Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 27-28.

Ezekiel begins his prophecy against Tyre by describing its wealth and the power it gained by trading with all parts of the world.  He goes into detail about how so many nations provided goods and services to Tyre in exchange for the goods and services Tyre obtained elsewhere.  Then Ezekiel tells how people all over the world will mourn the downfall of Tyre because of the trade they will lose when it falls.  Only after all of that does Ezekiel explain why Tyre would fall.  He tells us that Tyre would be brought down because of the pride of her rulers.  The rulers of Tyre gained wealth because of their skill, but once they had accumulated wealth they began to believe that they were untouchable, that they were gods.  So it goes with all nations which rise to great wealth and/or power, in time the rulers believe that they are entitled to their wealth and power and that no one can take it from them.  They begin to treat those who are dependent upon them, and upon whom their wealth and power depends, as objects to used and disposed of for their own pleasure.  They stop entering into honest trade agreements, thinking that their trade partners have no options.  Eventually, they sow the seeds of their own destruction.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 27-28.

God had established Tyre as a place with great potential and given them skill in commerce, but they took credit for their success and considered themselves gods.  So, God humbled them and brought them low.  In the same way, God will bring down any nation which begins to believe it cannot be defeated no matter what it does.  Ezekiel goes on to warn Sidon that it too would face destruction.   Ezekiel concludes this portion of his prophecies by telling us that these nations (those from yesterday as well as Tyre and Sidon) will face God’s judgement because of their hostility to Israel in order to demonstrate to Israel that God is their God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 27-28.

My lovely wife married me 22 years ago on the 23rd of this month.  So I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary every day from now until then.

Happy Anniversary, Darling!

I am not exactly sure what to write today.  Ezekiel prophesies here against Tyre.  The city of Tyre had gained great wealth through trade and, because of its geographical location on an island, had little fear of military attack.  The people of Tyre became convinced of their “specialness” above all others.  They believed that they were unique among peoples and looked down on everyone else.  This led them to believe that they could take advantage of their trade partners with no risk to themselves.  They were proud and corrupt.  Ezekiel warned that their arrogance would bring about their downfall.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 27-28.

The people of Tyre were wealthy and successful, but also arrogant.  In particular their king was so.  The king of Tyre believed that because he had the good fortune to rule over a city which was accessible only by sea that he was a god.  The king of Tyre, and the people he ruled over, were convinced that they could withstand any attack.  Ezekiel warns them that when God sends an army against them, they will fall.  King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre for 13 years causing much suffering in that city and the death of its king.  Later, Alexander sacked Tyre because the king of Tyre considered himself a god greater than Alexander..  Overall, let us remember that no matter how secure our position may seem, God can bring us low.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

In the year 2000, on the 23rd day of this month, my wife married me.  So I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary here for 20 days to celebrate 20 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary Darling!

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezekiel 27-28.

I never really know what to make of Ezekiel’s prophecies against Judah’s neighbors.  That being said, the prophecy here against Tyre tells us that the king of Tyre, which really means those who governed it, not just one individual, thought that he was a god (like the rulers of many other nations.  Tyre had risen to great wealth and prominence through trade.  Perhaps I am reading this wrong, but Ezekiel seems to be saying that their riches came through fair trade, those they dealt with felt well served by the deals they made.   But then, as I read this, they started to take advantage of those with whom they did business, they were no longer satisfied with fair trade and wanted more.  They became caught up in debauchery and excess.  They became arrogant and proud.  This led to their downfall.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezekiel 27-28.

Ezekiel prophesied that Tyre would fall despite its great wealth.  The king of Tyre viewed himself as a god and thus felt that he needed answer to no one.  But I get the impression that the pride Ezekiel talks about was not just that of the king of Tyre, that the people of Tyre thought that they too needed answer to no one.  Their trade and wealth made them think that they were secure.  The people of Tyre were convinced that no one would attack them because everyone would lose more by Tyre’s destruction than they would possibly gain.  They thought that they were wiser and more knowledgeable than everyone else.  Unfortunately for the people of Tyre, God brought against them someone who did not calculate value the way that they did.  An important lesson here is that not everyone is motivated by wealth and the things which wealth can buy.