AN ASSOCIATED JUDGMENT (PART 5)

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In the eleventh month of the twelfth year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 

“Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,’ therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves. They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock. Out in the sea she will become a place to spread fishnets, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. She will become plunder for the nations, and her settlements on the mainland will be ravaged by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with horsemen and a great army. He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp up to your walls and raise his shields against you. He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your towers with his weapons. His horses will be so many that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will tremble at the noise of the warhorses, wagons and chariots when he enters your gates as men enter a city whose walls have been broken through. The hooves of his horses will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground. They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea. I will put an end to your noisy songs, and the music of your harps will be heard no more. I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt, for I the Lord have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Tyre: Will not the coastlands tremble at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan and the slaughter takes place in you? Then all the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled at you. Then they will take up a lament concerning you and say to you:”

“‘How you are destroyed, city of renown, peopled by men of the sea! You were a power on the seas, you and your citizens; you put your terror on all who lived there. Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall; the islands in the sea are terrified at your collapse.’”

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths over you and its vast waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place in the land of the living. I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more. You will be sought, but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, take up a lament concerning Tyre. Say to Tyre, situated at the gateway to the sea, merchant of peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘You say, Tyre, “I am perfect in beauty.” Your domain was on the high seas; your builders brought your beauty to perfection. They made all your timbers of juniper from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. Of oaks from Bashan they made your oars; of cypress wood from the coasts of Cyprus they made your deck, adorned with ivory. Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail and served as your banner; your awnings were of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah. Men of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; your skilled men, Tyre, were aboard as your sailors. Veteran craftsmen of Byblos were on board as shipwrights to caulk your seams. All the ships of the sea and their sailors came alongside to trade for your wares.”

“‘Men of Persia, Lydia and Put served as soldiers in your army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls, bringing you splendor. Men of Arvad and Helek guarded your walls on every side; men of Gammad were in your towers. They hung their shields around your walls; they brought your beauty to perfection.”

“‘Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin and lead for your merchandise.’”

“‘Greece, Tubal and Meshek did business with you; they traded human beings and articles of bronze for your wares.’”

“‘Men of Beth Togarmah exchanged chariot horses, cavalry horses and mules for your merchandise.’”

“‘The men of Rhodes traded with you, and many coastlands were your customers; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.’”

“‘Aram did business with you because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple fabric, embroidered work, fine linen, coral and rubies for your merchandise.’”

“‘Judah and Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith and confections, honey, olive oil and balm for your wares.’”

“‘Damascus did business with you because of your many products and great wealth of goods. They offered wine from Helbon, wool from Zahar and casks of wine from Izal in exchange for your wares: wrought iron, cassia and calamus.’”

“‘Dedan traded in saddle blankets with you.’”

“‘Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams and goats.’”

“‘The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices and precious stones, and gold.’”

“‘Harran, Kanneh and Eden and merchants of Sheba, Ashur and Kilmad traded with you. In your marketplace they traded with you beautiful garments, blue fabric, embroidered work and multicolored rugs with cords twisted and tightly knotted.’”

“‘The ships of Tarshish serve as carriers for your wares. You are filled with heavy cargo as you sail the sea. Your oarsmen take you out to the high seas. But the east wind will break you to pieces far out at sea.
Your wealth, merchandise and wares, your mariners, sailors and shipwrights, your merchants and all your soldiers, and everyone else on board will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your shipwreck. The shorelands will quake when your sailors cry out. All who handle the oars will abandon their ships; the mariners and all the sailors will stand on the shore. They will raise their voice and cry bitterly over you;
they will sprinkle dust on their heads and roll in ashes. They will shave their heads because of you and will put on sackcloth. They will weep over you with anguish of soul and with bitter mourning. As they wail and mourn over you, they will take up a lament concerning you:’”

“Who was ever silenced like Tyre, surrounded by the sea?”

“’When your merchandise went out on the seas, you satisfied many nations; with your great wealth and our wares you enriched the kings of the earth. Now you are shattered by the sea in the depths of the waters; your wares and all your company have gone down with you. All who live in the coastlands are appalled at you; their kings shudder with horror and their faces are distorted with fear. The merchants among the nations scoff at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’”

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:’”

“‘In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god. Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you? By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.’”

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:”

“‘Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor. They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas. Will you then say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a mortal, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you. You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners.

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:’”

“‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’”

Ezekiel 26, 27, 28:1-19

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

First it was Ammon. Then Moab followed by Edom and Philistia. All were nations who received judgments associated with God’s judgment of His people in Israel and Judah.

Today, we look at yet another nation which received punishment, a nation which bordered the Mediterranean Sea to the north of the other aforementioned countries. That nation was called Tyre and as we can see, the scriptures invested a lot of words about it, two and a half chapters to be exact.

What do we learn besides the geographical location of this country?

The word of God tells us that it was a place of commerce, a place where a lot of trade took place. Tyre’s location on the sea brought the opportunity to bring in goods and wares from all over the world, goods and wares that would be traded with the surrounding nations which included Tarshish, Greece, Tubal, Meshek, Beth Togarmah, Rhodes, Aram, Damascus, Dedan, Arabia, Kedar, Sheba, Raamah, Harran, Kennah, Eden, Ashur, Kilmad, and yes, even Judah and Israel. All brought the best products of their lands and exchanged them for the merchandise offered in Tyre.

Well, all this trade made Tyre one of the wealthiest, most prestigious nations around but they had three major downfalls which resulted in them receiving God’s judgment at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian forces.

1. They looked to capitalize on the destruction of Jerusalem.

“Tyre has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper’”

Jerusalem was not only a divine city of worship but it had its own reputation for commerce and many came to do business within its walls. Of course, any trade in Jerusalem would take away from what Tyre might be able to profit from so as we read in the scriptures, the nation was glad in hearing of Jerusalem’s downfall at the hands of the Babylonians. They showed no compassion or empathy for the deep loss suffered by Judah. Little did they know that they would be the next nation to be left in ruins.

2. They traded dishonestly.

“By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries.”

When prosperity comes to a nation or a person, something sinful can often come with it, something called greed. It’s little wonder why the word of God goes to great lengths to speak about the pitfalls that can come with money if one is not careful.

One of those pitfalls can come when the quest for riches becomes obsessive, so much so that one is willing to do whatever it takes to gain wealth, even if it’s illegal. This is what happened in Tyre and to an extent where God chose to condemn the nation for it.

3. Their ruler thought he was a god.

“Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:’”

“‘In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.’”

The other two transgressions were bad but neither was as detestable to God as this one. It was bad enough that nations had conjured up gods and idols to worship that were not alive but in the case of Tyre, the ruler was on such a power trip that he considered himself a deity, sitting on a throne of special authority. God had to remind him of the reality of things, that he was just a mere human mortal which did not stand a chance when it comes to trying to oppose Him. The ruler and Tyre would see this truth come to life when the Babylonians attacked them.

Seeking to profit off someone else’s misfortunes.

Dealing with other dishonestly in trade.

Believing you’re a god when you’re not.

These were the iniquities that got Tyre in trouble with God and we had better make sure we aren’t adopting these life attitudes either unless we want to experience a judgment associated with the one the scriptures detailed today.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com