Daily Bible Devotionals

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, lament for the king of Tyre and say to him: This is what the Lord God says: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone covered you: carnelian, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold; they were prepared on the day you were created. You were an anointed guardian cherub, for I had appointed 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.’” Ezekiel 28:11-15 (HCSB)

Behind the description of the fall of the King of Tyre lies the shadow of Satan. Many commentators have believed that behind this passage (and a similar one of the fall of the King of Babylon in Isaiah 14:12-14) lies a traditional account of the fall of Satan, whose image these arrogant monarchs bore. But other commentators believe Ezekiel’s description also bears a striking resemblance to Adam.

Commentators may be correct in both instances because, in essence, Ezekiel is poetically portraying the idea of a great fall from a “perfect” existence (28:12). The king seemed to have everything: he is decked out in high-class “bling” – and falls! Adam had everything – and fell! And with Adam, we, too, fell!

Satan had everything – and fell, as well! Ezekiel compares the King of Tyre to a guardian “cherub” on the “holy mountain of God” (28:14). This expression was a common way of alluding to the “place” where God was thought to dwell. Thus, the King of Tyre, who claimed to be a god, resides in the “mountain of God” but falls: unrighteousness is found in him (28:15). And the cause of his unrighteousness? Greed and self-aggrandizement, set up in a single, self-condemning sentence: Your heart became proud. (28:17)

It has been suggested that these were the elements that Adam found so alluring that pride was the essence of Adam’s sin in Eden because pride is the essence of sin in general. The King of Tyre’s fall, spectacular and shocking as it was, symbolizes what sin can expect, no matter where it is found. Adam was banished from Eden, and the fault lay entirely within himself. Regardless of the number of angles & attempts temptation takes in pursuit of our worship, it is impossible to con an honest man. As any sea-faring man knows (and surely the King of Tyre was the Sea-Farer of all seafarers), all the water in the World cannot sink even the smallest boat unless it finds a way inside!

And now another warning for America…are we not guilty of the same pride and position as Tyre? Have we not boasted of being the World’s “provider & protector”? Yes, American Christians sponsor the bulk of ministry and give more to charity than any other people group…yet wasn’t it Tyre who provided all the supplies for the building of Solomon’s temple? Our “island” is overwhelmed by the moral & financial tsunami we have created. Jesus is the only “ark” into which we must run to be saved! (Acts 4:12)

“Your wealth, merchandise, and goods, your sailors and captains, those who repair your leaks, those who barter for your goods, and all the warriors within you, with all the other people on board, sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your downfall. The countryside shakes at the sound of your sailors’ cries. All those who handle an oar disembark from their ships. The sailors and all the captains of the sea stand on the shore. They raise their voices over you and cry out bitterly. They throw dust on their heads; they roll in ashes. They shave their heads because of you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They weep over you with deep anguish and bitter mourning. In their wailing they lament for you, mourning over you: Who was like Tyre, silenced in the middle of the sea? When your merchandise was unloaded from the seas, you satisfied many peoples. You enriched the kings of the earth with your abundant wealth and goods. Now you are shattered by the sea in the depths of the waters; your goods and the people within you have gone down. All the inhabitants of the coasts and islands are appalled at you. Their kings shudder with fear; their faces are contorted. Those who trade among the peoples mock you; you have become an object of horror and will never exist again.”  Ezekiel 27:27-36 (HCSB)

Today’s passage is eerily repeated in Revelation 18 over a future kingdom (the kingdom of the Great Whore, Babylon) that will seduce the nations with her goods & wares. Lest we simply shake our heads in shame at ancient Tyre, perhaps we should look at how we have imitated her idolatry so that we might avoid her judgment!

“The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with her will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off in fear of her torment, saying: Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in a single hour, your judgment has come. The merchants of the earth will also weep and mourn over her because no one buys their merchandise any longer - merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine fabrics of linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass, iron, and marble; cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine wheat flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves and human lives. The fruit you craved has left you. All your splendid and glamorous things are gone; they will never find them again. The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying: Woe, woe, the great city, dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls, for in a single hour such fabulous wealth was destroyed! And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out: “Who is like the great city?” They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning: Woe, woe, the great city, where all those who have ships on the sea became rich from her wealth, for in a single hour she, was destroyed. Rejoice over her, heaven, and you saints, apostles, and prophets, because God has executed your judgment on her!” Revelation 18:9-20 (HCSB)

“For thus says the Lord God: ‘When I make you (Tyre) a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory in the land of the living. I will make you a terror, and you shall be no more; though you are sought for, you will never be found again,’ says the Lord God.”  Ezekiel 26:19-21 (NKJV)

Fraud and greed have become so commonplace in our culture that our conditioned response is typically a yawn instead of outrage. As long as there are financial sections of newspapers, their headlines will mostly read of scandal in the marketplace. Tyre was the commercial center of the ancient Middle East. In the following three chapters, she comes under the scrutiny of the divine Accountant and judge. The previous chapter dealt mainly with the violence of the nations to the east of Judah, and the following three chapters will focus largely on the commercial life of the nations to the northwest.

