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 Tyre
11 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 Sidon
20 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 Security
25 “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.”
Ezekiel 28: 1-10 Prince of Tyre
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to Sheol,
to the far reaches of the pit. Isaiah 14: 12-15
Say to the prince of Tyre - The first section of this in verses 1-10 are addressed to the Prince of Tyre, and then starting in verse 11 we see a transition to the lament which is for the king of Tyre in verse 12. For even higher resolution we have already been given the context of chapters 26 and 27 which shows the kingdom of these rulers. What follows in this chapter is an unmasking of who and what is behind the prince of Tyre, and all those who love this life and this world's system. There will be similarities between the prince (who is a king) and the king, but also important contrasts. I included a link to Isaiah 14 above, as it will give more light with this same structure.
…3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.… 2 Corinthians 4: 3-5
1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.… Ephesians 2: 1-3
Because your heart is proud - This is the original sin, and God sees it before it is born into action; He looks at it in the place of it's conception.
…17The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life. 18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. 19It is better to be lowly in spirit among the humble than to divide the spoil with the proud.… Proverbs 16: 17-19
You have said, "I am a god" - He is not the first being to make this mistake, pride always exalts something to a position it is not actually in nor was it designed to be. The Pharaohs, Nebuchadnezzar, this prince of Tyre, but all of them, regardless of how big their kingdoms were or other basis for their claim, all follow in the footsteps of the original father of lies. He is the originator of the 5 "I wills" from Isaiah 14: 12-15 above. This is also the same original temptation that he used with our parents in the garden.
…4“You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. 5“For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.… Genesis 3: 4-6
…43Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!… John 8: 43-45
i. “Tyre regarded herself as all-powerful, superhuman and virtually eternal; she was possessed of wealth and wisdom above all other cities, and this led on to the incredible arrogance for which Tyre was notorious.” (Taylor)
Yet, you are but a man - Oh no, logic and reason, and here is the truth that you can't get around, that you did not make yourself. God is eternally self existent, not called into being, and that is not true of you. You did not decide the day of your birth, nor how smart you would be, or how tall, or what you would look like. It's nice that you live in the middle of the sea, maybe you think you're Poseidon, and because all come to trade with you from many nations, and all are enamored by your resourcefulness and the beauty of your city, now in your mind you think this makes you a god. Many kings have wanted worship, to be considered gods, yet they die as men, and they also die at the hands of other men. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon will break Tyre, Babylon will be destroyed by Cyrus, who is predicted by Isaiah, and Tyre will see wealth again under the Persian empire, a resurgence as a mecca for commerce, but then destruction after a 7 year stand off with Alexander the Great.
…4For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known Me. 5I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me, 6so that all may know, from where the sun rises to where it sets, that there is none but Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.… Isaiah 45: 4-6
You are indeed wiser than Daniel - Oh, God is omniscient, and the little prince didn't even have to say this out loud, but God would have known anyway. Daniel had been living in Babylon for quite some time, and his renown has reached the ears of Tyre, and the prince talks some smack, but God sarcastically brings it up through His prophet, who is hundreds of miles away. In the economy of men, the prince of Tyre must see himself as far superior to Daniel, for though Daniel has received much honor, yet he is a eunuch and a captive in Babylon. The prince of Tyre is a king, has more wealth, and thinks there is no one above him. Like the measuring tape that Job's friends used, when he was the wealthiest of men then he was the godliest, but when he suffered then they accused him of all manner of evil, unjustly. Daniel is such the opposite of this prideful king; he has an eye not to steal the glory of God, but it is rather his honor that God be exalted.
…19During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven 20 and declared: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. 21He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.… Daniel 2: 19-21
…47The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.” 48Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49And at Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.… Daniel 2: 47-49
No secret is hidden from you - More sarcasm, and towards a man who was well connected in the known world, had many servants, eyes and ears about the nations, plus an ego that thought it knew everything or at least all that mattered.
By your wisdom and your understanding - The yours and you used here are much like the I's of Isaiah 14. Their is a great picture of the reality of salvation here as well, that you had nothing to do with your human birth, and nothing to do with your spiritual birth at salvation either, it is not by your own wisdom or cleverness. Again, it reaches back to the problem of a created being trying to usurp the place of God, as if you created yourself, and could therefore take credit for your wisdom and understanding. You didn't choose your parents, the amount of melanin in your skin, the place of your birth, your intellect, or what you would be exposed to as a child. You didn't even choose to be born. Thinking yourself to be a god is actually refusing wisdom and understanding. Christ, being God, actually had to come and show men how to be human, to live the sinless life they did not, to fulfill all righteousness.
…21For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.… Romans 1: 21-23
…6Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.… Philippians 2: 6-8
Have made wealth for yourself - This becomes Tyre's god, their gold, silver, materialism. Since he has made decisions that have brought more money and goods to his city, this has also caused him to rise on the world scene, which tempts him to elevate himself in his heart. "I mean there are other people with the title king out there, but surely I am above them, for none have made anything like this."
…29Twelve months later, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built by the might of my power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “It is decreed to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has departed from you.… Daniel 4: 29-31
Because you make your heart - You say your a god, let's see how you handle this, the real God doesn't even deal with you face to face, He sends someone else. No matter what men scheme and devise God is still above them, still sovereign. The end of human history will show that men were given thousands of years, tried it their own way over and over again, yet God brought the only true justice, paid for the richest grace, and men abused power, were quick to shed blood, embraced delusion at every turn.
Will you still say - When Nebuchadnezzar has you by the neck, or worse yet, one of his soldiers whose name you don't even know, do you still think you are a god. Only One God laid down His life willingly, all the rest turned out not to be gods, for they couldn't even keep their lives much less lay it down to take it up again.
…17The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.” 19Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message.… John 10: 17-19
You shall die the death of the uncircumcised - This wouldn't mean much in our day, but to him that would be a degrading comparison, a comparison to the uneducated and barbaric. Pride latches on to the dumbest things.
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