Isaiah 23

CHAPTER 23THEME: The burden of TyreIn this chapter we come to the eleventh and last burden against the nations. A burden, as we have seen, is a judgment, and these judgments were leveled against the nations around Israel. Each one of these great nations represents or sets before us some principle, philosophy, or system which God must judge. Let me give a recapitulation of these eleven nations and what they represent.

1. Babylon represents false religions and idolatry. Idolatry in our land is covetousness, which is the overwhelming desire to have more and to give ourselves to the accumulation of the material things of the world.
2. Palestine represents true religion which has become apostate. Today you find that the same thing has happened in many churches. They go through rituals, they even repeat the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. From all outward appearances they seem to be resting upon the Bible, but in reality they deny everything that is in it. They are apostate, which means they are standing away from what they once believed.
3. Moab represents formal religion; that is, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Many of us today could be identified with one of these three. Some of us are giving our lives to the accumulation of material things, and our eyes are filled with the things we want. We are covetous. Some of us have been brought up in Bible-believing churches but have turned away from their teachings. Others of us go to church and follow forms, ceremonies, and rituals which are beautiful but dead as a dodo bird.
4. Damascus represents compromise. That is the position that most churches (even fundamental churches) are in today. Thank God for those churches that are standing true!
5. Ethiopia represents missions. How we need to be involved in getting out the Word of God!
6. Egypt represents the world. Israel was told to stay out of Egyptthat is where Abraham got into trouble. And we are admonished, “Love not the world.” Many of us are having trouble with the world.
7. Persia (Babylon) represents luxury. My, how most of us love luxury in our affluent society.
8. Edom represents the flesh. Many people serve the flesh today.
9. Arabia represents war. There are two groups of people in our contemporary society: the hawks and the doves. Both are of the world, and the only difference I see in them is that the peace group tells us they are for peace, but they are willing to fight for it!
10. Valley of vision, which is Jerusalem, represents not religion but politics. Some think that in politics will be found the solutions to the problems of the world.
11. Tyre represents commercialism (big business). I would say that the great sin of America today is commercialism, believing that the almighty dollar can solve all our problems. When a problem comes up, Congress votes for a little money, and people for whom it is intended never get it, of course. Every poverty program has hurt rather than helped the poor. Why? Because godless men just don’t have the right solutions. The poor haven’t learned that yet, because they are also far from God. It is only the Lord Jesus Christ who has any love for the poor and really knows how to help them. Now let us look at the burden of Tyre. Tyre and Sidon were the two great cities of the Phoenicians. Sidon was the mother city, and she was soon surpassed by her proud and rich daughter, Tyre. The ships of the Phoenicians entered all ports of the Mediterranean Sea and even penetrated the uncharted ocean beyond the Pillars of Hercules. The vessels of Phoenicia brought tin from Great Britainin fact, the meaning of Brittania is “the land of tin.” The Phoenicians were aggresssive and progressive people. Carthage, in North Africa, was settled by them. Carthage, the great enemy of Rome, was a Phoenician city, and Cyprus owed its prosperity to trading with Tyre. There were also other centers that the Phoenicians foundedTarshish for instance. You remember that when Jonah tried to flee from the Lord, he bought a ticket for Tarshish. Tarshish was on the southern coast of Spain. Who founded it? The Phoenicians did. It is also of interest that the Phoenicians invented the alphabet. Hiram, king of Tyre, was one of the great friends of King David. When we get to Ezekiel 26, we are going to see a remarkable prophecy concerning Tyre, which had an exact fulfillment. God said that Tyre would be destroyed by Babylon and would be taken into captivity for seventy years just as Judah went into captivity for seventy years. The people of Tyre returned to their land, as did Israel, after the captivity and rebuilt their city on an island in the Mediterranean Sea about half a mile from the old city. God said that the ruins of the old city would be scraped (see Eze_26:4), and, later, Alexander the Great scraped the ancient site of Tyre to make a causeway to the island city. He was wise enough not to attempt a battle by sea, because the Phoenicians were experts with ships; so he built a causeway from the old city on the mainland to the new city on the island.

I’ve walked down that causeway and it is filled with pieces of broken pottery. I could have filled tubs with pieces of pottery, but, of course, no one is allowed to do that. I put one little piece in my pocket, because it looked as if there was plenty to spare. Where did all the pottery and pillars and rubble come from? It came from the ruins of ancient Tyre. Alexander the Great literally scraped the surface of the old city to build his causeway, and you cannot tell where the site of the old Tyre used to beit’s all out there in the causeway.

