THE SINKING OF THE SHIP OF STATE

“Ships of Tarshish were the carriers for your goods. So you became full and heavily loaded in the heart of the sea. Your rowers have brought you onto the high seas, but the east wind has shattered you in the heart of the sea.

Your wealth, merchandise, and goods, your sailors and captains, those who repair your leaks, those who barter for your goods, and all the warriors within you, with all the other people on board, sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your downfall.” (Ezekiel 27:25-27 HCSB)

The Titanic is a name which will ever be associated with pride and its peril. Its name signified the size of the ship—a behemoth in the deep. The boast, made by a deck hand at the launch of the Titanic, was, “Not even God himself could sink this ship.” Yet, the sinking of the Titanic with tragic loss of life on her maiden voyage is a stark warning for those who display such hubris. One iceberg is all it took and Titanic gurgled into her watery grave, dragging down over 1500 souls with her.

The ancient city of Tyre was guilty of the same sin. God inspired the prophet Ezekiel to picture her as this great ship of state, sailing along with much lavish cargo, yet sinking in a storm of God’s judgment. How fitting for a city and people who were synonymous with unparalleled skill and success from the shipping industry they plied. At the helm sat her king—self-assured—guiding her course, much as Edward Smith, the captain of the Titanic would, millennia later. But, the spirit behind such pride is older than humanity, and originated in Satan himself. That is the undercurrent of the story.

We observe that Tyre—and her sister city Sidon (Ezek.28:20-26)—in Phoenicia (modern day Lebanon) were GEOGRAPHICALLY PRIVILEGED.

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Now, son of man, lament for Tyre.

Say to Tyre, who is located at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coasts and islands: This is what the Lord God says:

Tyre, you declared, 'I am perfect in beauty.' Your realm was in the heart of the sea; your builders perfected your beauty. They constructed all your planking with pine trees from Senir. They took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. They made your oars of oaks from Bashan. They made your deck of cypress wood from the coasts of Cyprus,
[inlaid] with ivory. Your sail was [made of] fine embroidered linen from Egypt, and served as your banner. Your awning was of blue and purple fabric from the coasts of Elishah. The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers. Your wise men were within you, Tyre; they were your captains.

The elders of Gebal and its wise men were within you, repairing your leaks.

All the ships of the sea and their sailors came to you to barter for your goods.” (Ezekiel 27:1-9)

As the state was situated on the Mediterranean Sea, these people took full advantage of their environs and employed themselves with a great maritime industry. Tyre itself was built on two islands just off the coastline. The water which encircled her functioned as a moat guarding a medieval castle, affording an immense barrier of protection, so much so, that they thought themselves impervious to attack. Furthermore, the access to the sea, gave the city opportunity to do what they did best—develop their shipping empire.

So has America been blessed of God. Bounded by oceans, that have helped guard us from the wars that have ravaged Europe, our mainland has been secure—until 9/11 demonstrated that our enemy could bring the fight to us. It was a humbling experience.

Now, we have rebuilt, moved on—and failed to learn our lessons. What comes next?

Like Tyre, the abundance of harbors and waterways has been a natural resource also, which has helped generate an economic powerhouse. Yet, a grave concern is that one of those shipping containers might, some day soon, house a weapon of mass destruction—nuclear, biological or chemical. Pride goes before destruction!

There is no refuge to be found if we abandon God as our refuge. When a major political party will excise the name of God from its platform, what does that say for the future of our country? Lest, self-righteousness cause the other party to boast of their references to God, then we may also ask what God they mean in view of a nominee who is a member of a cult.

I recognize that we are electing a President of a nation and not of a seminary, but as Lincoln aptly stated, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”

The ship of state can sink despite being MILITARILY POWERFUL.

“[Men of] Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army, [serving] as your warriors. They hung shields and helmets in you; they gave you splendor.

Men of Arvad and Helech were [stationed] on your walls all around, and Gammadites were in your towers. They hung their shields all around your walls; they perfected your beauty.” (Ezekiel 27:10-11)

They had the best army money could buy. Yet, Tyre would be conquered.

What heroic men and women have fought to guard America’s freedoms in our nation’s past! Things have looked grim at times during our wars, but God preserved the Union. In this hour, we have soldiers and sailors, those in the air and on the ground, fighting and falling on foreign soil to save our liberty. Thank God for them!

We owe them a great debt, and one of the chief ways we can repay them is through our prayers. Furthermore, we can make sure they do not die in vain, but that we cherish those freedoms enough to use them—such as the freedom to practice our Christian faith. What we take for granted can suddenly be lost.

That is the sin of presumption and it is rooted in the sin of pride. The inhabitants of Tyre saw the warriors on the walls and thought they were safe from attack. Their assumptions were faulty. Should we think that superior armament and superlative technology will carry the day, we are just as foolish. God places a shield around the society He chooses to bless, and none can deliver when He chooses to blast. Look at the would be world-conquerors of the past—Alexander, Napoleon, Hitler—what happened to their vaunted military might? They basked in glory for a season, but fell to their own mortality in the end. They brought down many kings in the field of battle, but were slain by the King of Terrors—Death.

Tyre would sink to the bottom though they were ECONOMICALLY PROSPEROUS.

