UNROLL
Dawn on a high palace terrace above the sea: a single empty royal seat of carved cedar inlaid with ivory and gold, facing the water low in the frame, ships far below, a pale empty sky above.

The nations judged

Ezekiel 28

Where has pride whispered that you don’t need God?

26 verses≈ 6 minBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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Where we are

  1. 1–3Visions of gloryBy the Kebar, about 593 BC: the throne, the scroll, the watchman
  2. 4–7Signs of the siegeA brick, a ration, a razor: the end has come
  3. 8–11The glory departsAbout 592 BC: the temple’s abominations, the mark, the glory goes east
  4. 12–15False hopesExile acted out, false prophets, a useless vine
  5. 16–19Parables and lamentsAn unfaithful bride, two eagles, the one who sins
  6. 20–24The sword drawnRebellion retold; the siege begins, about 588 BC
  7. 25–32The nations judgedAmmon to Egypt: the LORD is Judge of all the earthChapter 28
  8. 33–36A new heartThe city falls; the Good Shepherd; cleansed and made new
  9. 37–39Dry bones liveOne people raised up, and Gog of Magog defeated
  10. 40–48The LORD is thereAbout 573 BC: the new temple, the river, the land

A Prophecy against the Ruler of Tyre

God

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says:

Your heart is proud,

and you have said,

‘I am a god;

I sit in the seat of gods

in the heart of the sea.’

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God

Yet you are a man and not a god,

though you have regarded your heart

as that of a god.

Ezekiel 28:2

God
A stone palace storeroom in warm lamplight: tall jars and open baskets of silver lumps and gold rings, stacked ivory tusks, folded bolts of purple cloth on cedar shelves.

Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;

no secret is hidden from you!

By your wisdom and understanding

you have gained your wealth

and amassed gold and silver

for your treasuries.

By your great skill in trading

you have increased your wealth,

but your heart has grown proud

because of it.

God

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:

Because you regard your heart

as the heart of a god,

behold, I will bring foreigners against you,

the most ruthless of nations.

They will draw their swords

against the beauty of your wisdom

and will defile your splendor.

They will bring you down to the Pit,

and you will die a violent death

in the heart of the seas.

God

Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’

in the presence of those who slay you?

You will be only a man, not a god,

in the hands of those who wound you.

You will die the death of the uncircumcised

at the hands of foreigners.

For I have spoken,

declares the Lord GOD.”

Question

Quick question

Look again at what the ruler of Tyre said in his heart.

What did the ruler of Tyre claim in his proud heart?

A Lament for the King of Tyre

God

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, take up a lament for the king of Tyre and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘You were the seal of perfection,

full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

God
A broad collar of gold work set with many polished gems, red, golden, green, deep blue and banded, lying on dark purple cloth on a stone ledge, green garden leaves at the edge of the frame.

You were in Eden,

the garden of God.

Every kind of precious stone adorned you:

ruby, topaz, and diamond,

beryl, onyx, and jasper,

sapphire, turquoise, and emerald.

Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold,

prepared on the day of your creation.

God

You were anointed as a guardian cherub,

for I had ordained you.

You were on the holy mountain of God;

you walked among the fiery stones.

From the day you were created

you were blameless in your ways—

until wickedness was found in you.

God
Evening on a cracked stone terrace above the sea: the same carved cedar-and-ivory royal seat lies overturned in the dust, gold leaf flaking from it, a torn purple cloth beside it.

By the vastness of your trade,

you were filled with violence, and you sinned.

So I drove you in disgrace

from the mountain of God,

and I banished you, O guardian cherub,

from among the fiery stones.

Your heart grew proud of your beauty;

you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor;

so I cast you to the earth;

I made you a spectacle before kings.

God
A stone terrace above a gray sea at dusk: gray ash and charred cedar beams low in the frame, a thin last smoke drifting, a darkening empty sky above.

By the multitude of your iniquities

and the dishonesty of your trading

you have profaned your sanctuaries.

So I made fire come from within you,

and it consumed you.

I reduced you to ashes on the ground

in the eyes of all who saw you.

All the nations who know you

are appalled over you.

You have come to a horrible end

and will be no more.’”

0:21

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Pray

Pray

Lord God, every gift I have is from You. Guard my heart from pride in my wisdom, my work or my beauty. I am a creature, and You alone are God. Amen.

A man, not a god

“I am a god”28:2: in his heartWise and rich28:3–5: by tradingBrought down28:6–10: to the PitIn Eden28:12–14: on God’smountainPride found28:15–17: cast to theearthAshes28:18–19: no more

Whiteboard

Two pictures of one fall: the proud ruler, and a creature in the garden who wanted more.

A Prophecy against Sidon

God
Gray morning at a harbor town on a low headland: a small rocky islet offshore sheltering the harbor, tall stone houses behind sea walls, ships at anchor, mountains behind.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Sidon and prophesy against her. And you are to declare that this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,

and I will be glorified within you.

They will know that I am the LORD

when I execute judgments against her

and demonstrate My holiness through her.

God

I will send a plague against her

and shed blood in her streets;

the slain will fall within her,

while the sword is against her on every side.

Then they will know that I am the LORD.

God
God

For the people of Israel will no longer face a pricking brier or a painful thorn from all around them who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.’

The Restoration of Israel

God

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they have been scattered, I will show Myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will dwell in their own land, which I have given to My servant Jacob.

God
Late-afternoon light on a hillside: new flat-roofed fieldstone houses with mud-plastered roofs, young vines staked in fresh terraces below them, washing drying on a roof, a calm valley.

And there they will dwell securely, build houses, and plant vineyards. They will dwell securely when I execute judgments against all those around them who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.’”

You’ve experienced

Ezekiel 28

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A verse to carry with you

Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.

Ezekiel 28:2

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