The Prince of Tyre; or, the expression and punishment of pride.
"The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto the Prince of Tyre," etc. Following the prophecies concerning the city and state of Tyre, and completing them, Ezekiel delivers these concerning the king of the famous city. They apply to him, not only as a person, but as the representative of the people in their prosperity, power, and pride. "Throughout the East," says the 'Speaker's Commentary,' "the majesty and glory of a people were collected in the person of their monarch, who in some nations was not feared as a man, but actually worshipped as a god …. The prince is here the embodiment of the community. Their glory is his glory, their pride his pride. The doom of Tyre could not be complete without denunciation of the Prince of Tyre." Our subject has two chief divisions.
I. THE EXPRESSION OF PRIDE BY MAN. (Verses 2-6.)
1. Pride of personality. "Thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a god" (Verse 2; cf. Isaiah 14:14). There are other instances of exceeding pride recorded in the sacred Scriptures; e.g. "Pharaoh King of Egypt … said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself" (Ezekiel 29:3). Nebuchadnezzar said, "Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling-place?" etc. (Daniel 4:30). Herod accepted the homage of the people who greeted him as a god (Acts 12:21, Acts 12:22). But the Prince of Tyre, in claiming to be a god, goes beyond these examples. It is as if he upheld the city and state, maintained the prosperity and power of his people, and gave them all their glory. It is a claim of independence and self-sufficiency. In it pride reaches its most daring and blasphemous development, as weak, mortal, sinful man sets himself as a rival even unto God.
2. Pride of position. "I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas" (Verse 2). This proud boast of the Tyrian prince is partly accounted for by "the situation of the island-city, full of luxury and beauty, in the midst of the blue water of the Mediterranean." Moreover, Tyre was regarded by many as a sacred island. Fairbairn says that "Sanchoniathon expressly calls it 'the holy island;' and it is known that the Tyrian colonies all reverenced it as the mother-city of their religion, not less than the original source of their political existence. It was only in the spirit of ancient heathenism to conclude that a state which was not only strong by natural position, and by immense maritime resources, but also stood in such close connection with the Divine, might be warranted in claiming, through its head, something like supernatural strength and absolute perpetuity of being."
3. Pride of wisdom. "Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee." Three facts concerning the wisdom of the Prince of Tyro are here brought to light.
4. Pride of richer. (Verses 4, 5.) In our survey of Ezekiel 26:1-21 and Ezekiel 27:1-36, we noticed the abounding commercial prosperity of Tyre. Its merchants lived as princes. Its wealth was exceeding great. And as its king contemplated these immense riches his heart exulted in the sense of his own wisdom, importance, and power. "Thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches." In all self was supreme. In his treasures, in his wisdom, in his might, in the security of his situation, he recognizes no person or power greater than himself. Verily he regarded himself as a god.
II. THE PUNISHMENT OF PRIDE BY GOD. (Ezekiel 27:6-10.) Since "pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall," the Prince of Tyro must soon meet with a severe check to his unbridled arrogance. The prophet proclaims his doom. Notice:
1. The nature of this punishment.
2. The Author of this punishment. "Thus saith the Lord God … Behold, I will bring strangers upon thee,'" etc. (Lamentations 4:7). God himself, in the operations of his providence, would thus bring down his pride of heart and vain-glorious boasting.
3. The instruments of this punishment. "I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations." The Chaldeans were strangers to the Tyrians. They are not mentioned (in Ezekiel 27:1-36.) amount the peoples who traded with Tyre. They were a people of a strange language, and their army was drawn from countries which were strange to the proud people of the island-city. And they were "terrible." They were powerful and violent beyond all others in that age—the dread conquerors of all whom they assailed. They came against Type, and, after long persistence, humbled the proud city.
4. The consequence of this punishment. "Wilt thou say before him that slayeth thee, I am God" but thou art man, and not God, in the hand of him that woundeth thee" (Lamentations 4:9). The proud boasting of the Prince of Tyre would be effectually silenced. He would learn not only that he was not a god, sitting in the seat of God, but a man, whose honor could be laid in the dust, and who could be slain by a world-power mightier than that in which he had gloried. God will certainly bring down the pride of those who exalt themselves against him. "The lofty looks of man shall be brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted" (Isaiah 2:11). This was strikingly exemplified in Pharaoh (cf. Exodus 5:2; Exodus 12:29-32), in Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:29-37), and in Herod (Acts 12:21-23).
5. The certainty of this punishment. "I have spoken it, saith the Lord God" (Lamentations 4:10). And his word did not fail of fulfillment.
CONCLUSION. Learn:
1. The danger of prosperity generating pride. "When flowers are full of heaven-descended dews, they always hang their heads; but men hold theirs the higher the more they receive, getting proud as they get full" (Beecher). Let the prosperous guard against this danger.
2. The certainty of pride meeting with punishment. (Cf. Psalms 138:6; Proverbs 11:2; Proverbs 16:5,Proverbs 16:18; Proverbs 18:12; Proverbs 29:23; Matthew 23:12; James 4:6.)—W.J.