20221028

swords against wisdom and wealth

Ezekiel 28:1-10 (JDV)

Ezekiel 28:1 The word of Yahveh happened to me. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 28:2 “Son of Adam, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.” Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have set your heart like that of a god.
Ezekiel 28:3 Notice, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you!
Ezekiel 28:4 By your wisdom and understanding you have made wealth for yourself. You have made gold and silver for your treasuries.
Ezekiel 28:5 By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has become proud because of your wealth.
Ezekiel 28:6 ” ‘Therefore, notice this is what the Lord Yahveh says: Because you set your heart like a heart of a god,
Ezekiel 28:7 notice I am about to bring strangers against you, ruthless men from the nations. They will draw their swords against your magnificent wisdom and will pierce your splendor.
Ezekiel 28:8 They will bring you down to the Pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the sea.
Ezekiel 28:9 Will you still say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who slay you? Yet you will be only a man, not a god, in the hands of those who kill you.
Ezekiel 28:10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of strangers. You see, I have spoken. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.'”

swords against wisdom and wealth

The king of Tyre was proud of his wisdom. Daniel was wise and godly, but the king of Tyre thought that his wisdom was greater. Solomon had been extremely wealthy, but the king of Tyre assumed that his wealth was greater.

Almighty God knew that the king of Tyre was deceiving himself. To set the record straight, God would send the sword. He would send soldiers who had neither wealth nor wisdom. But the sword could kill indiscriminately. It could kill a wise man as quickly as a fool. It could stop the heart of a wealthy man from beating as quickly as that of a poor man.

LORD, forgive us for overestimating our importance and assuming our invincibility. Give us the wisdom to depend on you. Give us the wealth of a right relationship with you.