Eze 28:1-10 | KingComments | STEP | The section of Ezekiel 26-27 speaks of the city of Tyre. In Ezekiel 28 it is about the leader of Tyre. To the eye, Tyre has a leader who leads the city, but behind that man is a spiritual, demonic power that inspires him. There is a close relationship between the leader and that spiritual power. The leader is the visible representative of this demonic power that is worshiped as a deity. We also see the combination of a human leader with a demonic power behind him governing him with the king of Babylon. The demonic power behind the king of Babylon is satan himself ( ). Another example, which is still future, is the beast, the dictator of Europe in the book of Revelation, who is ruled by satan ( ). Behind an earthly leader who has no regard for God, a demonic power rises. The word of the LORD comes to Ezekiel ( ). He is to speak the word of the LORD to the leader of Tyre ( ). God fathoms the heart of that man and sees that in it is the worst pride of Tyre. He is the personification of the city. His pride is that he says of himself that he is God and that as God he rules the world trade. He imagines himself in his island city as in a house of gods on a mountain of gods, untouchable by men and perfectly safe. God reminds him that he is nothing more than a man and not God. Despite this, he is so prideful that he makes his heart like the heart of God. He takes the place of God in pride and thinks he can act autonomously, without depending on anyone. He is completely complacent. Complacency is the typical sin of the great ones of the earth that will have its highest display in the man of sin, the antichrist ( ). It is noteworthy that God says of the leader of Tyre that he is an especially wise man, even wiser than Daniel ( ; ). The leader of Tyre does not moderate himself to be wise; he is wise. God has endowed him with that special wisdom. Only he has not used that wisdom in the manner of Daniel. He has used his extraordinary abilities to his own honor and fame, without any thought of humility in the knowledge that God has given him that wisdom. The leader of Tyre used the wisdom granted to him to pursue selfish ends ( ). He used his wisdom and insight to increase his riches, to acquire wealth and fill his treasuries with gold and silver. By acting smartly, his wealth was increased ( ). But with the increase of his wealth, his pride has also increased. His wealth has corrupted him through and through. In his dealings he has not only been clever, but also dishonest ( ). Those who act apart from God think only of themselves and will always operate with lies and deceit.

‏ Ezekiel 28:1-10

Introduction

The section of Ezekiel 26-27 speaks of the city of Tyre. In Ezekiel 28 it is about the leader of Tyre. To the eye, Tyre has a leader who leads the city, but behind that man is a spiritual, demonic power that inspires him. There is a close relationship between the leader and that spiritual power. The leader is the visible representative of this demonic power that is worshiped as a deity.

We also see the combination of a human leader with a demonic power behind him governing him with the king of Babylon. The demonic power behind the king of Babylon is satan himself (Isa 14:12-15). Another example, which is still future, is the beast, the dictator of Europe in the book of Revelation, who is ruled by satan (Rev 13:1-9). Behind an earthly leader who has no regard for God, a demonic power rises.

The Pride of the Leader of Tyre

The word of the LORD comes to Ezekiel (Eze 28:1). He is to speak the word of the LORD to the leader of Tyre (Eze 28:2). God fathoms the heart of that man and sees that in it is the worst pride of Tyre. He is the personification of the city. His pride is that he says of himself that he is God and that as God he rules the world trade. He imagines himself in his island city as in a house of gods on a mountain of gods, untouchable by men and perfectly safe.

God reminds him that he is nothing more than a man and not God. Despite this, he is so prideful that he makes his heart like the heart of God. He takes the place of God in pride and thinks he can act autonomously, without depending on anyone. He is completely complacent. Complacency is the typical sin of the great ones of the earth that will have its highest display in the man of sin, the antichrist (2Thes 2:3-8).

It is noteworthy that God says of the leader of Tyre that he is an especially wise man, even wiser than Daniel (Eze 28:3; Dan 1:20 ; Dan 5:11 ; 12 ; 14). The leader of Tyre does not moderate himself to be wise; he is wise. God has endowed him with that special wisdom. Only he has not used that wisdom in the manner of Daniel. He has used his extraordinary abilities to his own honor and fame, without any thought of humility in the knowledge that God has given him that wisdom.

The leader of Tyre used the wisdom granted to him to pursue selfish ends (Eze 28:4). He used his wisdom and insight to increase his riches, to acquire wealth and fill his treasuries with gold and silver. By acting smartly, his wealth was increased (Eze 28:5). But with the increase of his wealth, his pride has also increased. His wealth has corrupted him through and through. In his dealings he has not only been clever, but also dishonest (Eze 28:18). Those who act apart from God think only of themselves and will always operate with lies and deceit.

Judgment on the Leader of Tyre

Because the leader of Tyre has become so prideful that he says he is God, the judgment of the Lord GOD will come on him (Eze 28:2 ; 6-7; cf. Acts 12:21-23). God will bring the Babylonians upon him who will treat him violently. Then his wisdom will know no way out and his splendor will be desecrated. Nothing will remain of his pretended divine status.

Humiliation will be to the depths of the pit, i.e. the grave, and to the death of the realm of the dead (Eze 28:8). The place where he has felt and behaved himself as God – the heart of the seas (Eze 28:2) – is the place where he will die. Then it is over and out with his playing God. The LORD holds before him the question of whether, when he is face to face with his murderer, he will persist in claiming to be God (Eze 28:9). What a worthless god he will prove to be when he is in the power of the one who defeated him. He will die a vile death because the Lord GOD has declared it (Eze 28:10). No one will be able to change that.

Wanting to be like God caused the fall into sin (Gen 3:5-6). The desire to be like God has been present in man since that moment. Those who live without God are constantly looking for ways to satisfy that desire. The whole world system, which is in the power of satan, rests on the presumption to be equal to God. Man imagines himself to be God and thinks he has everything under control and can govern everything; and he looks for ways and means to do this better and better. The tragedy of man is that he constantly thinks he can ultimately control everything. God will judge that pride by humbling the proud and punishing them with death, hell. Hell will be full of people who have all imagined themselves to be God in one way or another.