May 10, Ezekiel 26
”Son of man, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, 'Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste.' Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves." - Ezekiel 26:3-4
Can you think of a business that profits from the distress and suffering of others? You can probably think of several. I won't mention specifics, but it’s not hard to think of some providers of goods or services who have a good payday when someone who needs them has a bad day. Some of those people do jobs I wouldn't want to do, and provide helpful assistance when people need it.
Another interesting business plan is to make profits without making a product. Some of the wealthiest people in the world got their wealth by buying merchandise at wholesale prices and selling the goods at retail prices. Others have made their fortunes by transporting products from manufacturers or merchants to faraway customers eager to buy the goods.
The people of Tyre had prospered. They didn't manufacture much of anything, except a very expensive purple dye made from the shells of the murex mollusk found in their area. But they were very good at the three business plans I mentioned above. As they said when they heard that Jerusalem had fallen, "I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste." The people of Tyre salvaged items left on battlefields after the fighting ended. They bought captives from the victors to sell in their slave trade. And they pioneered another revenue stream by getting into the shipping business with literal ships. When many ancient people were afraid to sail beyond sight of the shore, the Tyrians were experienced sailers who delivered goods to faraway markets. The water route was faster and could reach more places than other ways of getting products to market.
The citadel of Tyre was located on a rocky island about half a mile off the coast. Its suburban villages and towns were across the water on the shore. It was a great defense strategy for Tyre until Nebuchadnezzar came and killed the coastland people, and laid siege to the island. Their wealth would be plundered, their city would be destroyed to never be rebuilt again. As God promised, wave after wave of invaders would reduce the citadel of Tyre to a bare rock in attacks over the coming centuries.
The prophecy of God's judgment against Tyre is one of the longest of any in the book of Ezekiel, spanning Chapters 26-28. In Chapter 26, the Lord told Ezekiel to announce Tyre's doom, and describe the terrible loss of life and destruction that was coming. The people of Tyre would be punished like the others God was destroying at the time for their idolatry and other wickedness. God told them they would, like the people of Noah's day, be buried in the water, and come to a dreadful end without hope of resurrection.
When Jerusalem and Israel fell, many of the surrounding pagans attributed the defeat to the superiority of their idols over Israel's God. God would repay them for their greed and cruelty. He was going to punish the people of the cities and nations who mistreated the people of Israel and mocked him.
The Lord would employ some human agents to deliver some of the wrath. But he emphasized that he himself would be the one who brought the terrible calamity against Tyre and the other people mentioned in this section.
Do we remember that God is in control of countries and rulers? When anxiety runs high because of threats from avowed enemies, let's remember that God uses governments and sometimes armies to accomplish his purposes. We don't have to understand why things happen the way they do. But we will be better off to trust God than fret about evil overcoming us. The God who raised up and humbled ancient kings and kingdoms is still in control. Let's grow to trust him more and worry less about world events and things we hear on the news.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—May 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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