Ezekiel 27
McGeeCHAPTER 27THEME: Lamentation for Tyre
Ezekiel 27:1
LAMENTATION FOR TYREThe preceding chapter gave us the prophecy concerning the destruction of Tyre, and we saw that the prophecy was literally fulfilled. The ruins of Tyre stand today as a witness to the accuracy of the Word of God. This was an impressive city in Ezekiel’s day. Even though he may never have been there, he gives a lamentation for Tyre in this chapter. He laments the fact that this great city will fall. It was a great city I don’t want to minimize its beauty and magnificence. This is a sad and beautiful chapter in which Ezekiel likens Tyre, the capital of the Phoenician Empire, to a great ship that is wrecked. I cannot think of a better picture for seagoing people. What was it that brought Tyre down? What brought Tyre down? The same thing that brought down the rock-hewn city of Petra also brought down the great city of Tyre: “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee …” (Oba_1:3). Pride in the glory, pomp, and prosperity is the thing that has brought down many great nations of the world and reduced them to ruins. This chapter speaks of how extensive the kingdom of Phoenicia was. It begins with Chittim (Cyprus), meaning copper, which was one of their colonies, and extends all the way to Tarshish, which means smelting plant or refinery. Tarshish was sort of a jumping-off place for the Phoenicians. Jonah bought a ticket to that city, but he never saw itinstead he saw the interior of a big fish!
Ezekiel 27:25
Tyre was a great commercial center. Merchants came from all over the world to buy and sell. You could find just about anything you wanted in Tyre. In verse Eze_27:17 it says that Israel traded in her markets. “Minnith” was perhaps olives or figs made into some kind of preserves. You could buy anything and everything in the markets of Tyre. If you want a picture of Tyre as the great commercial center, you will see it depicted in a prophecy of Babylon in the future when it will become the commercial, religious, and political center of the world. It will be the capital of the Antichrist. “The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after …” (Rev_18:12-14). This also is a picture of London, Paris, Rome, New York City, and Los Angeles. You can buy anything you want in these cities. If you have the money, you can buy it. Today is the age of materialism, just as it was in the days of Tyre. Tyre was like a great ship. Everything the people needed was on board, and the music was playing. There was laughter, and the wine and champagne flowed. It was all there. Then it all disappeared. God judged it. Now here is the lamentation and the weeping over that great city. That is exactly what is going to happen in the last days. In those last days the stock market will fail, and everything you have in your safe deposit boxes won’t be worth a dime, and everything you thought was valuable will suddenly become dust and ashes in your hands. What a tragic day it was when Tyre fell; what a tragic day it will be when the same thing happens in the future! Be careful. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. I think people ought to enjoy the affluent society we have today. I see nothing wrong in it, provided it does not become an obsession or an idol. Unfortunately, it has become that to many folk. Even in many of our good churches there is really very little Bible teaching. We play games. We pat each other on the back, and we have “fellowship"we love to talk about that. And we quote a Bible verse now and then to make sure we are religious and pious, and we go through the little ceremonies of the church. They did that in Tyre; they did it in Jerusalem, and God destroyed them. He destroyed them because they had an opportunity, a privilege, and a responsibility that they shrugged off.
Ezekiel 27:32
Tyre was like a great ship that had gone down at sea.
Ezekiel 27:34
All will be swallowed up by the sea.
Ezekiel 27:36
As I walked through the ruins of Tyre I heard no music nor laughter. I could not see the buildings or the gold and silver. All I saw were broken pieces of pottery and the wreck and ruin of what had once been a great city. And the God of heaven says, “I judged you.” There must be a message in this picture of Tyre for our day and generation.