A Lament for Tyre

                                                             Ezekiel 27:1-11

 

December 30, 2023

 

A Lament for Tyre

The word of the Lord came to me:  “Now you, son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre, and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrances to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord God:

“O Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’  Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders made perfect your beauty.  They made all your planks of fir trees from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.  Of oaks of Bashan, they made your oars; they made your deck of pine from the coasts of Cyprus, inlaid with ivory.  Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail, serving as your banner; blue and purple from the coasts of  Elishah, was your awning. The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; your skilled men, O Tyre, were in you; they were your pilots. The elders of Gebal and her skilled men were in you, caulking your seams; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you
to barter for your wares.

“Persia and Lud and Put were in your army as your men of war. They hung the shield and helmet in you; they gave you splendor. Men of Arvad and Helech were on your walls all around, and men of Gamad were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they made perfect your beauty.

 

We see Tyre depicted as a beautiful ship, on the coastline, she was the pride of a merchant fleet of ships.  She was a very prosperous and very proud city on the Mediterranean Sea.  Tyre was so prosperous that she would go to great expenses to see that all her ships and buildings were of the best materials, and it was all about looks.

 

She only used the best in all areas of workmanship and construction materials.  Since her fleet of ships did business in all ports, she had the best of everything.   When you have those kinds of resources, you not only believe you are in charge, but you also become proud and arrogant.  The nations she did business with were impressed, to say the least, at her beauty; she was what all people wanted to be like.

 

Tyre was a strong nation with a strong military and the best of everything, but God.  The Phoenician people had little need of God; they had become gods in their pride, and as my dad often said, we learn nothing from history, or we would not keep repeating it.

 

I see our nation is a lot like Tyre; we have been so blessed by God, following in the footsteps of Tyre.  Arrogant, sinful, full of self, with wealth, and very prideful.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Tyre had become like Sodom and Gomorrah

 

Ezekiel 26:15-21

 

December 28, 2023

 

“Thus says the Lord God to Tyre: Will not the coastlands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when slaughter is made in your midst?  Then all the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones and remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground and tremble every moment and be appalled at you.  And they will raise a lamentation over you and say to you,

“‘How you have perished, you who were inhabited from the seas,
O city renowned, who was mighty on the sea; she and her inhabitants imposed their terror on all her inhabitants!  Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall, and the coastlands that are on the sea are dismayed at your passing.’  “For thus say the Lord God: When I make you a city laid waste, like the cities that are not inhabited, when I bring up the deep over you, and the great waters cover you,  then I will make you go down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I will make you to dwell in the world below, among ruins from of old, with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited; but I will set beauty in the land of the living.  I will bring you to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more. Though you be sought for, you will never be found again, declares the Lord God.”

 

Tyre had become like Sodom and Gomorrah with no fear of God, much like many of the nations of the Western world we live in.  We in the USA have told God to stay out of our government, our schools, and higher education, and it is very clear He has, and we see the product they have turned out. 

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Prophecy Against Tyre

 

 

Ezekiel 26:1-14

December 27, 2023

Prophecy Against Tyre

In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, ‘Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste,’ therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves.  They shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers, and I will scrape her soil from her and make her a bare rock.  She shall be in the midst of the sea, a place for the spreading of nets, for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. And she shall become plunder for the nations, and her daughters on the mainland shall be killed by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a host of many soldiers.  He will kill with the sword your daughters on the mainland. He will set up a siege wall against you and throw up a mound against you, and raise a roof of shields against you.  He will direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes, he will break down your towers.  His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen and wagons, and chariots when he enters your gates as men enter a city that has been breached.  With the hoofs of his horses, he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground. They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. Your stones and timber and soil they will cast into the midst of the waters.  And I will stop the music of your songs, and the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more.  I will make you a bare rock. You shall be a place for the spreading of nets. You shall never be rebuilt, for I am the Lord; I have spoken, declares the Lord God.

 If one looks at Scripture to find something that they believe never happened, it might be a false belief that God said Nebuchadnezzar would destroy Tyre.  Verse three states that many nations.  King Nebuchadnezzar was just the first, of several, and he attacked the mainland, it was Alexander the Great that did a lot of harm, and the Romans.

Tyre was destroyed, and this Phoenician city was never rebuilt. and it was known for its famous purple dye.  Most of it population lived on a small Island about a half-mile off the coast. When Alexander the Great built a ramp from the mainland to the Island.

Often, on things like this, I look at what others have said, and Got Questions is very good. They state that in 1291, Tyre was destroyed by the Saracens, fulfilling Ezekiel 26’s prophecy.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Prophecy Against Philistia

 

Ezekiel 25:15-17

 

December 25, 2023

 

Prophecy Against Philistia

“Thus says the Lord God: Because the Philistines acted revengefully and took vengeance with malice of soul to destroy in never-ending enmity, therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the rest of the seacoast.  I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon them.”

