Ezekiel 27-28
Satan's Bait
“A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And a high wall in his own imagination.” Proverbs 18:11 NASB
In Chapter 27 we read that Ezekiel is to take up a lamentation over the coastal city of Tyre. Tyre was a wealthy city that enjoyed every luxury money could buy. Situated on the coast with a natural harbor their trading ships reached across the sea to any nation that had goods to sell and money to buy the cargo they brought. As a trading center their trading brought great wealth, prosperity, pride, and pleasure.
In this chapter they are described as a ship made with the finest materials and built by the best craftsmen. Their wealth afforded them a strong army. They had the envy of the world. Their wealth and prosperity brought power and security, or so they thought. In verses 26&27 we read the great ship will sink and everything they have and relied on will be lost. The message is clear. The nation that is thinking their wealth and prosperity will protect them will be destroyed soon by Nebuchadnezzar’s army. However, this too is a pattern that will be repeated again and again.
In Chapter 28 we read that the leader of Tyre was deceived by the pride of his wealth and success. In his mind he saw himself as someone so special he was a god. His wealth and prosperity elevated him above everyone else. Pride led him into thinking he was wiser than everyone else including Daniel who had a reputation for wisdom. But in verse 10 we read that he is just a man and will die at the hand of man.
Starting in verse 11 we read that Satan is the source of the King’s power, prosperity, and “wisdom.” Satan had succeeded in deceiving the king into believing his wisdom, power, wealth, and prosperity, would make him strong, safe, and secure. Satan is using the same tactic today and we need to be careful that we do not take the bait that Satan has put on the trap he has set before us. His trap is meant to make us fall.
The writer of Psalm 73 almost took the bait for in verses 2-14 he describes how he observed the wealthy and became jealous of them. Back in Ezekiel 8:3 we read that at the north gate of the inner court of the temple an idol of jealousy stood. Have you ever considered that feelings like jealousy, envy, greed, anger, and so on, can become idols in our life that we worship? Idolatry was what led to the downfall of Israel and Judah. Satan uses things like money, sex, power, pleasure, and security, as bait on his trap. All of these are idols which appeal to the emotional idols mankind worships. Wealth and prosperity is one of the strongest idols because with wealth one can buy the other idols. This is why Paul calls greed an idol in Colossians 3:5. Ultimately idol worship leads to pride and hard hearts that God will eventually have to break or judge. A striking contrast to Psalm 73 is Psalm 37.
What we read in Chapter 27 foreshadows the coming of the anti-christ and his promise that prosperity and wealth can solve the world’s problems and provide security. In Chapter 28 we see that the source of his power and wisdom is Satan. Satan will keep on using this tactic even during the Great Tribulation where we read of Babylon falling in Revelation 18 which I recommend for further reading and warning.
In the study, The Books of Kings What We Need To Learn, I wrote that God wanted to bless the nation of Israel in order to be a witness to the world of His desire to bless those who would follow Him and warn the world of the judgement to come on those who reject God.
God has declared what is to come, but Satan is denying that declaration and using deception to deceive people into believing that everything we need in life can be found in the worship of the modern day idols mentioned above. The more a person focuses on these idols the more blind they become to God. Of course there are always a few who seem to be successful but these are also part of Satan’s deception meant to drive us with the promise and hope that in these things we can find peace, security, value, love, meaning and purpose. Satan uses these idols to entrap and entangle. Satan is busy baiting his traps. Don’t take the bait. We would be wise to take time and ask God to show us if we have allowed any idols to take up residence in the inner court of our heart. If you find any, throw them out! 2 Corinthians 10:5
I believe that things like peace, security, value, love, meaning and purpose, are what the Apostle Paul was referring to in Ephesians 1:3&4 when he said God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. Down in our core these are the very things we are searching for, and they are only found in a relationship with our Father and Creator in Heaven. Only through Jesus can we have that relationship and realize the blessings our Heavenly Father desires us to have.
Don’t take Satan’s bait. Instead, partake of the Bread of Life who will give you Living Water to satisfy the hunger and thirst within.
Here are some verses for further study. Matthew 11:28-30; John 6:31, 7:37-39 8:12, 31&32, 10:1-11, 11:25-26, 14:6&7
Come to Jesus
Pastor Dave