Year 2, Week 20, Day 2 Bible Reading Observations

Year 2, Week 20, Day 2

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Ezekiel 26-27.

Today’s reading continues the Book of Ezekiel. Today’s reading continues the second segment of Ezekiel (chapters 25-32), which is a series of prophecies about judgment against seven nations surrounding Israel and Judah. The oracle of judgment against Tyre covers most of Ezekiel 26-28 as each chapter come to an end with a similar statement: "I will bring you to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more” (Ezekiel 26:21); “you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever” (Ezekiel 27:36b); and “you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever” (Ezekiel 28:19b). The first chapter directly addresses the city with a prophecy of doom; the second sings a lament over the city’s sad fate; and the third focuses on the pride and fall of Tyre’s ruler, expressed in idealized terms. Ezekiel 26 addresses Tyre who had celebrated Jerusalem’s downfall and therefore would face their own downfall: “Son of man, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste,’ therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you” (Ezekiel 26:2-3a). Ezekiel 27 depicts Tyre as a beautiful merchant ship, which the Lord will sink: “The ships of Tarshish traveled for you with your merchandise. So you were filled and heavily laden in the heart of the seas…Your riches, your wares, your merchandise, your mariners and your pilots, your caulkers, your dealers in merchandise, and all your men of war who are in you, with all your crew that is in your midst, sink into the heart of the seas on the day of your fall” (Ezekiel 27:25,27).

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading is the tone of lament concerning the destruction of Tyre: "The word of the LORD came to me: “Now you, son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre, and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrances to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands” (Ezekiel 27:1-3a). Tyre was a great and prosperous center of trade and commerce: “Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. From Beth-togarmah they exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your wares. The men of Dedan traded with you. Many coastlands were your own special markets; they brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony. Syria did business with you because of your abundant goods; they exchanged for your wares emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and ruby” (Ezekiel 27:12-16). Tyre did commerce with all kinds of costly goods—precious stones, slaves and animals, ebony and ivory, embroidered cloth and fine linen, food and wine, iron and spices—nothing of value is omitted. Tyre’s trading partners came from all over the region—starting with Mediterranean locations and those in Asia Minor (Ezekiel 27:12-15), moving on through Palestinian regions from south to north (Ezekiel 27:16-17), to Syria (Ezekiel 27:18-19), Arabia Ezekiel 27:20-22), and finally Mesopotamia (Ezekiel 27:23-24). As the commercial crossroads of the world, Tyre’s goods came from all four points of the compass and included virtually every commodity of any value.

But Tyre would be brought low: “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon…He will kill with the sword your daughters on the mainland. He will set up a siege wall against you and throw up a mound against you, and raise a roof of shields against you…With the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground. They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses” (Ezekiel 26:7-12). The lively sounds of celebration would end: “And I will stop the music of your songs, and the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more” (Ezekiel 26:13).

The downfall of Tyre would have many far-reaching, rippling effects. Her former trading partners would be horrified at her demise: "In their wailing they raise a lamentation for you and lament over you: Who is like Tyre, like one destroyed in the midst of the sea? When your wares came from the seas, you satisfied many peoples; with your abundant wealth and merchandise you enriched the kings of the earth. Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and all your crew in your midst have sunk with you” (Ezekiel 27:32-34). There seems to be great surprised sadness that a wealthy and prosperous Tyre could fall. But true security lies not in military might, such as Babylon possessed, nor in rich commerce; for the mightiest and the wealthiest can be brought low. The people of Jerusalem would need to discover that their city would be safe and secure as long as the LORD was with her: “Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress…As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever” (Psalm 48:1-8).

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe