Insights on the Enemy

Did you find some of the things God said about the king of Tyre to be…well…odd?  Good!  You were supposed to.

First, as I always do, I have to warn you that today’s blog is my opinion.  This one is shared by a large majority of Bible scholars, but is still unverifiable until we all get to heaven and can ask God to explain Himself.

Here’s the opinion:  much of what God says in Ezekiel 28 about the “king of Tyre” is actually describing the devil himself, who was the power behind the king.  Why do so many people think that?  Good question.  Let’s start in the middle and work our way out.  God says to the king, “You were in Eden, the garden of God,” (Ez. 28:13a).  This is something we know about, right?  Who was in Eden, apart from the animals?  God, Adam, Eve, and the serpent.  After they sinned, God banished Adam and Eve from the garden, and barred the way so that humans could never return there (Gen. 3:23-24).  That limits our list of suspects to four.

Since God is speaking in the second person (He says “you”, not “I”), this passage is not autobiographic.  We know when Adam died, so that leaves him out, and Eve was female (she would have been a queen, not a king).  That only leaves the serpent.  There are other evidences, but those we’ll have to leave for another day.  Leave a comment or send a question if you like.

Here’s what we learn about the “king of Tyre”:

• He was created (Ez. 28:13).
• God ordained him (set him apart) to be the (not a) mighty angelic guardian, who had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire (Ez. 28:14).  He had a position of distinction.
• He was the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty (Ez. 28:12).  His clothing was crafted for him and adorned with precious stones (Ez. 28:13).
• He was blameless in all he did from the day he was created until the day evil was found in him (Ez. 28:15).
• His activities led him to violence, and he sinned (Ez. 28:16).
• He was banished from his original place and disgraced (Ez. 28:16).
• His heart was filled with pride because of his beauty and the love of his splendor corrupted his wisdom (Ez. 28:17).
• He was thrown to the ground and exposed to the view of humans (Ez. 28:17).
• He was in Eden, the garden of God (28:13).

If it’s true that this passage refers to Satan, we learn a great deal about our enemy.  He is beautiful, wise, and violent.  He is full of pride because of his beauty, and his wisdom is corrupted.  He was the most powerful angelic guardian, but left his post to promote himself.  Our enemy is not to be taken lightly.  I’m so glad I need never fight him alone.  He is a vanquished foe.

If you’re reading through the Daily Walk Bible, today’s passage is Ezekiel 24-28.