Saturday, February 28, 2015

Manning the Ship ((Ezekiel 27:8-11)


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/28/2015 9:16 PM

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Manning the Ship

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Ezekiel 27:8-11

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we will be looking at the second main point that comes from the 27th chapter of Ezekiel, as we follow Dr. Wiersbe’s outline that speaks of the nation of Tyre’s judgment using a metaphor of a boat.  He entitled the main point “Lament over Tyre’s Destruction,” and we mentioned that this is kind of a tiny look at Babylonian’s destruction found in the 17th chapter of Revelation.

            “8 “The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; Your wise men, O Tyre, were aboard; they were your pilots. 9 “The elders of Gebal and her wise men were with you repairing your seams; All the ships of the sea and their sailors were with you in order to deal in your merchandise. 10 “Persia and Lud and Put were in your army, your men of war. They hung shield and helmet in you; they set forth your splendor. 11 “The sons of Arvad and your army were on your walls, all around, and the Gammadim were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they perfected your beauty.”

            Now as we look at the description of those Ezekiel names as crew members these were actually the nations that caused her to have such success, helping her to become very rich, and these also would be the nations who would lose the most when Tyer was destroyed. 

            Dr. Wiersbe points out that the metaphor briefly shifts from the ship to the actual city in verses ten and eleven.  In these two verses Ezekiel points out the nations who were protecting Tyre, nations that were actually mercenary soldiers paid to protect Tyre.  Dr. Wiersbe also points out that it took Nebuchadnezzar thirteen years to defeat this coastal city as it was defended very well, and I suppose some of it had to do with the mercenaries who helped protect it.

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes with “We shouldn’t carry a metaphor too far, but it is significant that Ezekiel brought in the army and nave as necessary parts of the business enterprise of Tyre.  Certainly national defense is a important to the success of business as it is to the safety of private citizen, and sometimes ‘national interest,’ and ‘business’ become intertwined.  ‘Big business’ always appreciates a foreign policy that opens new markets and protects them.” 

2/28/2015 9:32 PM

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