Blessed – To Be A Blessing
Stepping on others to rise to the top is not God’s way. In Ezekiel 26, Tyre (an ancient city state, located on the coast of what is now Lebanon) is described as guilty of a desire to acquire old Israel’s riches when Israel would fail. “…Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! She is broken who was the gateway of the peoples; now she is turned over to me; I shall be filled; she is laid waste’” (Ezekiel 26.2).
Because God dislikes this attitude, He sent Nebuchadnezzar against Tyre. Nebuchadnezzar did such a good job of flattening that town that Tyre became a place where fishermen could dry their nets on the flat surfaces. Tyre’s predicted fall in this Bible chapter reveals it as plundered and broken.
Today, hardly anyone remembers Tyre, but it was a strong city in its day. It was world famous for its craftsmen who made purple textiles, glass works, and pottery.
The lesson of Tyre’s fall should not be lost on us. Many lessons of Scripture come in the form of examples to avoid. In this example, the lesson is clear: Happiness does not come from selfishly seeking it, but from making others happy. It has been said that when God blesses us materially, He is not trying to raise our standard of living but He is trying to raise our standard of giving.
“It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20.35). By Barry Kimbrough
Pastor of Gold Beach, Brookings, and Cave Junction Seventh-day Adventist Churches
