If you allow your eyes to scan the following bullet points from Ezekiel 27.1-11, you’ll gain a clear picture of a magnificent nation centered around sea travel. These verses describe the finest and most elaborate ships imaginable in the fifth century BC.
Nothing was spared to provide the best of the best for the sea travel of the merchants of Tyre.
- Tyre’s Declaration of Beauty: Tyre claims to be “perfect in beauty.”
- Location and Construction:
- Situated in the heart of the seas.
- Its beauty is enhanced by its builders.
- Situated in the heart of the seas.
- Materials Used in Craftsmanship:
- Planks made of fir trees from Senir.
- Cedar from Lebanon used for masts.
- Oars crafted from oaks of Bashan.
- Decks made of pine from Cyprus, inlaid with ivory.
- Luxury and Elegance:
- Sails of fine embroidered linen from Egypt, serving as an ensign.
- Awnings in blue and purple from Elishah.
- Crew and Skilled Workers:
- Rowers from Sidon and Arvad.
- Pilots from Zemer.
- Elders and artisans from Gebal, responsible for caulking.
- Trade and Commerce:
- Ships and sailors involved in bartering for goods.
- Military Strength:
- Warriors from Paras, Lud, and Put adorned Tyre with shields and helmets.
- Defensive Features:
- Men from Arvad, Helech, and Gamad stationed on walls and towers.
- Quivers hung around walls, enhancing Tyre’s beauty and defense.
A Modern Day Lesson
The remarkable economy and wealth of Tyre serve as a reminder to reflect on Jesus’s teachings about materialism as we seek to apply Tyre’s lessons to our lives in 2024.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal,
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6.19-21).
Most readers of my blog are familiar with Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount. It’s important to pause and reflect: What does it mean to store up treasures on earth, and how can we focus on storing up treasures in heaven?
What practical steps can we take to demonstrate that our greatest treasures are in God’s eternal realm, rather than in earthly possessions that will fade away?
These are questions worth asking—and even more, worth acting on thoughtfully and intentionally.
Jesus makes it clear: if we claim to have given our heart to Jesus, it should be reflected in what we do with our treasures.
Generous Vs. Stingy
Your Bible, like mine, may include a division between verses 21 and 22. However, Jesus’ teaching about the eye being the lamp of the body is not a separate idea but directly connected to how we handle our treasures.
Let’s examine the scripture together, and I’ll explain further.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,
But if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6.22-23).
To fully grasp what Jesus is teaching, it helps to consider alternative translations for the words “healthy” and “unhealthy.” These terms can be translated as “generous” and “stingy.”
When we read Jesus’ words with this understanding, we see that if our eye is generous, our whole body will be filled with light. Conversely, if our eye is stingy, our whole body will be in darkness.
In fact, if we are stingy people, we will be filled with profound darkness. Reflect on this—doesn’t it align with what you’ve observed about the impact of generosity and stinginess in life?
It’s worth considering the opulence of Tyre’s ships through the lens of generosity versus stinginess. Were they using their wealth to benefit others, or were they indulging in the riches of the nations solely for themselves?
Could this self-indulgence have been a factor in bringing them under God’s judgment?
Jesus concluded His teaching on wealth, materialism, and the contrast between generosity and stinginess with a clear truth: we cannot serve both God and money. Ultimately, one will win out over the other.
“No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6.24).
The issue with Tyre was that wealth became their god, and they prioritized it above all else.
As we study the nation of Tyre and God’s judgments against it, it’s important to take time to reflect on our own lives in light of Jesus’ teachings.
Are we generously using our treasures to serve God and His kingdom, storing them in heaven? Or are we holding onto them tightly, unable to receive God’s blessings or share them with others?
Let’s take a moment to reflect on these questions today.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It’s on the Bob Spradling YouTube channel.
Real Voices 