain of God where He is worshiped forever and ever (Revelation 21:3, 22, 27, 22:3-5).  No blasphemous proud being can exist there before God’s face.  No lies can abide in that place.  No self worship of vanity can vie for attention there.  Just as the ruler of Tyre was cast down to be humbled in judgment, so will that one be dethroned from his selfish and corrupt ambition.  Just as that one defiled God’s sanctuary with idolatry and immortality among God’s people, so will the adversary who defiles the humble adoration of the Creator be judged and cast out forever in the everlasting fire.  All will likewise look on at the horror in astonishment of the one who sought to seat himself above God as if he were the creator but will be nothing to anyone anymore.  But there will be no lamentation for that fallen one.  Amen! 

Condemnation Against the King of Tyre

Ezekiel 28:1-10 

1 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,
2 "Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord GOD:

"Because your heart is lifted up,
And you say, 'I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods,
In the midst of the seas,
'Yet you are a man, and not a god,
Though you set your heart as the heart of a god
3 (Behold, you are wiser than Daniel!
There is no secret that can be hidden from you!

4 With your wisdom and your understanding
You have gained riches for yourself,
And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;
5 By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches,
And your heart is lifted up because of your riches),"

6 'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
"Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god,
7 Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you,
The most terrible of the nations;
And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom,
And defile your splendor.

8 They shall throw you down into the Pit,
And you shall die the death of the slain
In the midst of the seas.

9 "Will you still say before him who slays you,
'I am a god'?
But you shall be a man, and not a god,
In the hand of him who slays you.
10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
By the hand of aliens;
For I have spoken," says the Lord GOD.'"

Condemnation was spoken to the one making himself to be God.  His pride and arrogance gave delusions of grandeur, thinking a created creature could be the Creator!  This of course is a type or picture of the created usurper from the garden of Eden who lifted himself up in his thinking to be equal to the LORD.  Only God in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, is divine and sits in the heavenly place of sovereign power and authority.  Not satan nor the prince of Tyre.  He imagined and boasted that he was a god in such pride and was told by the real God that he was hardly divine and mocked his supposed wisdom as if it was better than those whom God gave His wisdom to like Daniel.  What cunning wisdom this prince did have was only useful for gaining wealth by trade and increased arrogance with pride alongside.  The judgment of the LORD for this blasphemy and pride was to bring armies against him as His tools to humble through destruction.  Their swords would be drawn against the beauty of his misused wisdom and would tarnish the splendor of all the ill gotten gain.  He would be thrown into the Pit of the sea just as the devil will be forever thrown down into the lake of fire which is the ultimate Pit of everlasting torment and destruction (Revelation 20:3, 10).  Neither of these two will then boast against the LORD who created them and still claim to be a god.  Death and destruction of condemnation demonstrate this.  We who are in Christ, however, have the ultimate victory in Him over any who claim divinity and over the pride of the devil, so we should learn humility and subservience to our Sovereign LORD from examples like this for our understanding and learning.

The Fall of Tyre and Loss of Luxury

Ezekiel 27:25-36

25 "The ships of Tarshish were carriers of your merchandise.
You were filled and very glorious in the midst of the seas.
26 Your oarsmen brought you into many waters,
But the east wind broke you in the midst of the seas.

27 "Your riches, wares, and merchandise,
Your mariners and pilots,
Your caulkers and merchandisers,
All your men of war who are in you,
And the entire company which is in your midst,
Will fall into the midst of the seas on the day of your ruin.

28 The common-land will shake at the sound of the cry of your pilots.
29 "All who handle the oar,
The mariners,
All the pilots of the sea
Will come down from their ships and stand on the shore.

30 They will make their voice heard because of you;
They will cry bitterly and cast dust on their heads;
They will roll about in ashes;

31 They will shave themselves completely bald because of you,
Gird themselves with sackcloth,
And weep for you
With bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.

32 In their wailing for you
They will take up a lamentation,
And lament for you:
What city is like Tyre,
Destroyed in the midst of the sea?

33 'When your wares went out by sea,
You satisfied many people;
You enriched the kings of the earth
With your many luxury goods and your merchandise.
34 But you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters;
Your merchandise and the entire company will fall in your midst.

35 All the inhabitants of the isles will be astonished at you;
Their kings will be greatly afraid,
And their countenance will be troubled.
36 The merchants among the peoples will hiss at you;
You will become a horror, and be no more forever.'"'"

