NOTES for Eze 28:1-26

The prophet continues to speak about what is happening in Tyre, and once again we can see that his words concern more than this city alone. No, similar things recur from age to age among many peoples. Here we see the self-exaltation of the king of Tyre, who imagined himself a god; looking at him, we recall the many rulers who throughout the centuries have surrounded, and still surround, themselves with extraordinary honors. Love of honors seems to be an understandable and common human weakness, but then we notice that the description of such a ruler becomes indistinguishable from the description of a fallen angel. We begin to understand that what stands before us is something greater than human vanity: it is a manifestation of satanic rebellion against God.

But are rulers alone subject to this “weakness”? Satan knows what he is doing when he encourages proud egocentrism within us. Every act of creating an idol—including an idol of one's beloved self—begins “harmlessly,” but leads to that idol occupying the center of attention and consciously or unconsciously seeking to displace God. Then it begins to demand sacrifices—not necessarily bloody ones, but the idol will inevitably lay claim to the spiritual strength of the worshiper it enslaves.