Why did God allow Tyre to rejoice over Jerusalem's downfall in Ezekiel 26:2? Text of Ezekiel 26:2 “Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gateway to the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I will be filled, now that it lies in ruins,’” Historical Setting Tyre, a pre-eminent Phoenician seaport on an island just off today’s Lebanese coast, thrived on Mediterranean trade. Jerusalem, though inland, controlled land routes and functioned as “the gateway to the peoples” linking Africa and Asia (cf. Ezekiel 26:2; 27:3). When Babylon breached Jerusalem in 586 BC, Tyre’s merchants anticipated increased traffic and profit with Judah removed from the caravan nexus. God “allowed” Tyre to gloat because He had already decreed temporary judgment on Judah for covenant infidelity (2 Chronicles 36:15-17). Nebuchadnezzar was His instrument (Jeremiah 25:9); Tyre’s reaction merely exposed its own heart. Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom Scripture uniformly presents God as “working all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11) while never coercing sin. Tyre’s pride sprang from its volition; God permitted it to reveal motives He would later judge (Romans 2:6). The principle is identical to His allowance of Assyria’s arrogance after using it as the “rod” against Israel (Isaiah 10:5-12). Reasons God Permitted Tyre’s Gloating a. Exposure of Pride for Just Judgment – “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination” (Proverbs 16:5). Tyre’s schadenfreude provided the legal grounds for divine recompense announced in Ezekiel 26-28. God’s holiness demands that sin be manifest before it is punished (Romans 3:19). b. Instrumental Discipline on Judah – By letting neighboring states react, the Lord underlined to Judah how far her witness had fallen (Jeremiah 24:9). Their mockery underscored the covenant curse of Deuteronomy 28:37. c. Demonstration of Yahweh’s Universal Lordship – Each oracle against the nations ends with “then they will know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 26:6; 28:23). Allowing Tyre’s rejoicing provided a backdrop against which His supremacy would be displayed once Tyre itself faced judgment. d. Moral Instruction to Future Generations – Obadiah 12 commands, “Do not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune.” Tyre stands as a case study warning nations and individuals against triumphing over the fallen. e. Validation of Prophetic Reliability – The sequence—Jerusalem falls, Tyre exults, Tyre is swiftly judged—creates a verifiable pattern. Later events (Nebuchadnezzar’s 13-year siege, recorded by Josephus, and Alexander’s destruction in 332 BC, confirmed archaeologically by the rubble causeway) fulfill Ezekiel’s predictions in remarkable detail, reinforcing confidence in Scripture’s inspiration. Tyre’s Specific Sins • Commercial Idolatry – Ezekiel 27 catalogs her luxury trade: “Behold, you are filled with great wealth” (v.25). Mammon supplanted reverence for the Creator. • Prideful Self-Deification – “You have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of a god’” (Ezekiel 28:2). • Covenant Treachery – Earlier friendship with Israel through Hiram (1 Kings 5:1) magnifies the betrayal, paralleling Psalm 55:12-14’s lament over a familiar friend’s treachery. Prophetic Consequences Pronounced • Siege by Many Nations – “They will destroy the walls of Tyre” (Ezekiel 26:3). Multiple assaults—Nebuchadnezzar (585-572 BC) and Alexander (332 BC)—fit the plural. • Scraped Like the Top of a Rock – Alexander’s engineers dismantled mainland Tyre to build a 600-meter causeway; modern divers still find pillars in the sea, confirming v.4. • Never to be Rebuilt to Former Glory – Though a town called Ṣūr exists, the insular empire has never been restored, fulfilling v.14. Theological Implications for Believers a. God Opposes the Proud – “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Tyre’s fate embodies this axiom. b. Guard Against Schadenfreude – Proverbs 24:17 warns, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls.” The Tyrian example condemns any glee at another’s judgment. c. Trust in Divine Justice – Even when evil seems advantageous, God vindicates righteousness in His timing (Psalm 73:17-19). d. Hope in Restoration – Judah’s exile was temporary; Tyre’s destruction was permanent. God disciplines His covenant people but annihilates unrepentant pride. Christological Trajectory Ezekiel’s lament over the “king of Tyre” (28:11-19) contains language later applied typologically to Satan’s fall—culminating in Christ’s victory over pride and death (Colossians 2:15). Jerusalem’s eventual restoration and Tyre’s irreversible demise prefigure the eschatological separation between New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2) and Babylon-style worldly systems (Revelation 18). Summary God permitted Tyre to exult over Jerusalem to expose its greed and arrogance, to discipline His people, to set the stage for Tyre’s exemplary judgment, and to magnify His sovereign righteous character before all nations. The episode underscores an enduring lesson: prideful celebration of another’s downfall invites divine retribution, whereas humble dependence on the Lord leads to grace and ultimate restoration. |
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