Learning From The Land of Tyre
Once upon a time, there was a majestic city built on the coast of Phoenicia (Lebanon) which was made up of both coastline as well as an island offshore. This city was gorgeous, built well, and it's inhabitants were some of the most talented workers and craftsmen in the world. It was quite utopian in it's time in many ways, and the city's name was Tyre. God himself described this city as a well built ship, and really, I can't speak more eloquently than God....
"You say Tyre, 'I am perfect in beauty.' Your domain was on the high seas; your builders brought your beauty to perfection. They made all your timbers of juniper from Senir; they took cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. Of oaks from Bashan they made your oars; of cypress wood from the coasts of Cyprus they made your deck, adorned with ivory. Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail and served as your banner; your awnings were of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah." Ezekiel 27:3-7
This was a beautiful place to live, made up of the finest timber and trappings that could be found, imported from all of the regions around. The best surroundings attracted the most skilled people:
"Men of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; your skilled men, Tyre, were board as your sailors. Veteran craftsmen of Byblos were on board as shipwrights to caulk your seams. All the ships of the sea and their sailors came alongside to trade for your wares. Men of Persia, Lydia and Put served as soldiers in your army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls, bringing you splendor. Men of Arvad and Helek guarded your walls on every side; men of Gammad were in your towers. They hung their shields around your walls; they brought your beauty to perfection." Ezekiel 27:8-11
Wow, one ticket to Tyre, please! This city was full of the BEST...and it was well protected. People from all over brought the best to Tyre to trade with. Throughout Ezekiel 27 we learn that the storehouses of Tyre were filled with "great wealth of goods." Silver, iron, tin, lead, calvary horses, ivory tusks and ebony, turquoise, purple fabric, embroidered work, fine linens, coral and rubies, honey, olive oil, balm, casks of wine, lambs, rams, and goats, all kinds of spices, precious stones and gold - and if that wasn't enough "multicolored rugs with cords twisted and tightly knotted." I mean, who doesn't love a good rug?! :) Tyre was STOCKED - their marketplace out rivaled anything you and I could go to a shopping mall to buy today.
So come on, who wants to plan a trip to Tyre with me?! If it was that awesome then it must be amazing now!
There's only one problem. Even though you can definitely find a place called Tyre on the map today, the great city that once was is no more. God destroyed it.
"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths over you and its vast waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place in the land of the living. I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more. You will be sought, but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign Lord." Ezekiel 26:19-21
Tyre, for all of it's beauty and it's splendor, was not a perfect place. While precious stones and livestock and honey and fabric were traded in the marketplace, there were some other things traded as well....
"Greece, Tubal and Meshek did business with you; they traded human beings and articles of bronze for your wares." Ezekiel 27:13
Ahem. I'm sorry, did you just say "human beings?"
Unfortunately, Tyre was very well-known for it's cold-hearted and expansive slave trading. Even before Ezekiel's time, Amos makes a point to condemn the city of Tyre for their violation of the "covenant of brotherhood."
"Thus says the Lord: "For thee transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood. So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour her strongholds." Amos 1:9-10
It was long foretold that Tyre would be ruined for these transgressions. Scripture is full of all of the buying selling and trading that was done in this city - even Solomon commissioned their workers to work for him - but not once is the name of God mentioned among them. They were so worried about themselves and their businesses, that they would use anything or anyONE to further their wealth and prosperity. Obviously anyone willing to participate in this barbaric behavior could not truly be walking in the will of God. And what happens when people do things they know they're not supposed to do? They RUN from God...and that only leads to more problems. This is exactly what happened to this "great" city of old.
We can learn a lot from the downfall of the city of Tyre today in light of recent events in the news. It is so imperative for all of us, every day, to remember how important the "covenant of brotherhood" is to our Father God. Some misguided souls have used the fact that slavery is prominent throughout scripture to justify it or they think that somehow God was willing to turn a blind eye towards it. Just because sinners of the past did sinful things, that in no way means that God ever put his stamp of approval on slavery.
Generational sin is a really ugly thing. The effects of it last long past the lives of it's originators, creeping into the lives of descendants who have to deal with the consequences of the sins of their fathers. Even though certain people may not be slaves or slave owners today that doesn't mean that the descendants of such are not still dealing with the fallout. That's how sin works, unfortunately, unless the current generation puts an absolute end to it, repents, and decides to change forever. Sin can leach on in family lines, manifesting itself in many forms, from alcoholism or thievery to laziness and racism and everything in between. There is a reason why many issues are inherited and we repeat the issues of our fathers. Is it in our DNA? Yep. Our spiritual DNA. So we could still be feeling the effects of our father's sins from hundreds of years ago? If no one ever chased those demons away - absolutely. And it is clear that there is still much to deal with in our midst.
