(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Ezekiel 28:1-26) The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, ‘The Lord God says this:
“Because your heart is haughty
And you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods
In the heart of the seas’;
Yet you are a mortal and not God,
Although you make your heart like the heart of God—
3 Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;
There is no secret that is a match for you!
4 By your wisdom and understanding
You have acquired riches for yourself
And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.
5 By your great wisdom, by your trade
You have increased your riches,
And your heart is haughty because of your riches—
6 Therefore this is what the Lord God says:
‘Because you have made your heart
Like the heart of God,
7 Therefore, behold, I am going to bring strangers against you,
The most ruthless of the nations.
And they will draw their swords
Against the beauty of your wisdom
And profane your splendor.
8 They will bring you down to the pit,
And you will die the death of those who are killed
In the heart of the seas.
9 Will you still say, “I am a god,”
In the presence of one who kills you,
Though you are a mortal and not God,
In the hands of those who wound you?
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised
By the hand of strangers,
For I have spoken!’ declares the Lord God!”’”
11 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a song of mourning over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
“You had the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The ruby, the topaz and the diamond;
The beryl, the onyx and the jasper;
The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald;
And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets,
Was in you.
On the day that you were created
They were prepared.
14 You were the anointed cherub who covers,
And I placed you there.
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 You were blameless in your ways
From the day you were created
Until unrighteousness was found in you.
16 By the abundance of your trade
You were internally filled with violence,
And you sinned;
Therefore I have cast you as profane
From the mountain of God.
And I have destroyed you, you covering cherub,
From the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Your heart was haughty because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.
I threw you to the ground;
I put you before kings,
That they may see you.
18 By the multitude of your wrongdoings,
In the unrighteousness of your trade
You profaned your sanctuaries.
Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you;
It has consumed you,
And I have turned you to ashes on the earth
In the eyes of all who see you.
19 All who know you among the peoples
Are appalled at you;
You have become terrified
And you will cease to be forever.”’”
20 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21 “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, prophesy against her 22 and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
“Behold, I am against you, Sidon,
And I will appear in My glory in your midst.
Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I execute judgments against her,
And I will reveal Myself as holy in her.
23 For I will send a plague to her
And blood to her streets,
And the wounded will fall in her midst
By the sword upon her on every side;
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
24 And there will no longer be for the house of Israel a painful thorn or a hurtful thorn bush from any surrounding them who despised them; then they will know that I am the Lord God.”
25 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and show Myself holy among them in the sight of the nations, then they will live on their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. 26 They will live on it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely when I execute judgments upon all around them who despise them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”’”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
“Because your heart is haughty
And you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods
In the heart of the seas’;
Yet you are a mortal and not God,
Although you make your heart like the heart of God—
3 Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;
There is no secret that is a match for you!
4 By your wisdom and understanding
You have acquired riches for yourself
And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.
5 By your great wisdom, by your trade
You have increased your riches,
And your heart is haughty because of your riches—
6 Therefore this is what the Lord God says:
‘Because you have made your heart
Like the heart of God,
7 Therefore, behold, I am going to bring strangers against you,
The most ruthless of the nations.
And they will draw their swords
Against the beauty of your wisdom
And profane your splendor.
8 They will bring you down to the pit,
And you will die the death of those who are killed
In the heart of the seas.
9 Will you still say, “I am a god,”
In the presence of one who kills you,
Though you are a mortal and not God,
In the hands of those who wound you?
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised
By the hand of strangers,
For I have spoken!’ declares the Lord God!”’”
11 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a song of mourning over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
“You had the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The ruby, the topaz and the diamond;
The beryl, the onyx and the jasper;
The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald;
And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets,
Was in you.
On the day that you were created
They were prepared.
14 You were the anointed cherub who covers,
And I placed you there.
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 You were blameless in your ways
From the day you were created
Until unrighteousness was found in you.
16 By the abundance of your trade
You were internally filled with violence,
And you sinned;
Therefore I have cast you as profane
From the mountain of God.
And I have destroyed you, you covering cherub,
From the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Your heart was haughty because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.
I threw you to the ground;
I put you before kings,
That they may see you.
18 By the multitude of your wrongdoings,
In the unrighteousness of your trade
You profaned your sanctuaries.
Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you;
It has consumed you,
And I have turned you to ashes on the earth
In the eyes of all who see you.
19 All who know you among the peoples
Are appalled at you;
You have become terrified
And you will cease to be forever.”’”
20 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21 “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, prophesy against her 22 and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
“Behold, I am against you, Sidon,
And I will appear in My glory in your midst.
Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I execute judgments against her,
And I will reveal Myself as holy in her.
23 For I will send a plague to her
And blood to her streets,
And the wounded will fall in her midst
By the sword upon her on every side;
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
24 And there will no longer be for the house of Israel a painful thorn or a hurtful thorn bush from any surrounding them who despised them; then they will know that I am the Lord God.”
25 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and show Myself holy among them in the sight of the nations, then they will live on their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. 26 They will live on it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely when I execute judgments upon all around them who despise them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”’”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Like us, the angels were created with a choice. Unlike us, their choices have already been finalized for all eternity. Verses 11 to 19 support all other scripture portions that talk about how Satan rebelled against God, thinking that he could rival Him and BE God, also bringing down with him about one third of the angels. Then, in the Garden of Eden, Satan was there to tempt mankind into sinning - disobeying God - and bringing sin, destruction and death into the world.
This has been Satan's game plan all along - to bring down with him as many people as possible - using lies, pride and fear. One approach is to lead people into believing that they are "good enough" as they are and therefore, they do not need God. Another approach is to lead them into believing that they can worship any god or idol they want because it's all the same thing. And yet another approach is to lead them into believing that they can be God or a god themselves.
It is very easy at times to think that we know more than God, even after becoming a Christian! Even though we cannot lose our salvation, we must remember to continue putting God first in our lives. It helps us to remember that God is all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere present. The Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ wants the very best for us, so it benefits us greatly when we live in His will, trusting fully in His truth and His word.
No comments:
Post a Comment