The Fall of a Proud Heart

The first oracle in Ezekiel 28 addresses the prince of Tyre. He claimed to be a god, sitting in the seat of God in the middle of the seas. God sarcastically granted that he was wiser than Daniel, perhaps the righteous wise man of chapter 14. His wisdom had made him wealthy, but wealth had made him proud. God's answer was blunt: the king was a man, and not God. When strangers came, his claim to be divine would collapse.

The second oracle is a lament over the king of Tyre with striking imagery. He was the seal of full measure, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. He was in Eden, the garden of God, covered with precious stones, and called the anointed cherub on God's holy mountain. Many of these stones match the high priest's breastplate. The language is poetic and larger than life; some interpreters see in it a picture of Satan's fall, while others read it as describing the king's pride in royal and Eden-like terms. Either way, the point is clear: the king's heart was lifted up because of his beauty.

The chapter closes with a short oracle against Sidon and then a word of hope for Israel. God would gather his scattered people, show himself holy among them in the sight of the nations, and settle them securely in the land he gave to Jacob. In the New Testament, James 4:6 teaches that God gives more grace, and that he resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.