I am really only interested in learning about God's opinion on the whole matter. Scripture tells us, over and over again, that God shows NO PARTIALITY among people. We are all equally loved by our Father and we will all meet the same end.
"I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person." Job 32:21
"...who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?" Job 34:19
"So Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality." Acts 10:34
"For God shows no partiality." Romans 2:11
"Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him." Ephesians 6:9
I could go on...but can there be any question of whether or not God cares about what titles you hold, how much money you have, what your social status is, what the color of your skin is, what your nationality is? No. God shows no partiality, and neither should we. His promises are true for all people, everywhere, for all of time. And we can see here what God does to a place when it's people refuse to live upright and righteously. The downfall of Tyre isn't the only city that God destroyed for it's wickedness.
Most people reading this today will agree with the idea that slavery is wrong, I'm sure. Most people reading this would balk at the idea of racism. Most people will whole heartedly nod their heads in agreement that God sees everyone as equal. But gosh darn it, some things are so woven into our culture that we don't even think twice about the injustices happening all around us everyday. Some generational sin is so deep that it doesn't even move our conscious barometers one tick.
This post isn't mean to bring shame to anyone, but to remind each of us, as we sadly obviously need reminding, that anyone who would show partiality toward any people in the name of God is not really standing in the name of God. They have believed lies from the enemy. And if we are not disgusted and heartbroken at the thought of even a WHIFF of social injustice, then we have not yet attained the mind of Christ on the matter.
Generational sin provides some of the absolute most difficult strongholds to break. Those demons have dug their claws in DEEP and they are not letting go without a fight. Who is going to fight against them today? Maybe we have been asleep on the matter and it's time to wake up a little bit. Do you know what throws the enemy down? (Pop quiz!) The blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. We must SPEAK against social injustice. There is POWER in our words. Jesus did his part. Now it's time to do ours. When you see social injustice, speak against it! But as with all things, do so with gentleness and respect - this is how we represent the Father. We should be praying over this issue daily. Until our country is healed of this generational sin, we should be praying fervently every single day against the spiritual strongholds of social injustice. We should be taking every single thing we have been discussing here for the past two months now and applying it in a very real way to a very real circumstance. This is what God has called us to do, so let's do it. May God forgive us and heal our land.
Peace!
"You say Tyre, 'I am perfect in beauty.' Your domain was on the high seas; your builders brought your beauty to perfection. They made all your timbers of juniper from Senir; they took cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. Of oaks from Bashan they made your oars; of cypress wood from the coasts of Cyprus they made your deck, adorned with ivory. Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail and served as your banner; your awnings were of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah." Ezekiel 27:3-7
This was a beautiful place to live, made up of the finest timber and trappings that could be found, imported from all of the regions around. The best surroundings attracted the most skilled people:
"Men of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; your skilled men, Tyre, were board as your sailors. Veteran craftsmen of Byblos were on board as shipwrights to caulk your seams. All the ships of the sea and their sailors came alongside to trade for your wares. Men of Persia, Lydia and Put served as soldiers in your army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls, bringing you splendor. Men of Arvad and Helek guarded your walls on every side; men of Gammad were in your towers. They hung their shields around your walls; they brought your beauty to perfection." Ezekiel 27:8-11
Wow, one ticket to Tyre, please! This city was full of the BEST...and it was well protected. People from all over brought the best to Tyre to trade with. Throughout Ezekiel 27 we learn that the storehouses of Tyre were filled with "great wealth of goods." Silver, iron, tin, lead, calvary horses, ivory tusks and ebony, turquoise, purple fabric, embroidered work, fine linens, coral and rubies, honey, olive oil, balm, casks of wine, lambs, rams, and goats, all kinds of spices, precious stones and gold - and if that wasn't enough "multicolored rugs with cords twisted and tightly knotted." I mean, who doesn't love a good rug?! :) Tyre was STOCKED - their marketplace out rivaled anything you and I could go to a shopping mall to buy today.
So come on, who wants to plan a trip to Tyre with me?! If it was that awesome then it must be amazing now!
There's only one problem. Even though you can definitely find a place called Tyre on the map today, the great city that once was is no more. God destroyed it.