Tyre was the capital of Phoenicia, which included Gebal and Sidon. These were all Mediterranean ports, and (together with the Philistines) the Phoenicians were great merchant traders of the ancient Near East, hence, The gate of the nations. (26:2)

During the reigns of David & Solomon, Tyre established good relations with Israel; there is no record of any war between Israel and these Mediterranean coastal states.   In fact, they are mostly known for their cooperation: King Hiram 1st of Tyre provided wood and artisans for Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 5:1-18) and sailors for his commercial fleet (1 Kings 9:27). But there had been moments of tension over economic matters. Extra-biblical historical accounts reveal that the Phoenicians had taken advantage of Judah’s battle with the Babylonians by plundering them from the northwest and exploiting them with high trade tariffs and over-inflated prices on essential goods.

Tyre’s primary offense, though, was its arrogance. Their greatest idol was the one they saw looking back as they stared into the mirror! As the major shipping giant, Tyre was unstoppable at sea, and since they were strategically located partly on the mainland and partly on an adjacent island, they were virtually impenetrable. Of course, in the words of Ezekiel, one tsunami could cure the excessive pride of any island empire. Indeed, Tyre was about to face a tsunami in the likes of a Babylonian wave, which destroyed the inland portion of Tyre’s empire. A later “tsunami wave,” named Alexander the Great, would take the rubble of Babylon’s inland destruction and build a bridge with it. In that bridge of rubble, Alexander marched to the island and defeated Tyre once & for all.

So, how did Tyre’s self-worship display itself in such a way to anger God to the extent that He would have her virtually destroyed? 1. Tyre depended on her physical resources. (26:4, 7, 9-11) 2. Tyre put her trust in her leaders. (26:16) 3. Tyre was materialistic. (26:12) 4. Tyre was in love with the “good life.” (26:13) Sadly, these traits describe America perfectly. When you feel the urge to brace for impact, pray for Revival!

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Ezekiel 25. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.’ So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.” Ezekiel 24:15-18 (NKJV)

Covenant-breakers can expect the curses of the covenant upon them. That is what happened to God’s people in Ezekiel’s day. In a day of compromise by false ecumenism, secularism, and ritual formality, it is a lesson that today’s Church-at-large needs to hear. It is not a popular message and anyone who proclaims it will be as despised as any of the ancient prophets were. But we need to be as faithful as Ezekiel was. His testimony, his willingness to subject his most sensitive feelings in submission to the Lord’s overall purpose, is a singular mark of his discipleship.  

During the time of today’s chapter is an incident that is undoubtedly one of the saddest in Scripture. Ezekiel’s wife dies, and the Lord commands the prophet to use her death (by his response) as an illustration to the exiles of how they are to respond to what is going to take place in Jerusalem. Ezekiel was to hide his grief and show no mourning.

Many readers have considered Ezekiel weak or inhumane for not mourning. But on the contrary, Ezekiel’s strength allowed him to willingly comply with the Lord’s request. At no point does Ezekiel give way to his feelings, as Jeremiah does time and again. We can identify with Jeremiah’s sense of frustration, but because our present generation dislikes authority and absolutes, Ezekiel comes off as aloof and bland. Yet, the greatness of Ezekiel’s testimony lies in the fact that, for God’s Word to be magnified, Ezekiel himself must hide behind it entirely.

Our generation seems preoccupied with not offending people. In many Christian circles, the self-imposed prerequisite that we are sensitive to the feelings of others and “politically correct” completely neutralizes the restorative message of God’s Word. Ezekiel was commanded to divorce himself from emotions, even toward his beloved wife. And therein lies the real gravity of Chapter 24: God’s holiness is paramount, and His empathy toward His “bride” is completely in accordance with that holiness.

When we attach the 1st half of chapter 24 with the 2nd, we clearly see that God’s “burning-away” of the “dross” within His people must be accomplished without His personal or emotional attachment. Otherwise, judgment will be compromised, and what comes forth from the fire will be less than perfect gold.

