A Message for Tyre’s King
1Then this message came to me from the LORD: 2“Son of man, give the prince of Tyre this message from the Sovereign LORD:
“In your great pride you claim, ‘I am a god!
I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.’
But you are only a man and not a god,
though you boast that you are a god.
3You regard yourself as wiser than Daniel
and think no secret is hidden from you.
4With your wisdom and understanding you have amassed great wealth—
gold and silver for your treasuries.
5Yes, your wisdom has made you very rich,
and your riches have made you very proud.
6“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Because you think you are as wise as a god,
7I will now bring against you a foreign army,
the terror of the nations.
They will draw their swords against your marvelous wisdom
and defile your splendor!
8They will bring you down to the pit,
and you will die in the heart of the sea,
pierced with many wounds.
9Will you then boast, ‘I am a god!’
to those who kill you?
To them you will be no god
but merely a man!
10You will die like an outcast*
at the hands of foreigners.
I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!”
11Then this further message came to me from the LORD: 12“Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD:
“You were the model of perfection,
full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty.
13You were in Eden,
the garden of God.
Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone*—
red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone,
blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper,
blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald—
all beautifully crafted for you
and set in the finest gold.
They were given to you
on the day you were created.
14I ordained and anointed you
as the mighty angelic guardian.*
You had access to the holy mountain of God
and walked among the stones of fire.
15“You were blameless in all you did
from the day you were created
until the day evil was found in you.
16Your rich commerce led you to violence,
and you sinned.
So I banished you in disgrace
from the mountain of God.
I expelled you, O mighty guardian,
from your place among the stones of fire.
17Your heart was filled with pride
because of all your beauty.
Your wisdom was corrupted
by your love of splendor.
So I threw you to the ground
and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings.
18You defiled your sanctuaries
with your many sins and your dishonest trade.
So I brought fire out from within you,
and it consumed you.
I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching.
19All who knew you are appalled at your fate.
You have come to a terrible end,
and you will exist no more.”
A Message for Sidon
20Then another message came to me from the LORD: 21“Son of man, turn and face the city of Sidon and prophesy against it. 22Give the people of Sidon this message from the Sovereign LORD:
“I am your enemy, O Sidon,
and I will reveal my glory by what I do to you.
When I bring judgment against you
and reveal my holiness among you,
everyone watching will know
that I am the LORD.
23I will send a plague against you,
and blood will be spilled in your streets.
The attack will come from every direction,
and your people will lie slaughtered within your walls.
Then everyone will know
that I am the LORD.
24No longer will Israel’s scornful neighbors
prick and tear at her like briers and thorns.
For then they will know
that I am the Sovereign LORD.
Restoration for Israel
25“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The people of Israel will again live in their own land, the land I gave my servant Jacob. For I will gather them from the distant lands where I have scattered them. I will reveal to the nations of the world my holiness among my people. 26They will live safely in Israel and build homes and plant vineyards. And when I punish the neighboring nations that treated them with contempt, they will know that I am the LORD their God.”
August 21 Reflection & Worship
Then You Will Know
DRAW A CIRCLE AND GET INSIDE, THEN PRAY GOD WILL SEND REVIVAL WITHIN THE CIRCLE.
LOOK BACK Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel—each shares a common experience. Early in their prophetic ministries, they experience a vision from God that shapes the entire course of their lives. Ezekiel discovers that the person God can use is awed by the glory of God . . . available to the Spirit of God . . . and acting on the Word of God. In signs and symbols, Ezekiel dramatizes the fate awaiting his countrymen: siege, enslavement, and a “very close shave”! Indeed, the end is near, and God is going out of his way to be sure the world knows who is behind it all—the sovereign Lord.
As the glory departs from the Temple, it is clear that judgment and exile for Judah’s leaders cannot be far behind, for as go the leaders, so go the people. Jerusalem has been unfaithful and fruitless, but God has shown loyal love in the face of their spiritual prostitution. Lamenting loudly and repenting of its wicked ways are the only appropriate responses to God’s undying love. They are responses that Judah and its pagan neighboring nations desperately need to learn.
LOOK UP Specialization has been defined as “the art of learning more and more about less and less.” Wisdom comes more from living than from studying, and indeed, it is better to know some of the answers than all of the questions.
There are many things God wants you to know, but perhaps the most important is the truth repeated dozens of times in the book of Ezekiel: “You will know that I alone am the LORD” (Ezekiel 6:7). Whatever else you learn in life will be meaningless unless and until you discover that God exists and rewards those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).
Scan back through the chapters you have read in Ezekiel this past week, and catalog a few of the things that should have led the people of God to the inescapable conclusion that there is a God and he is not silent.
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LOOK AHEAD God is sovereignly in control of what happens in your life, your family, and your nation. Did you know that? If so, what difference does it make?
God is holy, totally separate from sin, and totally committed to helping you find power over every sinful habit that still clings to your life. Did you know that? If so, what is his will for you today?
God knows all about you and still loves you unconditionally. Did you know that? If so, there’s nothing he would rather hear than “I love you, Lord” flowing from your heart to his. Have you told him that today? If not, there’s no time like the present.