Slices
Prepare
Picture your favourite city. What do you love about it?
Bible passage
A prophecy against Tyre
23 A prophecy against Tyre:
Wail, you ships of Tarshish!
For Tyre is destroyed
and left without house or harbour.
From the land of Cyprus
word has come to them.
2 Be silent, you people of the island
and you merchants of Sidon,
whom the seafarers have enriched.
3 On the great waters
came the grain of the Shihor;
the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre,
and she became the market-place of the nations.
4 Be ashamed, Sidon, and you fortress of the sea,
for the sea has spoken:
‘I have neither been in labour nor given birth;
I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.’
5 When word comes to Egypt,
they will be in anguish at the report from Tyre.
6 Cross over to Tarshish;
wail, you people of the island.
7 Is this your city of revelry,
the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
to settle in far-off lands?
8 Who planned this against Tyre,
the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are renowned in the earth?
9 The Lord Almighty planned it,
to bring down her pride in all her splendour
and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.
10 Till your land as they do along the Nile,
Daughter Tarshish,
for you no longer have a harbour.
11 The Lord has stretched out his hand over the sea
and made its kingdoms tremble.
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
that her fortresses be destroyed.
12 He said, ‘No more of your revelling,
Virgin Daughter Sidon, now crushed!
‘Up, cross over to Cyprus;
even there you will find no rest.’
13 Look at the land of the Babylonians,
this people that is now of no account!
The Assyrians have made it
a place for desert creatures;
they raised up their siege towers,
they stripped its fortresses bare
and turned it into a ruin.
14 Wail, you ships of Tarshish;
your fortress is destroyed!
15 At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:
16 ‘Take up a harp, walk through the city,
you forgotten prostitute;
play the harp well, sing many a song,
so that you will be remembered.’
17 At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. 18 Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes.
Explore
Tyre was already ancient and famous in Isaiah’s time. See Ezekiel chapter 27 for a detailed account of the glories of Tyre. Not everyone enjoys urban settings but there is no denying that, through history, they have been centres of much that is most civilised and wonderful in the world – or, at least, in the material world. It must have been inconceivable to the wealthy merchants of Tyre that, in their own time, their city would be reduced to rubble.
‘Be silent’ (v 2) is a grim command for a community whose heart should be the bustle and good cheer of prosperity. Verse 9 confirms that all this activity and worldly achievement is of little account to God. Modern social scientists remind us that many aspects of modern cities are no more permanent or reliable. The New York stock exchange; the London property market; the overcrowding and pollution in Delhi and Dhaka: none of these is established on the eternal values of God’s kingdom.
Tyre is still there today. It has endured years of war and foreign invasions. According to the United Nations, approximately a third of the population are refugees living in three main camps. In the Tyre urban area, 43 per cent of Lebanese are living in poverty. Food insecurity has become a major issue. Don’t let anyone tell you that Old Testament prophecy isn’t relevant.
Deeper Bible study
‘… my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.’1 Thank God for how he has provided for you.
Because of my work with Scripture Union and other ministries over the years, I have come to know some wealthy people and had the opportunity of inviting them to contribute to God’s work. Most are humble and generous stewards of their resources, but I’ve noticed that some, especially those who attain wealth early in their careers, develop a curious kind of pride: their fast success makes them believe they are experts in everything. In such cases I’ve found it challenging to build a genuine relationship.
The people of Tyre seem to have developed some of this same tendency. Known as the ‘market-place of the nations’ (v 3), its merchants were princes, ‘renowned in the earth’ (v 8): young and rich. We often think that the main temptation associated with money is greed, and the Bible gives us ample evidence of this,2 but another and arguably more powerful temptation of wealth is pride: ‘I’m rich, therefore I’m great’. As Isaiah makes clear, God was planning to bring an end to both errors (v 9). For those of us who live in relatively wealthy Western countries, the message to Tyre, with a look back on history, leads us to a sobering conclusion: wealthy, proud nations rise and fall. That is one more reason to set our minds and hearts on things above.3
There’s an overlooked detail in Jesus’ parable about the rich fool.4 Jesus starts, ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest’ (italics added). What he’s saying is God gives us even the opportunity and ability to produce wealth, so the attitude that ‘I did it all myself’ is completely wrong. If God has entrusted you with wealth, a prerequisite to good stewardship is the ability to avoid greed and pride.
Which is a greater challenge for you, avoiding greed or pride? Why? Where are you being tested in these areas now? Ask for God’s help.
1 Phil 4:19 2 Eg Luke 12:15; 1 Tim 6:10 3 Col 3:2 4 Luke 12:13–21
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ezekiel 34,35; 2 Peter 2
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for south east region Support Worker Tsvetelina Smale as she supports the team with end-of-year projects and activities. Pray specifically for wisdom, knowledge and new creative ways to help facilitate and build relationships with external partners.
The Grumpy Owl and the Joy of Christmas Resource pack!
Looking for a brilliant way to share the Christmas story with children this year? Designed to be used alongside our fantastic new book The Grumpy Owl and the Joy of Christmas, this brilliant new resource pack is filled with crafts, games, activities, and ideas of ways you can share the nativity this Christmas, with the help of a very grumpy owl!
Find out more and download your pack