"Tarshish was your trading partner because of [your] great wealth of every kind. They exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your goods. Those from Beth-togarmah exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your merchandise. Men of Dedan were also your merchants; many coasts and islands were your regular markets. They brought back ivory tusks and ebony as your payment. Aram was your trading partner because of your numerous products. They exchanged turquoise, purple and embroidered cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your merchandise. Judah and the land of Israel were your merchants. They exchanged wheat from Minnith, meal, honey, oil, and balm, for your goods. Damascus was also your trading partner because of your numerous products and your great wealth of every kind, [trading] in wine from Helbon and white wool. Vedan and Javan from Uzal dealt in your merchandise; wrought iron, cassia, and aromatic cane were [exchanged] for your goods. Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding. Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your business partners, trading with you in lambs, rams, and goats. The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you. They exchanged gold, the best of all spices, and all kinds of precious stones for your merchandise. Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you. They were your merchants in choice garments, cloaks of blue and embroidered materials, and multicolored carpets, which were bound and secured with cords in your marketplace.” (Ezekiel 27:12-24)

This is a picture of economic extravagance. Here are people enjoying luxury. But, it would not last—the boom would one day go bust.

Are we not sitting on a debt bubble in the United States—indeed, global in scope—that if and when it bursts will bring a depression beyond the Great Depression, but will be the Greatest Depression? It is not hard to conceive, when as I write these words, our national debt has exceeded 16 trillion dollars!

What folly, that a nation so economically powerful, where the dollar was the standard in currency, has come to such a precarious moment. Have politicians applied foolish policies? Have corporations succumbed to greed? Have many citizens become sloths instead of productive workers? All this is true, but it goes far beyond that. Even if those things suddenly changed, without a change of heart in repentance, we are in trouble. There were a lot of wealthy people on the Titanic—and their money did not save them. It will not save us. If we trust in Mammon and not God, our idolatry will be our indictment and end in infamy.

The iceberg that sinks the ship is when a people become SINFULLY PROUD.

“Ships of Tarshish were the carriers for your goods.

So you became full and heavily loaded in the heart of the sea.” (Ezekiel 27:25)

Their very prosperity became their undoing. The weight of their cargo caused them to be swamped in a storm. This is, of course, symbolic language, yet so apropos for that sea-faring society. They were confident they could sail through any storm. They were dead wrong. God can sink an unsinkable ship!

Consider THE HUMAN PURVIEW.

The scope of their sin from earth’s viewpoint is given in Ezekiel 28:1-10.

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre: This is what the Lord God says:

Your heart is proud, and you have said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.” Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god. Yes, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you! By your wisdom and understanding you have acquired wealth for yourself. You have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.

By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has become proud because of your wealth.’

Therefore this is what the Lord God says:

Because you regard your heart as that of a god, I am about to bring strangers against you, ruthless men from the nations. They will draw their swords against your magnificent wisdom and will defile your splendor. They will bring you down to the Pit,
and you will die a violent death in the heart of the sea. Will you still say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who kill you? Yet you will be [only] a man, not a god, in the hands of those who kill you.

You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of strangers. For I have spoken. [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.’”

Many rulers through the ages have claimed deity. That never turns out well. It didn’t for Tyre’s king.

But, we need to dig deeper.

Weigh the HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE.

The source of their sin from eternity’s vision is seen in Ezekiel 28:11-19.

“The word of the Lord came to me:

‘Son of man, lament for the king of Tyre and say to him: This is what the Lord God says:

You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone covered you: carnelian, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold; they were prepared on the day you were created. You were an anointed guardian cherub, for I had appointed you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones. From the day you were created
you were blameless in your ways until wickedness was found in you. Through the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I expelled you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and banished you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud because of your beauty; For the sake of your splendor you corrupted your wisdom. So I threw you down to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings. You profaned your sanctuaries by the magnitude of your iniquities in your dishonest trade. So I made fire come from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of everyone watching you.

All those who know you among the nations are appalled at you. You have become an object of horror and will never exist again."

Some of this applies to the fleshly king of Tyre. But, it cannot be limited to him. We realize there are spiritual powers at work behind the human kingdoms. Satan is the Prince of the Power of the Air—the Ruler of this world and god of this age. Paul put it this way,

“For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.” (Eph.6:11)

That is what we see here. Lucifer was first to succumb to pride and his downfall has permeated this planet with the same foul spirit. This beautiful being in Eden has become the diabolical Devil of hell.

With Satan as the captain, directing the human hand at the helm, the King of Tyre was heading the ship of state toward disaster. Such a nation is DIVINELY PUNISHED.

“Your rowers have brought you onto the high seas, but the east wind has shattered you
in the heart of the sea.

Your wealth, merchandise, and goods, your sailors and captains, those who repair your leaks, those who barter for your goods, and all the warriors within you, with all the other people on board, sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your downfall.

The countryside shakes at the sound of your sailors' cries. All those who handle an oar
disembark from their ships. The sailors and all the captains of the sea stand on the shore. They raise their voices over you and cry out bitterly. They throw dust on their heads; they roll in ashes.

They shave their heads because of you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They weep over you with deep anguish and bitter mourning.

In their wailing they lament for you, mourning over you: Who was like Tyre, silenced in the middle of the sea? When your merchandise was unloaded from the seas, you satisfied many peoples. You enriched the kings of the earth with your abundant wealth and goods. Now you are shattered by the sea in the depths of the waters; your goods and the people within you have gone down. All the inhabitants of the coasts and islands
are appalled at you. Their kings shudder with fear; [their] faces are contorted.

Those who trade among the peoples mock you; you have become an object of horror
and will never exist again." (Ezekiel 27:26-36)

God is no respecter of persons—or nations! If He judged Tyre for her demonic pride, can we expect preferential treatment?

Here is a life-boat for those who do not want to sink:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time…” (1 Peter 5:6).