“You enriched the kings of the earth with your many luxury goods and your merchandise. But, you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and the entire company will fall in the midst.” (vv.33-34)
Our reading today is a prophetic lament, a poem of serious reflection for Tyre's destruction. Metaphorically speaking, Tyre was a ship loaded with riches that God promised to sink to the bottom of the ocean because they rejoiced in the downfall of Jerusalem and even planned to profit from it.
The first part of the poem builds a picture of the greatness of Tyre and celebrates her wealth, beauty, and economic and military power (vv.1-11). The second part expands the picture even further to show a thriving city with which the entire world was eager to trade (vv.12-25). And the third and final section shows that the bigger they are, the harder they fall (vv. 26-36), as Tyre was besieged and humbled by several invading armies, and eventually destroyed by Alexander in 332 B.C. The world would see and tremble at the spectacle of God’s judgment on this proud city.
Tyre trusted in her riches, as symbolized by a trading ship in this poem, but that object of faith ended up on the bottom of the sea because of her pride. Pride is the enemy of God and focuses on self to such an extent that one’s thoughts do not even have room for God (Ps. 10:4). Only the Lord is worthy of human trust, He is the Rock on which we should stand! – not our wealth.
The Truth: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)
Our reading today is a prophetic lament, a poem of serious reflection for Tyre's destruction. Metaphorically speaking, Tyre was a ship loaded with riches that God promised to sink to the bottom of the ocean because they rejoiced in the downfall of Jerusalem and even planned to profit from it.
The first part of the poem builds a picture of the greatness of Tyre and celebrates her wealth, beauty, and economic and military power (vv.1-11). The second part expands the picture even further to show a thriving city with which the entire world was eager to trade (vv.12-25). And the third and final section shows that the bigger they are, the harder they fall (vv. 26-36), as Tyre was besieged and humbled by several invading armies, and eventually destroyed by Alexander in 332 B.C. The world would see and tremble at the spectacle of God’s judgment on this proud city.
Tyre trusted in her riches, as symbolized by a trading ship in this poem, but that object of faith ended up on the bottom of the sea because of her pride. Pride is the enemy of God and focuses on self to such an extent that one’s thoughts do not even have room for God (Ps. 10:4). Only the Lord is worthy of human trust, He is the Rock on which we should stand! – not our wealth.
The Truth: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)