Have you ever wondered why God allows difficult times to fall upon “good” people, even His own children? Perhaps it is because we only judge one another as “good” from a human perspective, while God, in His Mercy, shows us the “dross” in our lives by turning up the heat.

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, therefore you shall bear the penalty of your lewdness and your harlotry.’” Ezekiel 23:35 (NKJV)

In today’s chapter, God refers to Israel as “Ohoah” (tent) and Jerusalem as “Ohlivah” (My tent is in her). The image of the tent most likely refers to the Tent of Meeting, the Tabernacle. Long since abandoned in exchange for the Temple in Jerusalem, the Tabernacle was still symbolic of spiritual intimacy, which was supposed to distinguish Israel’s relationship to God from all the other nations’ relationships with their false gods.

Of course, we all know the intimate activities of a man & wife in their “tent,” and that is exactly the point God is making to Israel. They had a “marriage” relationship, and the worship relationship between God and His people should be the most significant and intimate thing on earth. Yet Israel had “whored” herself to the non-gods of the nations.

Let’s put this in somewhat graphic yet contemporary terms. Suppose a man & woman get married, and one day, the man comes home early and sees an unfamiliar car in his driveway. When he enters his home, the husband sees a strange gentleman sitting at his kitchen table. When the husband asks who the man is, the wife says he is just a friend.  

Several days go by, and every day, when the husband comes home, the stranger is there; he is eating at the husband’s table, playing with his children, and joking with his wife. Then, one day, the husband comes home to find the stranger abusing his wife. When the husband rushes in, yelling for the man to stop, the wife turns to the husband and says, “I would rather be abused by him than loved by you.”

I apologize for describing such a horrible scenario, and you may believe I have overstepped my bounds by publishing it, but that is precisely what we tell God when we choose to be abused by the World and give ourselves over to its “idols” allowing them to control and exploit us. In essence, we tell God, “We would rather be abused by the world, our flesh, and the devil than loved by You.”

I will continue to say that Ezekiel is a wake-up call for the Church, especially here in America. When will we return from our “lovers” to the Lord? And what will be the catalyst for true hope and real change? It’s when we return to a personal relationship with God through a saving relationship with Messiah Jesus and spending time with God in His Word.  

There will be no return to America’s prominence until there is a spiritual revival, which goes for any country. And there is no revival without a hardcore return to God’s Word, to the point where it saturates the souls of the individual believer so that they begin acting faithfully toward God, as a husband/wife relationship was created to operate.

“‘So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,’ says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 22:30-31 (NKJV)

When I read Ezekiel, my heart breaks for the United States because I know what is in store if she does not repent. My heart also breaks for Israel because I read what happened to her when she did not repent. And when I read the Revelation, my heart breaks for those who refuse the gospel and remain in the World; I know what is in store for them because they will refuse to repent.

The 16th-century Scottish protestant preacher John Knox was known for advocating violent responses to Catholic atrocities of his day. He was eventually imprisoned, yet, in the final two days of his life, Knox informed his friends that he had spent the last two days “battling on behalf of the Church.”  He ended his days doing the work of an intercessor. Intercessory prayer has been practiced by all the best of God’s leaders.

Think of Abraham, the “father of the faithful,” praying for his son Ishmael: “If only Ishmael might live under Your blessing!” (Genesis 17:18) Abraham also pleaded for Sodom. (Genesis 18:16-33) Think of the many times Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the Lord, standing between God & Israel. Think about Paul pleading for Messiah followers, too, that they might be strengthened with power. (Ephesians 3:14-19)

In Ezekiel’s day, no intercessors could be found for Jerusalem. That was a shame because God indicates (in today’s passage) that Jerusalem’s ultimate fall came expressly because no intercessor was prepared to stand between the city’s sin and God’s wrath.  

Take a moment and ask yourself an honest question: In leu of our present cultural tensions, have you focused your prayers more on your personal escape than on God’s relenting from judging our nation as a whole? Have you sought how He might use you to stand in the gap for others? The reason I ask is that we must have intercessors’ hearts. Prayer works! And there have been times when the entire course of history has been changed by the prayers of God’s intercessors…or the lack thereof.

Some believers hold that God is unmovable, and our worship/prayer does not sway His plans in any way. It is, to them, as if God set history into motion, wound up a clock at the beginning of time, and He is patiently waiting for the buzzer to go off, signaling time’s end. I am sad for those people because nothing could be farther from the truth. Don’t take my word for it; take God’s! He searched for an intercessor for Jerusalem (as there had been in days past) but to no avail.

