40 lines
2 KiB
Markdown
40 lines
2 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Ezekiel 27:1–25"
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date = "2023-05-15"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel27.1-25)
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Chapter 27 is a lament that Ezekiel is instructed to raise over Tyre. It is the
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kind of lament that shows how far the mighty have fallen by first detailing the
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great heights they no longer occupy. I suspect the Lord has Ezekiel include
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this section for our benefit because his contemporaries would have already
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known how great Tyre's power was. Ever since it fell, the memories of its
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greatness would fade quickly.
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The lament begins by comparing Tyre to a beautiful ship constructed of
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expensive materials: fir from Senir for planks, cedar from Lebanon for a mast,
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oaks from Bashan for oars, pine from Cyprus for the deck, and inlaid with
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ivory. The sail was embroidered linen from Egypt, and the awnings were dyed
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blue and purple from Elishah (probably Cyprus), the most expensive colors. The
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ship's rowers were from Sidon and Arvad while the skilled men, the officers and
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pilots were from Tyre itself. All these places were near the city of Tyre on
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the Mediterranean coast.
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What does this beautiful ship do? It goes out to all the other lands and trades
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with them: Persia, Put, Lud, Arvad, Helech, and Gamad provided soldiers and
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weapons of war; Tarshish traded silver, iron, tin, and lead; Javan, Tubal, and
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Meshech sold slaves and bronze; Beth-togarmah traded horses and mules; and the
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list goes on and on. Now the locations range from as far as Spain to Ethiopia
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to Iran. A great variety of wares are traded with Tyre: precious stones, food
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of many kinds including expensive spices and wine, textiles, and rare woods.
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All of these connections made Tyre an economic superpower in its day, and it
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was no slouch militarily, either. (Remember it fought back against Babylon, a
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great empire, for thirteen years before being defeated.) Its future seemed
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secure because its might was so great. Who could defeat it?
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* * *
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You are ever-victorious, and no power at all can stand against Your strength.
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