God Will Not Fail

Ezekiel 26

Before we look at Ezekiel 26, let me give you some context. Ezekiel can be most easily divided into two parts. The first part is chapters 1-24, which we finished last week. The 2nd part is chapters 25-48, which we are beginning this week. The dividing event is the fall of Jerusalem, the darkest moment in the history of God’s people in the Old Testament.

Why was it so dark? Jerusalem represented the dwelling place of God in the midst of his people. These people were God’s treasured possession, a people who would prosper under God’s care so greatly that the rest of the world would be drawn to them. This was their intended destiny. And so, it was believed that Jerusalem could never die. This was why the exiles listening to Ezekiel prophesy over and over again that Jerusalem would be defeated was not believed. Jerusalem was their hope.

With the fall of Jerusalem, the foundation of what they believed was suddenly shaken. What did this mean? Was their any hope left? The answer is Yes! And the 2nd half of Ezekiel’s book spells it out, though it doesn’t look like it at first glance.

The next several chapters, from 25-32, talk about more judgment. Specifically, judgment upon the nations around Jerusalem. We’re going to look at a sample of these judgments. In chapter 25 we see the judgment of Ammon, Moab and Seir, Edom, and Philistia. In chapters 26-28 we have a judgment against Tyre and Sidon, and in 29-32 we have judgment against Egypt. I chose to look at Tyre because the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy is best understood historically and it is fascinating.