Let’s take today’s chapter as a challenge to recommit ourselves to the Lord, seek Him with all that is within us and pray on behalf of those who are yet to believe! Perhaps God will respond, as in the days of Judah’s King Josiah. (2 Chronicles 34:26-28)

“It will seem like false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn an oath to the Babylonians, but it will draw attention to their guilt so that they will be captured. Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your actions, since you have done this, you will be captured by them.” Ezekiel 21:23-24 (HCSB)

Pretending to be the King of Babylon, Ezekiel – standing at some imaginary crossroads – decides whether to take his army eastward and attack Rabbah of the Ammonites or go westward and attack Jerusalem. In his typical “performance art” manner, Ezekiel marked the two routes by drawing a simple map on the ground. Then, using an elaborate method of divination – something on which the Babylonians relied extensively – Ezekiel portrays the King of Babylon casting lots (dice), shooting arrows, and consulting idols to indicate the possible course of action. The lot falls upon Jerusalem.

Verse 22 outlines the battle plans, including “battering rams” to break down the city walls, a “ramp” to scale the city wall, and “siege works” – wooden or stone structures that the enemy would use to gain cover from attack. Those who remained in Judah simply would not believe Ezekiel’s message, partly because those left behind after the siege of 598 B.C. made an oath with King Nebuchadnezzar to be loyal to him. Interesting, God knows our rebellion before we do! And yet, He chooses to love us, not only despite the sin we have committed but also despite the sin we have yet to commit. And how has God chosen to love us?

“But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV)

Another reason Israel refused to believe Ezekiel’s message was that they simply chose to believe the lies of the false prophets instead of trusting in God’s Word. Whenever people follow a false prophet, it is always because they are void of an intimate knowledge of God’s Word. Had they known God’s Word, they would have been able to distinguish the false prophecies because of their inconsistencies with God’s Heart.

Lest we fall into the same delusion as apostate Judah and believe such a blatant ignorance of God’s Word (among His people) is only a thing of the past, perhaps we should be reminded of what is prophesied for the Church-at-large’s future:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” 2 Timothy 4:3-6 (NKJV)

“’You will know that I am Yahweh, house of Israel, when I have dealt with you because of My Name rather than according to your evil ways and corrupt acts.’ This is the declaration of the Lord God.”  Ezekiel 20:44 (HCSB)

Salvation is by Grace through Faith: “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift - not from works so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 Lest we entertain the idea that salvation by Grace through Faith (and not through the works of the Law) is a New Testament idea, Ezekiel lets us know that this has ALWAYS been God’s standard. If we were weighed by our deeds, without the gracious leniency of the Lord, we could never enter into a saving relationship with Him, whereby He would consider us co-inheritors with the Messiah. To be clear, the Grace of God is not that He gives us the faith to believe. God’s Grace is that He considers our faith (the faith of imperfect and unrighteous people) as if it were righteousness. How can this be? We can be counted as righteous because the OBJECT of our faith (Messiah Jesus) is perfect and righteous. It is not our works of the Law, but rather His atoning work on our behalf that the Father accepts as righteousness.

Getting back to Ezekiel, religion in Israel had become so corrupt that idolatry was mixed with YHWH worship. Worship was polluted and became worthless in God’s eyes. Salvation (God’s favor) was not determined by simply being Jewish and “going through the religious motions.”  Just pursuing the culture of worship (while ignoring the ongoing pursuit of God’s Word) was dangerous because so many pagan ideologies & practices had been added, and they steered both the practice and philosophy of worship. So, God had to step in. He brought trauma to the kingdom and allowed the people who merely bore His Name in a national sense to be conquered and deported. Why would He do that? Because He is a just God. Also, He was separating the people who merely bore His Name NATIONALLY from those who would choose to bear His Name PERSONALLY. By God’s Grace, through the faith of the individual who chose to repent and follow Him as He prescribed, He (one by one) rebuilt His people, a Chosen People who had chosen Him.  Have you chosen to follow God, Who has chosen you to be saved through your faith in Messiah Jesus?

“‘I will bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you were scattered, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath. I will lead you into the wilderness of the peoples and enter into judgment with you face to face. Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you.’ This is the declaration of the Lord God. ‘I will make you pass under the rod and will bring you into the bond of the covenant. And I will also purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land where they live as foreign residents, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am YHWH. As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord God says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But afterward you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy Name with your gifts and idols.’”  Ezekiel 20:34-39 (HCSB)