How does Ezekiel 28:2 warn against pride and self-exaltation before God? Setting the Scene Tyre, a prosperous maritime city, dazzled the ancient world with wealth, trade, and military defenses. Its ruler (likely King Ithobaal II) came to believe that the city’s success proved his own supremacy. The King’s Fatal Assumption “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Your heart is proud, and you have said, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.’ ” (Ezekiel 28:2) God’s Response: You Are Only a Man • Pride begins in the heart: “Your heart is proud.” • Self-deification follows: “I am a god… I sit on the throne of a god.” • Divine reality confronts human illusion: “But you are a man and not a god.” • Presumed wisdom is exposed: “though you think you are as wise as a god.” Timeless Lessons on Pride • Success can seduce us into forgetting our creaturely limits. • Pride asserts independence; humility remembers dependence. • Exalting self to divine status provokes God’s direct opposition. • True wisdom starts with recognizing God’s sovereignty and our finitude. • God’s verdict is final—no amount of self-promotion can overturn it. Scripture Echoes • Proverbs 16:18—“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” • Isaiah 14:13-15—Lucifer’s “I will ascend” ends in being “brought down to Sheol.” • Daniel 4:29-32—Nebuchadnezzar’s boast, followed immediately by God’s humbling. • Acts 12:21-23—Herod accepts worship as a god and is struck down. • James 4:6—“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Cultivating Humility Today • Acknowledge every good gift—talent, position, influence—as entrusted by God. • Regularly rehearse dependence: prayer, Scripture, and thanksgiving guard the heart. • Invite accountability; others can spot arrogance we overlook. • Measure greatness by service (Mark 10:42-45), not by status or applause. • When success comes, redirect praise upward: “Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory” (Psalm 115:1). |
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