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Devotional thoughts (Monday through Thursday mornings) from the pastor of Exeter Presbyterian Church in Exeter, NH // Sunday Worship 10:30am // 73 Winter Street

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Ezekiel 28

At the helm of a proud city that counts itself as “perfect in beauty,” is a proud captain, the King of Tyre. He is a man, but he says, “I am a god.” What is the evidence of his divinity? Marvel at his surroundings and be amazed. He is head of a fascinating and prosperous city state. He sits in the seat of the gods as the head over such a magnificent place. He surely must be a god himself, sitting in the heart of the seas. He reflects on his own wisdom, the commercial success of his people, and all of the wonderful things around him, and he forgets that he is just a man. He will soon learn that there are kings with even more pride than him, and God will use them against Tyre. The Lord will bring the most ruthless of nations as his enemies, and Tyre will be dragged down from her mountain of pride and cast into the pit of the Lord’s judgment in the midst of the seas.

What will such a man say when he faces another more powerful man coming against him and defeating his nation? Will he still claim to be a god? If so, then he is apparently a lesser god than his victorious adversary. He shall die by the hand of foreigners according to the decree of the Lord God. The God of Israel is the true God, and He speaks here against the pride of the King of Tyre. Words could easily be ignored by such a self-exalted man. The sword of an invading king by the hand of Almighty God is a force that would demand his consideration.

The tale of the King of Tyre is compared to the story of Adam’s fall. He was great in so many ways. Created by God, and set aside for a special purpose, blameless in all his ways. Then unrighteousness was suddenly found in him. God cast Him out of Eden, and his posterity became filled with all kinds of iniquity.

The description used here lends itself to an even bigger story. The fall of the King of Tyre is not only like the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam. It is like the fall of Satan from the heights of heaven. He was an anointed angel on the holy mountain of God. His heart was proud, and he corrupted his wisdom with the goal of exalting his great splendor. Not only was He cast down to the ground like the serpent of old, this fallen angel will face the destruction of fire.

Whether the reference point is Adam, or Satan, or the King of Tyre, the outlines of the story are the same. God has created one to be great. This great one became filled with pride. He has now been condemned and cast out. His end will be dreadful.

Closely related to Tyre was the Phoenician city of Sidon. On the mainland across the seas, Sidon benefited from her association with Tyre. Like Tyre, she treated the house of Israel with contempt. She was like a thorn bush that cut her neighbors. Though the northern kingdom was scattered by the Lord’s discipline through the Assyrians, and though Judah in the south will soon face more destruction from the Babylonians, God had not stopped caring about His people. His judgments against Tyre and Sidon were a way of expressing His continued commitment to His covenant people, despite His discipline against them.

There is no note here about any future for Tyre and Sidon, despite all their prosperity, power, and pride. In contrast to this, God speaks through Ezekiel about a future for Israel. God scattered His people, but He will gather them again from many nations. They will be brought back to the land and will dwell securely in it. This will happen when He executes judgments upon all their neighbors.

There are several layers of fulfillment of this final prophesy. First, there will be a number from the tribes of Israel who will be restored back to the land after several decades of the Babylonian exile. This was a great miracle and a wonderful gift from God. The picture of Old Testament Israel would continue until the coming of the Messiah. There would be no king on David’s throne during that time, but the temple would be rebuilt, along with the walls of Jerusalem, and the worship of God would be restored among the Lord’s people as they awaited his deliverance for several centuries.

A much grander fulfillment would come in the ascension of Christ and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit for the proclamation of the good news of the death and resurrection of the long-awaited Messiah King. Now the people of Israel would be gathered, not only from among the tribes descended from Jacob, but from all over the earth. During this age in which we live, we are being brought to God’s land in heaven through the ministry of His church.

Nonetheless we are looking for a third level of fulfillment that will come with the return of the Lord and the fulfillment of all that the land of Israel ever meant. In that new life to come we will dwell in the fullness of peace, but only if we are in the Jewish Messiah King Jesus. There is no hope of this kind of ultimate glory in the King of Tyre. It is one thing to claim to be a god. It is quite another to come as the Son of God. Christ came not in pride, but in humility. In His death He showed the outlines of His plan for ultimate peace and security for His beloved people. We must not be fooled by the pomp of this world. It will swiftly perish when the Lord’s promises come in fullness. It is best to stay with Israel’s God, even when it may look like the world has more to offer.

posted by Pastor Magee @ 7:00 AM

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