Who is God? Not the Prince of Tyre

 You can read Ezekiel 28-1-10 HERE.

The lament against Tyre continues.   This time specifically against the Prince of Tyre.

The Prince of Tyre is judged because 

“Because your heart is proud,

and you have said, ‘I am a god,

I sit in the seat of the gods,

in the heart of the seas,’

I have to admit, part of me is astounded that a person could think that way.   To think of themselves as a god, yet I am really not surprised.  As the lad and I go through our history books there are many nations whose leaders were actually considered to be gods, or who when individuals gained leadership they said they were a god and could do or command anything they wanted.   So this time it's the Prince of Tyre who has this false notion.

God reminds him clearly.  He is a MAN.  Not a GOD.

 

God admits that he's a smart enough fellow, with a wisdom beyond Daniel, keeper of secrets, and full of understanding.    He recognizes this about the Prince. 

3 you are indeed wiser than Daniel;

no secret is hidden from you;

4 by your wisdom and your understanding

Through his wisdom he has been able to make himself wealthy...and so has become proud of himself, proud in his heart of all his accomplishments 

and your heart has become proud in your wealth—

The Lord can't have this you know.  He can't have a proud man thinking of himself as a god.

 6 therefore thus says the Lord God:

Because you make your heart

like the heart of a god,

This man will be humbled.  Consequences are sure.   The means by which this chastisement will occur is through attack.  Foreigners will fall upon his nation.   

7 therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you,

the most ruthless of the nations;

and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom

and defile your splendor.

8 They shall thrust you down into the pit,

and you shall die the death of the slain

in the heart of the seas.

So God asks this 

9Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’

in the presence of those who kill you,

though you are but a man, and no god,

in the hands of those who slay you?

The Prince will be brought down.   His proud heart is his downfall.

10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised

by the hand of foreigners;

for I have spoken, declares the Lord God.”

I have to admit, right now I am wondering...what do I take out of this?   I know that I fight against pride in my life (who doesn't right?)   You do something well and it's easy to be proud of that.   It's not always easy to keep a level head.   This Prince of Egypt lacked that level head, the leavening to keep his place.   I don't know if it was his upbringing (for instance in the eyes of my mother-in-law my son is a perfect kid) or if was the culture of the day or the mindset of the people that didn't help this fellow realize that important truth.... he wasn't GOD.

He wasn't

I am not.

You are not.

God is.

Do we truly recognize that?

How often do we show it?

When things go well how often do we point out that it was God's doing?

When things aren't going so well, how often we point out God's mercies to us during that time?

It's so easy to not point these things out isn't it?   To not really see God as God in all types of situations in life

Let us see God more clearly eh?

And ourselves.... let us keep ourselves to the humble position of servant, of inheriting children, and not that of being God....cause we most certainly are not that!  :)