Eze 28:1-2
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
" 'In the pride of your heart
you say, "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.
On studying Eze 28, I understand that the ruler of Tyre became very rich and his pride causing him to view himself very highly, even as high as a god and lost sight of the fact that he was a mere mortal. He attributed his success in trade and abundance to his own wisdom and understanding. In fact, he fell into the trap of the ruler of the world, Satan who is operating in the world like a lion seeking for opportunities to devour people. As 1Pe5:8 says:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
As a matter of fact, this is not something new in the world. Right at the begiining of humanity in the garden of Eden, the devil lied to Eve, saying (Gen 1:4-5):
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Unfortunately, Eve listened to Satan's lie and led Adam disobeying God's command leading the downfall of the whole humanity.
If you study Eze28:11-19, God seems to announce judement to a spiritual being, namely Satan while the judement was directed to the king of Tyre:
12 "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
" 'You were the model of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
ruby, topaz and emerald,
chrysolite, onyx and jasper,
sapphire, [a] turquoise and beryl. [b]
Your settings and mountings [c] were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
I think this judgement was announced both to the king and people of Tyre and Satan who was actually operating in behind when king and people of Tyre succumbed to the devil's temptation.
Similarly, when we studied Isa 14:12-15, judgement was announced to the king of Babylon:
Isa 14:12-15
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
"I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. [c]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High."
15 But you are brought down to the grave,
to the depths of the pit.
How should we face this spiritual battle? Jam4:7 lays out the winning strategy that we should submit ourself to God rather than Satan:
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Eph6:10-17 also indicates the fact that there is spiritual dark force in operation, and the only way we may stand is through the power of God and His provision:
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Let us give thanks to God who saves us from sins and give us a new life. Let's stand firm with the help of the Lord and live a life that pleases Him and be witness to people of the world who are still living under the bondage of the devel. As Eph5:8 says:
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord.