Lamentation for a Prideful King

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 28:1-19

 

Ezekiel 28:2

“Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“Because your heart is lifted^[a] up,
And you say, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods,
In the midst of the seas,’
Yet you are a man, and not a god,
Though you set your heart as the heart of a god

(NKJV)

 

In Ezekiel 26-27, Scripture records a proclamation and lamentation for Tyre. In this text, Scripture becomes personal for the text records a proclamation against and lamentation for the king of Tyre. Ezekiel 28:2 tells us that the reason for the fall of Tyre was the pride of their king whose pride had risen to the point of him believing he was a god. Pride precedes a fall in one's life and why it must be avoided at all costs (Proverbs 16:18).

 

Ezekiel receives another word from the Lord, this time the word is directed at Tyre, a city that once existed as an island in the Mediterranean Sea (Ezekiel 28:1-2). The reason for the proclamation against them is the pride of their king, a pride that rose to the point of him believing he was a god. The proclamation challenges this self-deification by asking the king if he thought he was wiser than Daniel (Ezekiel 28:3). God tells the king no secret is hidden from him with his great wisdom and understanding increasing the riches of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:4-5).

 

However, the king’s pride will be his downfall because the Lord will bring strangers against the beauty of the king’s wisdom, defiling his spender (Ezekiel 28:6-7). These enemies shall throw the king down into the Pit with him dying the death of the slain in the midst of the sea (Ezekiel 28:8). The Lord then asks the king if he will still claim to be a god when his enemies slay him when in truth the king is a man who shall die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of aliens (Ezekiel 28:9-10).

 

The Lord then gives Ezekiel a word of lamentation for the king of Tyre that begins with the Lord telling him he was the seal of perfection full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (Ezekiel 28:11-12). Ezekiel 28:13-17 seems to compare the fall of the king of Tyre to the fall of Satan for it mentions him being in Eden, the anointed cherub who covers and one who was perfect till his fall (Ezekiel 28:13-15). Like Satan who was cast from the mountain of God due to sinful pride, the king of Tyre is cast from his kingdom due to pride at the abundance of his trading (Ezekiel 28:16).

 

The hearts of both Satan and the king of Tyre were puffed up because of pride in their beauty which corrupted their wisdom leading to the Lord casting them both to the ground (Ezekiel 28:17). The king of Tyre defiled his sanctuaries with his iniquities causing the Lord to bring fire from his midst that devoured him, turning him to ashes in the sight of all who saw him (Ezekiel 28:18). The king of Tyre became a horror among the peoples who knew him and ceased to exist (Ezekiel 28:19).   

 

Through Ezekiel the Lord issues both a proclamation and lament directed to the king of Tyre, letting him know why destruction has come upon himself and Tyre. The Lord begins by letting the king know it is his pride that has led to his downfall (Proverbs 16:18). In fact, the king’s pride had reached the level where he believed he was a god sitting in the seat of gods (Ezekiel 28:2). This level of pride is the pride of self-deification or the replacement of God with self to the extent one believes they are a god. Besides the reference to the fall of Satan mentioned in the passage, another example of leadership failure due to this level of pride is Nebuchadnezzar taking pride in his kingdom only to be humiliated by eating grass like oxen for seven years (Daniel 4:28-33). The difference for Nebuchadnezzar is he came to his senses and repented with his sanity restored (Daniel 4:34-37). The danger of pride in one’s life is it replaces God in one’s life with self, leading to their downfall.

 

Pride still precedes a fall (Proverbs 16:18) and is something leaders must avoid. The lukewarm Church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) became lukewarm due to their reliance on their riches and wealth, claiming they needed nothing, including God. This level of pride in the Church makes God sick to His stomach (Revelation 3:16). So sick was the Lord with their lukewarmness caused by pride that Jesus is standing outside the door knocking and asking to come back in instead of His involvement within the Church (Revelation 3:20).

 

The Church and its leaders must remember that they need God and have a mission to share Christ with others so they can become disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). The Church is not about its members and leaders touting their riches and good works but about lifting up Jesus which draws all people to Jesus (John 12:32). The Church also needs to repent so the fire of the Holy Spirit can heat up the Church from its lukewarmness (Acts 1:8). Continue praying for revival and the awakening of the Church from its lukewarmness.

 

If you are reading this and have not prayed for the forgiveness of your sins making Jesus the Lord of your life, or have drifted away from your relationship with Christ, I invite you to pray with me now,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post.