Ezekiel 26:1-21 Against Tyre
God speaks to Ezekiel against Tyre. Rather than mourning the fall of Jerusalem, they were pleased to profit from it. For this God will bring them low.
This is one of the few dated prophecies of Ezekiel. But just because it has a ‘given’ date does NOT mean that it has an ‘end’ date. God can, and does, fulfill prophecies in parts or in whole as HE sees fit. This one will begin with Nebuchadnezzar but will not be completed until later on, with Alexander the Great, or so history tells us.
Jerusalem and Tyre were NOT next-door neighbors. They were separated by a great distance. I don’t know why Tyre would even be concerned about Jerusalem falling, unless Jerusalem somehow was threatening their commerce. Tyre was a very well-fortified city and had nothing to fear from Judah’s military. This may have been different in Solomon’s time but not in Hezekiah’s.
When reading the passage, it appears as if Tyre wants or takes spoils from Jerusalem. “Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste” (verse 2b). I would question if Nebuchadnezzar might have used, or allied with, Tyre at the time of Jerusalem’s destruction. However they were involved, or looked on, Tyre’s attitude of being made strong on the rubble of Jerusalem’s back angered God. This attitude is what started their downfall.
God specifically told Ezekiel that He was going to send Nebuchadnezzar against Tyre in battle. We also see Him say that He will bring up “many nations” against Tyre. This happened in two ways. 1) Nebuchadnezzar brought soldiers of many nations he had conquered in his armies. He was literally a king of kings. Other kings served him. 2) Alexander the Great and his forces were also made up of many conquered nations. This second siege is what brought Tyre to the state of bare rock destruction.
I was curious about these events when I first started reading these passages. I did a Google search on Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Tyre. That is where I learned that Nebuchadnezzar didn’t conquer Tyre with military might but they DID surrender to him and served Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar’s 13 YEAR siege. Jerusalem ran out of food after three years. Imagine the conditions after 13 years! That must have been some fortification too to last that long against an attacker.
One part of this prophecy I was thinking we may still be waiting for is the destruction of Tyre to the point that it cannot be built upon again and becoming ‘lost’ in history. Which is what sent me looking at history in the first place. Tyre is mentioned in the New Testament as well as in today’s world. There is still a city of Tyre. But I have discovered through my search that it is NOT in the place which was eventually ‘scraped bare’. That portion of the city is underwater, just as God said it would be. It CANNOT be built on again.
While searching the internet regarding this prophecy, I came across sites that said this was a “failed prophecy” because Nebuchadnezzar didn’t completely destroy Tyre himself. Some were saying that it was because God’s word isn’t really infallible. My answer to them is, if EVERY WORD isn’t true then NONE of it is true. God CANNOT lie. He does EXACTLY as He says. I may not ALWAYS understand EVERY promise He has made but that DOES NOT make them any less true. God choosing to fulfil this prophecy in ‘stages’ also doesn’t lessen its validity. Some plow, some plant, some water, and some reap. I TRUST HIM to know EACH of these players. BUT He doesn’t have to tell me who each of them are to keep my trust.
God dealt with the people who rejoiced at Jerusalem’s fall. NO laughing at the one being punished! It only brings you trouble too!!! This goes for us today as well. Pray for those who are in ‘hard lessons’ that they learn them quickly. Rejoicing over their suffering is an invitation to join in suffering too. “There but for the grace of God go I.”
Father God, THANK YOU for carrying me through this passage today. Thank You for helping me navigate Your word. I pray for the people who try to discredit Your word. They are LOST. I pray that their words fall on deaf ears and are proved false in a public way. They have already lead too many astray.
Help me Lord to never take joy in another’s pain. I want to be a source of healing at all times instead of one of destruction. Show me how to help in times of trouble. Keep me from over helping too. Sometimes it’s important to let people find their own way out of trouble. This is the place where they can learn to lean on You.
