August 1, 2011
DON'T LET PRIDE BE YOUR DOWNFALL
Ezekiel 28
David Marvin
Central Truth
Power, beauty, wealth, intelligence, and position can be dangerous because, when they are ours, we forget who gave them to us. This forgetfulness is rooted in pride.
Key Verse | Ezekiel 28:17
"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I put you before kings,
That they may see you."
(Ezekiel 28:17)
Ezekiel 28
Prophecy Against the Prince of Tyre
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God:
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,’
yet you are but a man, and no god,
though you make your heart like the heart of a god—
3
you are indeed wiser than Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you;
4
by your wisdom and your understanding
you have made wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries;
5
by your great wisdom in your trade
you have increased your wealth,
and your heart has become proud in your wealth—
6
therefore thus says the Lord God:
Because you make your heart
like the heart of a god,
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.
9
Will 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?
10
You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, declares the Lord God.”
A Lament over the King of Tyre
11 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me: 12 “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:
You were the signet of perfection,
1
28:12
The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,
sardius, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire,
2
28:13
Or lapis lazuli
emerald, and carbuncle;
and crafted in gold were your settings
and your engravings.
3
28:13
The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
On the day that you were created
they were prepared.
14
You were an anointed guardian cherub.
I placed you;
4
28:14
The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
you were on the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
15
You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created,
till unrighteousness was found in you.
16
In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and I destroyed you,
5
28:16
Or banished you
O guardian cherub,
from the midst of the stones of fire.
17
Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I exposed you before kings,
to feast their eyes on you.
18
By the multitude of your iniquities,
in the unrighteousness of your trade
you profaned your sanctuaries;
so I brought fire out from your midst;
it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
in the sight of all who saw you.
19
All who know you among the peoples
are appalled at you;
you have come to a dreadful end
and shall be no more forever.”
Prophecy Against Sidon
20 The word of the LORD came to me: 21 “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her 22 and say, Thus says the Lord God:
Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,
and I will manifest my glory in your midst.
And they shall know that I am the LORD
when I execute judgments in her
and manifest my holiness in her;
23
for I will send pestilence into her,
and blood into her streets;
and the slain shall fall in her midst,
by the sword that is against her on every side.
Then they will know that I am the LORD.
24 And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.
Israel Gathered in Security
25 Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.”
Dive Deeper | Ezekiel 28
"Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." (Matthew 23:12)
I have never been tested, but think I might have a slight case of obsessive compulsive disorder. My roommates can attest that for some reason I struggle to allow things to be "out of order." This includes keeping my car very clean and making sure there is always some sort of air freshener in it. What's funny about these "new car" scented air fresheners is that I can't smell them any more. I am in my car so often that I don't even notice them until someone else gets in, coughs, and asks, "What's that smell?"
Like my inability to smell those little scented trees in my car, we are not aware of how strong the smell of our pride is. Pride has been called the root of all sin, and if that is true, then our lives and our world are probably steeped with pride in ways we often don't even recognize.
This chapter is well known because some think that in describing the downfall of king of Tyre, it also alludes to the fall of Satan from God's grace (verses 12-19). Using this interpretation, we understand that Satan was created with the "seal of perfection," and not as some ambassador for evil. He was so enamored of his perfection that he took his eyes off God and placed them on himself. Because of his prideful act, he was thrown from heaven. As in Satan's downfall, the desire to please one's self above one's God was also responsible for Adam's removal from the Garden of Eden. Pride, like all sin, always limits our ability to experience God's presence fully.
But God gave us Jesus, who in humility came and died to pay for all of the sin and self-exaltation that enslaves us. By learning to walk with Him, we are given freedom from this pride and the sin it produces. Our trust in Jesus restores us to God and allows us to experience more of His presence with each step of humility we take.
Discussion Questions
1. What do you take the most pride in about yourself?
2. What causes you to feel the most shame about yourself?
3. Does pride always express itself in self-exalting? Could it also be expressed in self-pity?
4. Do you find yourself being a person who is less and less concerned with one's self and more concerned with others?
5. Why do you think God hates pride?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
EZEKIEL 28-32 (AUGUST 1-5)
In Ezekiel 26 and 27 Ezekiel is telling about the destruction of Tyre, a nation that had become prideful. In Ezekiel 28 he is talking specifically to the king of Tyre.
Read Ezekiel 28:1-10.
What did the king of Tyre believe about himself? Who does he think he is wiser than (see verse 3)?
Read Daniel 2:20-23.
Where did Daniel believe his wisdom came from?
Read Proverbs 2:6.
Where does wisdom come from? What happens when we start believing that we are wiser than God? What happens when we forget that all wisdom comes from God? What are things you can do to remind yourself that all wisdom comes from God? How can you protect yourself from becoming prideful?
ACTIVITY: As a family, talk about the things that you will do this week to guard against pride. Also discuss ways that you can help each other remember who is the giver of all wisdom. Make bracelets to wear for the rest of the month that will remind you that God is the giver of all wisdom . . . that HE is God, and we are not!