Problem of Titanic Proportions
In this chapter, Tyre is compared to a proud ship. The people of Tyre basked in their
splendor. They considered themselves
unsinkable. They viewed their domain as
anywhere that there was water to traverse.
Sound like any modern sailing story to you? Like the story of the Titanic, God tells
Ezekiel that Tyre is going to sink as well.
They are a beautiful sailing vessel headed on a course of destruction.
Let’s take a look at what God has to say about Tyre in the first
two-thirds of this chapter. Notice that
the structure of Tyre seems to be in its connections to other nations. The fact that Tyre trades with all of these
other nations and has access to all of the good of these other nations seems to
be a good foundation upon which Tyre is built.
They have access to all the best goods that the nations surrounding the
Mediterranean Sea have to offer! The
people of Tyre genuinely believed that the backbone of their stability was in
their connections to other nations.
Interestingly enough, this is very similar to the sins of Judah
that we talked about a few days ago.
Judah was also a major state built on the economy of trade. Judah was always seeking alliances with
partners all over the known world. Yet
it got them into trouble because as they turned elsewhere for help they
abandoned the God who was the greatest source of help that they could ever
want. The people of Tyre – admittedly,
Gentiles – are guilty of doing the same thing.
They see their strength as being built upon the nations and do not
acknowledge one bit the role that God has had to play in their nation.
East Wind
They simply got too big for their own britches. They swelled with national pride. They saw themselves as invincible. They believed they could overcome
anything. Well, that is, until an east
wind would come.
This mention of the east wind in verse 26 is doubly symbolic. Any traveler on the Mediterranean Sea knew
that western winds made for fairly safe sea travel. However, a wind from the east or north east
typically meant that the weather patterns were messed up because a storm system
was moving through. So the people of
Tyre would know about the literal interpretation of Ezekiel’s words here.
Before I move on to the other symbolic interpretation, let’s pause
for a second and remember a particular story from the book of Acts. Remember in Acts when Paul is headed to
Jerusalem to seek trial for his so-called crimes? If not, read Acts 27. Here is a story about a captain who out of
pride and arrogance ends up experiencing a shipwreck because of a
nor’easter. I find it interesting that
we have two major chapters in the Bible that deal with sailing, shipwrecks,
pride, arrogance, and refusing to be humble to God.
Back to the east wind of verse 26.
Certainly the other symbol of the east wind is the Babylonian
conquest. Babylon has been identified
elsewhere in Ezekiel as a wind or storm coming out of the east. Certainly it is Babylon who will take the
first major step in bringing the trading empire of the Phoenicians to their
knees.
Tyre’s Neighbors
For two chapters in a row, Ezekiel ends his prophetic message with
the reaction of Tyre’s neighbors. As we
heard yesterday, they will weep, wail, and mourn. They will cover their head with dust. They will be affected by Tyre’s
downfall. Economies will suffer. Availability of good will lessen. Babylon will throw a huge wrench into the
economy of the Mediterranean.
However, notice another way that the reaction of the nations to
Tyre’s downfall is different than Tyre’s reaction to the downfall of
Jerusalem. Yes, the nations mourn
whereas Tyre didn’t. But the nations
also learn the lesson. They “whistle through
their teeth” – or hiss, as some translations put it – at what Babylon will do
to Tyre. One of the reasons that I like
the whistling translation as opposed to the hissing translation is because the
whistle doesn’t carry a negative connotation.
Ever hear a person whistle when they hear something big? Or maybe they sit back, whistle, and say, “Whoa!” The trading partners of Tyre will realize
that if Babylon can bring down the mercantile empire of the Phoenicians then
they better watch out.
The nations won’t seek to step in and take over from Tyre. The nations will use this opportunity to step
back, re-evaluate their circumstances, and do a gut-check. Whereas Tyre got caught up in their
invincibility, the other nations will have this be a moment of reality.
I think that this is a really neat truth with which we can end
this passage. It ties beautifully back
to yesterday’s theological exploration.
When we see the fall of people around us, how do we respond? Are we compassionate or exploiting? Do we use it as an opportunity to do a gut
check or do we step up in pride and assume we’re invincible? This is a good teaching for us to remember as
individuals, congregations, ministries, and Christ’s church in general.
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