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Ezekiel 27 (ESV)

1 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Now you, son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre, ³ and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrances to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord God:

“O Tyre, you have said,
‘I am perfect in beauty.’
⁴ Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
your builders made perfect your beauty.
⁵ They made all your planks
of fir trees from Senir;
they took a cedar from Lebanon
to make a mast for you.
⁶ Of oaks of Bashan
they made your oars;
they made your deck of pines
from the coasts of Cyprus,
inlaid with ivory.
⁷ Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt
was your sail,
serving as your banner;
blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah
was your awning.
⁸ The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad
were your rowers;
your skilled men, O Tyre, were in you;
they were your pilots.
⁹ The elders of Gebal and her skilled men were in you,
caulking your seams;
all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you
to barter for your wares.

¹⁰ “Persia and Lud and Put were in your army as your men of war. They hung the shield and helmet in you; they gave you splendor. ¹¹ Men of Arvad and Helech were on your walls all around, and men of Gamad were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they made perfect your beauty.

REFLECTION:

This passage is “Tyre’s Lament”. This lament compares Tyre to a big ship called the “Tyre”. It has first-class craftsmanship, excellent crew, and full of fine products, but it sinks into the deep sea in the huge waves, shocking the world. “I am perfect in beauty”, referring to Tyre claiming to be an incomparable merchant ship, but this conceit has become the cause of her demise. “Your builders made perfect your beauty” is a metaphor for Tyre’s conceit. This beautiful merchant ship is indeed the crystallization of human wisdom and the result of hard work. It has excellent materials, meticulously built, and has the best talents. Therefore, the “Tyre” deservedly achieved success and prestige, dedicated to transporting the best goods, and qualified to trade with ships and sailors of various countries. The beauty of Tyre is the source of its pride, and Tyre’s pride brought her to judgment. If we have undue conceit or pride because of our achievements, it is a dangerous signal for us. God does not oppose us getting pleasure and satisfaction from what we do. What He opposes is arrogance and self-inflation, grabbing the glory of God, and the relationship with people and with God will be broken as a result. We must fully realize that God is the source and foundation of our lives, and that all our achievements are God’s blessings.

PRAYER:

Count your achievements before God, thank God for allowing you to achieve these achievements, and give glory to God; ask God to enlighten the gloom of your heart so that you can see how much self-appreciation you have in what you achieved; ask God to remove your inner pride, live a more humble and gentle life, and bear a good testimony to God in the work you are good at and love.

HYMN:

Build This House – youtu.be/vcco3LFoIhM