Main Idea: Pride leads to destruction.
A Look at the Text:
After prophesying the destruction of nations, Ezekiel’s sights are set on the city of Tyre. There was first judgment (Ezekiel 26), then lament (Ezekiel 27), and finally a word against the ruler of Tyre specifically (Ezekiel 28).
With this, it is made clear that the primary downfall of Tyre was due to its pride. They boasted in beauty (Ezek. 27:3), in power (Ezek. 27:10), and in business (Ezek. 27:12-25). The city’s name meant “rock,” and they were known as an impregnable fortress along the Mediterranean coast.[1] They were great, even unrivaled in trade, and they knew it.
As such, their fall called for great lamentation (Ezek. 27:32), for there was none like them. Though formerly they had abundant wealth (Ezek. 27:33), they would be wrecked and would come to a dreadful end (Ezek. 27:34-36).
Then, in chapter 28, the prince or king of Tyre is brought into primary view. Once more, it is the pride of his heart that was at issue, for it was in competition with the divine (Ezek. 28:2, 6). As a result, he would be humbled and revealed as the mortal he truly was (Ezek. 28:9).
The significance of this fall is then paralleled with a prior fall from paradise (Ezek. 28:11-19). Scholars are divided as to the referent here.
Some believe it’s merely the king of Tyre in very symbolic language. Some believe it’s a reference to Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden. Others see in this passage a description of Satan’s first rebellion against God. The last option seems to be the most convincing to me personally, with one scholar helpfully noting:
The best explanation is that Ezekiel was describing Satan who was the true “king” of Tyre, the one motivating the human “ruler” of Tyre.[2]
Regardless of the referent, the truth of the passage remains the same: it was pride that was at the root of Tyre’s downfall and, more specifically, the downfall of their king. Just as it went with the city, so Ezekiel prophesied that their king would come to a dreadful end (Ezek. 28:19).
Bringing it Home:
God hates pride. Pride inflates self at the expense of God and misplaces worship designated for the Creator upon oneself. It views the gifts of God as personal achievements. It holds the blessings of God as the result of personal merit.
The Scripture is unapologetically clear that God tolerates no competitors, even if they look us in the mirror. He will humble the proud, while the humble He will exalt. Solomon once observed, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).
Let us then heed the biblical admonition to clothe ourselves with humility, knowing that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5). All that we have and all that we are is the result of His grace, and as such He deserves the glory.
Challenge:
Do I take the credit for the gifts and blessings of God in my life?
[1] Victor P. Hamilton, “Ezekiel,” in Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, vol. 3, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995), 577.
[2] Charles H. Dyer, “Ezekiel,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1283.