"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths over you and its vast waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place in the land of the living. I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more. You will be sought, but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign Lord." Ezekiel 26:19-21
Tyre, for all of it's beauty and it's splendor, was not a perfect place. While precious stones and livestock and honey and fabric were traded in the marketplace, there were some other things traded as well....
"Greece, Tubal and Meshek did business with you; they traded human beings and articles of bronze for your wares." Ezekiel 27:13
Ahem. I'm sorry, did you just say "human beings?"
Unfortunately, Tyre was very well-known for it's cold-hearted and expansive slave trading. Even before Ezekiel's time, Amos makes a point to condemn the city of Tyre for their violation of the "covenant of brotherhood."
"Thus says the Lord: "For thee transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood. So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour her strongholds." Amos 1:9-10
It was long foretold that Tyre would be ruined for these transgressions. Scripture is full of all of the buying selling and trading that was done in this city - even Solomon commissioned their workers to work for him - but not once is the name of God mentioned among them. They were so worried about themselves and their businesses, that they would use anything or anyONE to further their wealth and prosperity. Obviously anyone willing to participate in this barbaric behavior could not truly be walking in the will of God. And what happens when people do things they know they're not supposed to do? They RUN from God...and that only leads to more problems. This is exactly what happened to this "great" city of old.
Eventually Alexander the Great would build a causeway between the island and the mainland, taking siege of Tyre and sealing it's fate.
Generational sin is a really ugly thing. The effects of it last long past the lives of it's originators, creeping into the lives of descendants who have to deal with the consequences of the sins of their fathers. Even though certain people may not be slaves or slave owners today that doesn't mean that the descendants of such are not still dealing with the fallout. That's how sin works, unfortunately, unless the current generation puts an absolute end to it, repents, and decides to change forever. Sin can leach on in family lines, manifesting itself in many forms, from alcoholism or thievery to laziness and racism and everything in between. There is a reason why many issues are inherited and we repeat the issues of our fathers. Is it in our DNA? Yep. Our spiritual DNA. So we could still be feeling the effects of our father's sins from hundreds of years ago? If no one ever chased those demons away - absolutely. And it is clear that there is still much to deal with in our midst.
I am really only interested in learning about God's opinion on the whole matter. Scripture tells us, over and over again, that God shows NO PARTIALITY among people. We are all equally loved by our Father and we will all meet the same end.
"I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person." Job 32:21
"...who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?" Job 34:19
"So Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality." Acts 10:34
"For God shows no partiality." Romans 2:11
"Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him." Ephesians 6:9
I could go on...but can there be any question of whether or not God cares about what titles you hold, how much money you have, what your social status is, what the color of your skin is, what your nationality is? No. God shows no partiality, and neither should we. His promises are true for all people, everywhere, for all of time. And we can see here what God does to a place when it's people refuse to live upright and righteously. The downfall of Tyre isn't the only city that God destroyed for it's wickedness.
Most people reading this today will agree with the idea that slavery is wrong, I'm sure. Most people reading this would balk at the idea of racism. Most people will whole heartedly nod their heads in agreement that God sees everyone as equal. But gosh darn it, some things are so woven into our culture that we don't even think twice about the injustices happening all around us everyday. Some generational sin is so deep that it doesn't even move our conscious barometers one tick.
This post isn't mean to bring shame to anyone, but to remind each of us, as we sadly obviously need reminding, that anyone who would show partiality toward any people in the name of God is not really standing in the name of God. They have believed lies from the enemy. And if we are not disgusted and heartbroken at the thought of even a WHIFF of social injustice, then we have not yet attained the mind of Christ on the matter.
Generational sin provides some of the absolute most difficult strongholds to break. Those demons have dug their claws in DEEP and they are not letting go without a fight. Who is going to fight against them today? Maybe we have been asleep on the matter and it's time to wake up a little bit. Do you know what throws the enemy down? (Pop quiz!) The blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. We must SPEAK against social injustice. There is POWER in our words. Jesus did his part. Now it's time to do ours. When you see social injustice, speak against it! But as with all things, do so with gentleness and respect - this is how we represent the Father. We should be praying over this issue daily. Until our country is healed of this generational sin, we should be praying fervently every single day against the spiritual strongholds of social injustice. We should be taking every single thing we have been discussing here for the past two months now and applying it in a very real way to a very real circumstance. This is what God has called us to do, so let's do it. May God forgive us and heal our land.
Peace!
Thank you for your post, Adrien! Very thoughtful message in response to the recent heinous display of racism, hatred, and evil in our country. It is only through God that we may find peace. ❤️ And our voices must be heard and we must stand against injustice. WE ARE EQUAL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD!
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