Isaiah 23:1 says, The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them. Isaiah now shares God’s prophesy about Tyre, that ancient and prosperous city that had never really been an enemy of Israel but had often helped them. He said it was going to be laid waste, which happened during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar and lasted for seventy years, according to Matthew Henry. Those who are not out to destroy Christians, no matter how prosperous they may be, will one day find themselves howling in remorse because they too will be sent away to everlasting destruction if they never become a part of God’s kingdom by putting their faith in Jesus Christ. There will be no restoration after God's judgment comes.
Verse two adds, Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished. Tyre had first been more of a colony of Zidon, but had outgrown Zidon, whose people still traded with them. Zidon had replenished Tyre at one point. Countries today that once were strong may now be surpassed in strength and prosperity by those they once helped build up, but if we are a part of the kingdom of God, nothing will ever surpass it.
Verse three continues, And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations. Egypt had also helped build Tyre up, as is implied by the reference to the waters of Sihor. No nation can truly flourish on its own but needs the help of other nations in trade and often military support, but spiritually, we as followers of Christ must rely on Him alone for our strength and prosperity.
Verse four states, Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. Isaiah said the day was coming when the people of Tyre would no longer have the ships coming to trade with them, because the sea would prevent it. Matthew Henry says that the sea worked against the ships and that the docks of Tyre were destroyed by the weather as well. For whatever reason, the trade that the people of Tyre had depended on was going to dry up, and they had been totally dependent on it for their welfare. Whatever may bring us riches today that is based on the values of the world and not on God’s word and our obedience to Him, no matter how rich we may be, is one day going to disappear.
Verse five adds, As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. When the people of Egypt heard the news about Tyre, they would be greatly distressed, because of the loss of trade with Tyre and the threat to their own prosperity. Those who put their faith in anything in this world other than Jesus Christ will one day find all the good that they have received from others in the world dried up.
Verse six continues, Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. Isaiah said that the word would go out to avoid Tyre and to pass over to Tarshish instead. When things start to go badly for people in the world who have depended on and been friends with those living outside of the will of God, it is not unusual for those that they had considered friends to abandon them in favor of someone else.
Verse seven says, Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn. Though Tyre had been a glorious city, there was coming a day when the people would be carried away captive. No matter how glorious or powerful a country or even a city may be today, when Jesus Christ returns, if it has been built outside of His will, then the people there who have refused to accept His gift of salvation and obey Him will be carried away captive to everlasting punishment.
Verse eight adds, Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth? The question is asked about who had proposed such a fate for the crowning city of Tyre. People in prosperous cities today might think that no one will ever be able to destroy them even if they are denying God, but they will find out that they are wrong.
Verse nine continues, The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth. The answer was that God had proposed it. He would bring down those who lived for their own glory instead of His and those who were considered honorable by the world but were not living by His word. No matter how much we may exalt ourselves and be seen as honorable by the people of the world, God is the One Who will ultimately judge us, and if we haven’t put our faith in Jesus Christ, no matter how Glorious we may be seen in the eyes of the world, we will be sent away to everlasting suffering
No comments:
Post a Comment