When Alexander took the city, the prophecy of Ezekiel was fulfilled exactly as God said it would be: “And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD (Eze_26:14). My friend, today there is a little Turkish town near there, but the site of ancient Tyre is still in ruins. If an atheist wants to disprove the Word of God, I suggest that he do more than stand on a street corner and blab about the fact that he doesn’t believe in God. I challenge him to go over to the ancient site of Tyre and rebuild the city. However, I warn him that others have tried to do it and have failed. In fact, there is a ready-made city, the rock-hewn city of Petra, that is all ready to be moved into. The only problem is that God said it would not be inhabited. Anyone can try to start a colony there, but he won’t succeed. A German unbeliever took a group of people to Petra and tried to start a colony, but it didn’t last long. You won’t succeed either, friend. God said that Tyre won’t be rebuilt and that Petra won’t be inhabited.

Isaiah 23:1

DIVINE RESPONSIBILITY FOR TYRE’S DESTRUCTIONThe picture here is that of ships coming home to Tyre from Tarshish where there is a colony of the Phoenicians. Word is brought to them that Tyre has been destroyed. As they sail near, they see the smoke of the city. Then they see that the city has been leveled and the harbor blocked. It will no longer be a great commercial center.

Isaiah 23:2

“Zidon,” or Sidon, was about thirty miles up the coast from Tyre. Tyre and Sidon go together like pork and beans go together. They were the two leading cities of the Phoenicians. The prominent sea merchants of Sidon had made Tyre the great city it was. It is interesting that the prophecy concerning the destruction of Tyre was literally fulfilled. But destruction was not predicted for Sidon, and Sidon continues as a city today. Currently, Sidon is the place to which oil is brought to be loaded on shipboard and taken to other parts of the world.

Isaiah 23:3

Sihor means “black” and refers to the Upper Nile, the silt of which flooded Egypt and made it fertile. The wealth of Egypt had flowed through the port of Tyre, and now that is ended, and there is going to be a depressiona real one!

Isaiah 23:4

There is a suggestion here that Tyre is the daughter of Sidon. Historically this is accurate.

Isaiah 23:5

The destruction of Tyre ruined the commerce of Egypt in that day.

Isaiah 23:6

The fall of Tyre caused universal mourning, even to a colony that was way over on the southern coast of Spain. Some of the inhabitants of Tyre escaped in ships to Tarshish when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city.

Isaiah 23:7

Any great commercial center is a city which is also a fun center because there will be many things in that city that are pleasing to the flesh. Now the Tyrians are urged to flee as far as possible because this city which was formerly a “joyous city” has come to an end.

Isaiah 23:8

“The crowning city” means the giver of crowns. You see, Tyre established crown colonies. Great Britain has done the same thing in more recent times. A crown colony is under the legislation and administration of the crown rather than having its own constitution and representative government.

Isaiah 23:9

It was the Lord of hosts who had determined the destruction of Tyre. He offers no apologies for making the arrangement.

Isaiah 23:10

HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY FOR TYRE’S DESTRUCTIONThe “river” is the Nile. As the Nile has overflowed her banks, the colony of Tarshish is now free to do as she pleases since Tyre has fallen and is no longer able to control her. “There is no more strength” means that there is no girdle that holds her up or binds her.

Isaiah 23:11

Have you noticed this threefold description of Tyre? In verse Isa_23:7 Tyre is called a “joyous city.” In verse Isa_23:8 Tyre is called a “crowning city.” In verse Isa_23:11 Tyre is called a “merchant city.” All three of these are apt descriptions of Tyre.

Isaiah 23:12

What is suggested in verse Isa_23:4 is plainly declared here. Tyre is the daughter of Sidon. Sidon was the older city, and rich merchants from there had founded Tyre and given her prestige. The joy of prosperity was to disappear. Both Tyre and Sidon would suffer. “Pass over to Chittim"probably some thought that by fleeing to Cyprus they might make a fresh beginning. In this, too, they were to be disappointed. God was responsible for what happened to them, although He used human instruments.

Isaiah 23:13

When Assyria was a great nation, Chaldea (Babylon) was just a hick town. Now Babylon is the ruler of the world.

Isaiah 23:15

RECOVERY OF TYREPARTIAL AND COMPLETETyre was to go into captivity for seventy years.

Isaiah 23:17

At the end of seventy years Tyre was to return and begin once again her world commerce. Once more she would become a great commercial center, and she would commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth. The prophet compares Tyre to a harlot plying her unholy trade. That is the way God speaks of these great commercial centers. Now we move down the ages to the last days, the time of the Great Tribulation. Here we find that Tyre will again be a great nation and will enter the Millennium.

Isaiah 23:18

“Her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD.” Now it is all dedicated to the Lord. “And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall entreat thy favour” (Psa_45:12).