 

Will you join me in praying for the foolish people not only of the USA but the whole world that have wished for the destruction of Israel, they have no understanding of the wrath of God?  But Scripture is clear that they are bringing His vengeance upon themselves.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Prophecy Against Moab and Seir

 

Ezekiel 25:8-14

 

December 25, 2023

 

Prophecy Against Moab and Seir

“Thus says the Lord God: Because Moab and Seir said, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the other nations,’  therefore I will lay open the flank of Moab from the cities, from its cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim.  I will give it along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, that the Ammonites may be remembered no more among the nations,  and I will execute judgments upon Moab. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

 

When God speaks, you'd better listen, for his judgment against the Ammonites was very final. 

Prophecy Against Edom

“Thus says the Lord God: Because Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended in taking vengeance on them, therefore thus says the Lord God, I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off from it man and beast. And I will make it desolate; from Teman even to Dedan they shall fall by the sword.  And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath, and they shall know my vengeance, declares the Lord God.

 

How wise we who follow after Christ would be to seek His will, His face, and not just His hand.  As I write this paper, we have many very foolish young college students chanting that they desire the death of Israel.  They are untaught and very foolish in bringing curses on themselves.

 

And we, the people of God, need to pray for an awakening before God brings judgment against this nation.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

s your life like a Puzzle?

 

The Puzzle and Life

 

Is your life like a Puzzle?

 

My brother and his wife, Chris, gave Jan and me a puzzle of the manger setting for Christmas, and Fred's last word as they left was you need to finish this by Christmas.  That gave us two days, and guess what, it's still not finished.

 

But it been a big learning experience, in that Jan likes to work the puzzle before we get the outer border finished.  Shortcuts in our lives, like trying to work outside of God’s framework, will always end up in a redo.  

 

What puzzle have open my eyes to is the gaps in one life, the pieces must fit perfectly, the slight gap and your life, like the puzzle, will not fit. Since Jan and I have been married for over 60 years, we had many gaps, and most were mine.  I was 27 years old when I was confronted by men who had a personal relationship with Christ; I had a Baptist or religious understanding of Christ.  So, in a hotel room in Victoria, Texas, I ask Jesus to forgive my many sins and take over the management of my life.  And now the piece began to come together.  No, I had learn how to get my needs met outside of  Christ for 27 years, and it has been a battle allowing Him to make the pieces fit without the gaps.

 

As I grew in my faith, I began to study the Scripture, and I read in Galatians 5:22-23, these words, “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

 

I can testify before God and man that my wife is the love of my life, but for years, I had men who loved me enough to tell me the truth. Bob, you are too harsh with Jan; you need to show more kindness.  Have the pieces of my life at age 84, all fit in the puzzle. No, it seems God is showing me that I must allow him to teach me patience and self-control.

 

This thought came into my mind: no one wants to use an architect who did not give them a sound foundation to build on.  I can testify that God, your Creator and Redeemer, is the perfect architect.

 

 

I woke up about 1:30 this morning, realizing I had not given Jan her new medication.  As I lay there, after doing so, I began thinking on the subject of how, if you wanted your life to fit together, like the puzzle we are about to complete, it would require you to allow the Lord who loves you more than you will ever grasp to guide you.  I lay there until 3:05, and had asked the Lord to let me write on this tomorrow, but as my friend Forrest told me many years ago, obedience brings blessing, and so I went ahead and wrote this paper.

 

It has not been the best time for our family. We lost our sister. My brother-in-law and Doris's two girls exhibit love in an amazing way for Doris.  One of Joe's amazing gifts from God was the ability to fix things and solve problems; it was very hard for him not to fix Doris.  Jan and I both have come down with a bad cough, and mine has settled into my chest, and I was hoping to sleep.  As I lay in bed, all kinds of thoughts filled my mind, none of which were areas that the pieces were not in the rearview mirror of my life, like language, drinking, sex desire, and just wanting to be the center of my small world.  As always, when I began to write, the Spirit of God took my mind not to others but to myself.  I have a long way to go to be Christ-like in the area of patience and self-control; it only takes getting in my car to make that become a reality.

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Prophecy Against Ammon

 

 

Ezekiel 25:1-7

 

December 24, 2023

 

Prophecy Against Ammon

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them.  Say to the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God, Because you said, ‘Aha!’ over my sanctuary when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and over the house of Judah when they went into exile, therefore behold, I am handing you over to the people of the East for a possession, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings in your midst. They shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk.  I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon a fold for flocks. Then you will know that I am the Lord.  For thus says the Lord God: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the malice within your soul against the land of Israel, therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand against you and will hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

 

Should we, the Church of the living God, rejoice over the destruction of our enemies?  That would be inconsistent with Jesus teaching us to love our enemies and pray for them.  I do know it is a very foolish person who brings God's wrath on Israel and desires Israel's destruction.  It goes back to God's promise to Abram before God changed his name to Abraham.  In the book of Genesis, chapter 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

 

The Ammonites found great disfavor from God for rejoicing over Israel's destruction.

 

From The Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice