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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About the Tempter (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 013. The Ezekiel Picture
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The Ezekiel Picture
May I ask you to turn to a remarkable passage about Satan? It is in the prophecy of Ezekiel. There are three chapters dealing with the kingdom of Tyre, a Phoenician island-kingdom of ancient times, lying on the Mediterranean coast, north-west of Israel's territory.
Tyre was one of the greatest, most prosperous, most powerful, most arrogant, and most luxurious of the great kingdoms of the world of its time. Of that much at least, we can be quite sure. Probably much stronger language could be correctly used. Ezekiel is talking about all the great nations surrounding Israel. In turn he comes to this kingdom of Tyre; and chapters twenty-six, twenty-seven, and most of twenty-eight, contain the Tyre message. It is a message of judgment.
At the close of it occurs this most remarkable passage—chapter twenty-eight, verses one to nineteen. The first ten verses speak of "the prince of Tyre," the next nine verses of "the king of Tyre." The first is a message to the prince, the second a lamentation over the king. The title "prince," you will notice, is a subordinate or secondary title to "king." A prince is under a king. A king rules over his princes, who in turn may rule over those under them.
The language used here of the prince is such language as can properly be used of a man. Indeed, he is called a "man." The language used of the "king" is not such as is ever used of man, nor could it be so used. But it is most striking that exactly the same spirit dominates the prince as the king. The same characteristics strikingly mark each. The prince is an exact duplicate, a sort of understudy, of the king. The same beauty, wisdom, and power mark each, and the same awful defiance of God breathes in both alike.
Remember that this Book of God is written from God's standpoint. It sees things on the earth as seen through God's eyes. This should be kept clearly in mind. The Holy Spirit seems to be giving us here a simple picture of the scene as it appears from above, to His own eye.
There is a man recognized among men as ruler of the kingdom of Tyre. There is another ruler, unseen by men, who rules the ruler of Tyre, and who so completely dominates him that this under-ruler perfectly carries out the purposes of his chief. Yet this prince of Tyre is one of the mightiest kings of earth of that time. The same classification would make all the kings of earth "princes" and this unseen spirit one of a higher order and higher rule.
It is a perfect illustration of thorough organization, the higher one, unseen by those on the scene of action, completely carrying out his own purpose through a subordinate. The second passage (verses 11-19) relates to the "king." It seems to give a simple sketch of this unseen master-spirit who rules this mighty, earthly king, and dominates him so absolutely.
The picture drawn of him at the beginning of his career is a most remarkable one, in its wisdom, beauty, and simplicity, and yet its strength. He was not only beautiful in person and wise in rare degree, but, in language most striking as coming from God Himself, it says he was perfect in both beauty and wisdom, filling out the full measure of what was possible in both these regards.
He was in the most intimate personal relation with God Himself. Notice, "Thou wast the anointed cherub that covereth; thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the coals of fire." Without going into how much those words mean just now, it clearly points to the closest intimacy and fellowship between God and this magnificent creature.