Proclamation Against Tyre

Ezekiel 26:1–14
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Chapters 26 and 27 are a prophesy against Tyre, the capital of Phoenicia just north of Israel. Part of the city was on the coastline, and part was on a beautiful island. The sin of Tyre is cited in this passage (vv. 1-6). The eleventh year (v. 1) is in reference to the reign of Zedekiah, the year in which Jerusalem was captured, 586 or 587 B.C. Her sin was that of crying, “Aha, she is broken” (v. 2). This points to the fact that Tyre rejoiced when Jerusalem fell, because Tyre and Judah always competed for the money involved in the trade that came through their lands from Egypt in the south and Mesopotamia to the north. Tyre dominated the sea trading routes while Judah dominated the land caravan routes. After Judah was defeated, Tyre thought it had all the trade routes to itself.

However, this gloating didn’t last long because in 586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon attacked the city (v. 7). The many nations relates to those nations that would be involved in the destruction of Tyre (v. 3). After a 15 year siege Nebuchadnezzar still could not conquer the part of Tyre located on the island because its back side lay on the sea where fresh supplies could be shipped in daily. But this prophesy predicted what would happen to the island later during the conquests of  Alexander the Great when he placed the rubble of the mainland city into the sea until it made a bridge to the island in 332 B.C. Today the island city is still a pile of ruble. It has never built again on it’s original location. It literally became like the top of a rock where fishermen spread their nets for drying and repair (v. 14), a testimony of God’s judgment.

Application

Just as Tyre rejoiced over the destruction of Jerusalem it is so easy for me to rejoice when someone I don’t like fails. Lord, help me to never rejoice in the trials and downfall of others!