QT 8/11/2023 Ezek 26:7-14, The world is in great danger

Ezekiel 26:7–14 (ESV) —

7 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a host of many soldiers. 8 He will kill with the sword your daughters on the mainland. He will set up a siege wall against you and throw up a mound against you, and raise a roof of shields against you. 9 He will direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. 10 His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen and wagons and chariots, when he enters your gates as men enter a city that has been breached. 11 With the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. Your stones and timber and soil they will cast into the midst of the waters. 13 And I will stop the music of your songs, and the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more. 14 I will make you a bare rock. You shall be a place for the spreading of nets. You shall never be rebuilt, for I am the Lord; I have spoken, declares the Lord God.

 

NOTE: God's prophecy here starts with him sending Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Tyre, and in verses 13-14, God finishes the destruction (using Alexander). The land portion of the city was destroyed early, but the island remained until Alexander built a causeway out to the city. The city was destroyed and for a long time it remained a bare rock and a place for the spreading of nets. All the walls were toppled. Its strategic location and difficulty in conquering had made this immensely rich city very proud. Cooper writes "Babylon is a byword for godless government, and Tyre is a byword for pride and self-sufficiency." Alexander's causeway now has grown so large it is really just part of the coast now. Jamieson writes "Not that there was to be no more a Tyre, but she was no more to be the Tyre that once was: her glory and name were to be no more. As the Old Tyre, the prophecy was literally fulfilled, not a vestige of it being left.” The ruins are still there, but there is a city built on the causeway and parts of the old island. Its glory is long-gone.

 

I see our nation heading in the direction of these two former cities, Babylon characterized by godless government, and Tyre characterized by pride and self-sufficiency due to its great wealth. All nations can fall and all nations have in the past. Our time is coming. Our abandonment of truth and the apostasy from God will destroy us. The evil one is a hard task master. He promises much but he hides the cost. We are spending innocent lives in the pursuit of his lies. We need to repent.

 

PONDER:

1. In my personal life, is God in charge?
2. In my personal life, am I prideful because of my riches?

 

PRAYER: Father, forgive me for trusting in things and not you. Lead me and guide me in these days so that you are honored in all things.