The lament for Tyre continues with the impact on her shipping trade on the rest of the world.  This included not only the ship captain and crew but also the ship builders and port traders; they all had much to lose when Tyre was judged and found wanting.  As the major port city, the loss was felt among other ships and merchants across the Mediterranean.  Without the major hub of commerce everyone suffered the loss of that great center of their livelihoods, not just those based in Tyre.  The effects of sin reach far and wide like ripples in the sea, taking away business, prosperity, and joy to the cold and dark bottom of the sea.  Likewise  those who follow sinners opposing God and His people in Christ will be pulled down to the depths of the Pit and lose everything of joy and value to their very souls.  Tyre had supplied their wares of luxury and more to so many kings and nations to satisfy their wants and needs, yet in the end that pipeline was broken and the goods they felt entitled to had stopped flowing abruptly.  World trade on the Mediterranean had collapsed and so the onlookers were left unsatisfied at the fall and in their astonishment they began to curse Tyre who once supplied their every want in fear and troubles of trembling.  They turned at the horror of the loss more than the destruction of that great city itself because of their own resulting loss and misery.  Those who fight against God and persecute His people will also have anger and troubles with great fear when the end comes to judge the world in righteousness and they fall with the mighty Babylon whom they had relied upon for trade and pleasures of their expectations of luxury (Revelation 18:2-3) but will only find torment and sorrow (Revelation 18:7) and weep for her destruction (Revelation 18:11-13) and her final judgment as she is taken down to avenge all of God who were abused by her.  Such it was with Tyre and so it will be for the world system set against God and His Christ in the end.  It is time for all to turn to worship God and not idols and turn from immorality to the righteousness found in Christ alone.  Remember the fall of great Tyre and the loss of luxury and so much more from the compromises with the trader of souls for gain.  True gain comes from godly contentment in the Lord and nowhere else.  This is a warning to follow God and not personal gain at the expense of the eternal wealth.  

Lament for the Lost Beauty of Tyre

Ezekiel 27:1-24

1 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, 2 "Now, son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre, 3 and say to Tyre, You who are situated at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, thus says the Lord GOD:

"O Tyre, you have said,
I am perfect in beauty.'
4 Your borders are in the midst of the seas.
Your builders have perfected your beauty.

5 They made all your planks of fir trees from Senir;
They took a cedar from Lebanon to make you a mast.
6 Of oaks from Bashan they made your oars;
The company of Ashurites have inlaid your planks
With ivory from the coasts of Cyprus.
7 Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was what you spread for your sail;
Blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was what covered you.

8 "Inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen;
Your wise men, O Tyre, were in you;
They became your pilots.
9 Elders of Gebal and its wise men
Were in you to caulk your seams;
All the ships of the sea
And their oarsmen were in you
To market your merchandise.

10 "Those from Persia, Lydia, and Libya
Were in your army as men of war;
They hung shield and helmet in you;
They gave splendor to you.

11 Men of Arvad with your army were on your walls all around,
And the men of Gammad were in your towers;
They hung their shields on your walls all around;
They made your beauty perfect.

12 "Tarshish was your merchant because of your many luxury goods. They gave you silver, iron, tin, and lead for your goods. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders. They bartered human lives and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. 14 Those from the house of Togarmah traded for your wares with horses, steeds, and mules. 15 The men of Dedan were your traders; many isles were the market of your hand. They brought you ivory tusks and ebony as payment. 16 Syria was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made. They gave you for your wares emeralds, purple, embroidery, fine linen, corals, and rubies. 17 Judah and the land of Israel were your traders. They traded for your merchandise wheat of Minnith, millet, honey, oil, and balm. 18 Damascus was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made, because of your many luxury items, with the wine of Helbon and with white wool. 19 Dan and Javan paid for your wares, traversing back and forth. Wrought iron, cassia, and cane were among your merchandise. 20 Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding. 21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your regular merchants. They traded with you in lambs, rams, and goats. 22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah were your merchants. They traded for your wares the choicest spices, all kinds of precious stones, and gold. 23 Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Assyria, and Chilmad were your merchants. 24 These were your merchants in choice items—in purple clothes, in embroidered garments, in chests of multicolored apparel, in sturdy woven cords, which were in your marketplace.

Tyre was a successful and prosperous sea port until her vain pride and disdain of God’s people were her undoing before the LORD.  Her pride told her she was perfect in beauty, the building work of her own hands apart from any providential hand of God, which likely drove her enmity against Jerusalem and God’s hand in prospering His people there.  The finest and best materials from around the world were used in the construction of Tyre and her magnificent fleet.  The best pilot and oarsmen propelled their trade ships around the Mediterranean Sea for their virtual monopoly on trade and commerce to generate such wealth that led to her pride and jealousy of God’s people which led to her great fall.  This is a lesson for us individually, nationally, and spiritually within the church to learn that all we have is not by the sweat and tears of our own efforts and earned entitlement, but comes from God’s hand of grace in His provision and providence.  While we are never to be idle and stop working for what we have, it is the knowledge and attitude of where the abilities and provision comes from that is essential to acknowledge.  Tyre had armies to protect them so their trade benefited their defenders and gave them splendor in wealth and fame, but they refused to give all credit to the LORD of heaven whose sovereignty reigns over everything and everyone.  That also is a lesson like that of the ten talents that what we do with what we are given may lead to it all be taken away and given to one who is faithful in knowing and using the provision of God for his glory and not to make ourselves look good as if we had done all and deserved all on our own.  All the trade to gain wealth that denies the Giver of all we earn only leads to pride and eventual ruin as proud Tyre learned too late.  May we learn this lesson of giving all credit to God alone in Christ for our salvation and sanctification along with all we possess and use in life and being given a living and may we never compare ourselves to one another (2 Corinthians 10:12, 17) for what we have to ascertain our importance over others, or allow jealousy for what we do not have in comparison to judge others based on their God-given prosperity.  May we not lose our beauty as Tyre did in pride and derision. 

God Treading over Tyre’s Pride

Ezekiel 26:1-21

1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, 'Aha! She is broken who was the gateway of the peoples; now she is turned over to me; I shall be filled; she is laid waste.'

3 "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. 4 And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. 5 It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,' says the Lord GOD; 'it shall become plunder for the nations. 6 Also her daughter villages which are in the fields shall be slain by the sword. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.'

7 "For thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people. 8 He will slay with the sword your daughter villages in the fields; he will heap up a siege mound against you, build a wall against you, and raise a defense against you. 9 He will direct his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. 10 Because of the abundance of his horses, their dust will cover you; your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen, the wagons, and the chariots, when he enters your gates, as men enter a city that has been breached. 11 With the hooves of his horses he will trample all your streets; he will slay your people by the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water. 13 I will put an end to the sound of your songs, and the sound of your harps shall be heard no more. 14 I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken,' says the Lord GOD.

15 "Thus says the Lord GOD to Tyre: 'Will the coastlands not shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded cry, when slaughter is made in the midst of you? 16 Then all the princes of the sea will come down from their thrones, lay aside their robes, and take off their embroidered garments; they will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground, tremble every moment, and be astonished at you. 17 And they will take up a lamentation for you, and say to you:

"How you have perished,
O one inhabited by seafaring men,
O renowned city,
Who was strong at sea,
She and her inhabitants,
Who caused their terror to be on all her inhabitants!
18 Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall;
Yes, the coastlands by the sea are troubled at your departure."'

19 "For thus says the Lord GOD: 'When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you, 20 then I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory in the land of the living. 21 I will make you a terror, and you shall be no more; though you are sought for, you will never be found again,' says the Lord GOD."

Ungodly Tyre boasted against God’s fallen people and herself was doomed to destruction for her scorn and for her arrogance to assume she would take over the importance of Jerusalem and replace His chosen ones.  God’s answer was to leverage the nations against her as tools of judgment to level the once proud coastal trade port.  Their armies would wash over Tyre as the relentless waves of the adjacent sea in a storm of God’s making for their pride and blasphemous arrogance of presumptuous boasting.  He promised to wipe the city structures clean off their foundations to make room for fishing nets to be spread out on the rock left underneath.  Even the villages around the city proper were to be overrun for their support of Tyre treading over the apple of God’s eye (Deuteronomy 32:9-10, Psalm 17:8-9).  Therefore, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, would overthrow Tyre more than Jerusalem.  The same mighty empire used to disciple God’s people would also be used as a tool of the wrath of God, just as the power of the Lord will both save His chosen in Christ through the gospel and overthrow those rejecting Christ by that same almighty power in His wrath and to avenge His people at last (Revelation 6:10).  Tyre was plundered and leveled in judgment for persecution of God’s elect; how much worse for those rejecting Christ and persecuting His called and chosen in the day of final judgment?  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God and His wrath of recompense!  The fall of Tyre caused the surrounding nations to tremble in astonishment with humility and lament the loss of the once renowned city of strength and commerce.  Her desolation afterwards was a reminder of their judgment to the Pit as a warning to others of the terror of rejecting God and His chosen ones of the Pit which ends up in the lake of fire and eternal torment as the end of all things.  This warning is an example to the world to turn from sin and rejection of His Christ to repentance and trust in His promise of deliverance instead as a far, far greater thing to do. Scoffing His divine judgment, rejecting Him and His grace, and opposing His people will only repeat the treading of God’s judgment of the pride of Tyre over those opposed to Him and His Christ.