Words of Wisdom #300: The Tall, Proud, and the Arrogant Establishment
An oracle against Tyre: Wail, ships of Tarshish, for your haven has been destroyed. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus. Mourn inhabitants of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon; your agents have crossed the sea on many waters. Tyre’s revenue was the grain from Shihor—the harvest of the Nile. She was the merchant among the nations. Be ashamed Sidon, the stronghold of the sea, for the sea has spoken: “I have not been in labor or given birth. I have not raised young men [or] brought up young women.” When the news reaches Egypt, they will be in anguish over the news about Tyre. Cross over to Tarshish; wail, inhabitants of the coastland! Is this your jubilant [city], whose origin was in ancient times, whose feet have taken her to settle far away? Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are the honored ones of the earth? The Lord of Hosts planned it, to desecrate all [its] glorious beauty, to disgrace all the honored ones of the earth…… Wail, ships of Tarshish, because your fortress is destroyed! On that day Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years—the life span of one king. At the end of 70 years, what the song [says] about the prostitute will happen to Tyre: Pick up [your] harp, stroll through the city, prostitute forgotten [by men]. Play skillfully, sing many a song, and you will be thought of again. And at the end of the 70 years, the Lord will restore Tyre and she will go back into business, prostituting herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. But her profits and wages will be dedicated to the Lord. They will not be stored or saved, for her profit will go to those who live in the Lord’s presence, to provide them with ample food and sacred clothing. Isaiah 23:1-18 (HCSB)
In the ancient days of the Mediterranean maritime trade industry, the Phoenicians, who had built and firmly established Tyre and Sidon on the eastern coastline region in what is now Lebanon had no rivals. Their ships sailed proudly and boldly all over the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Cyprus, from Sicily to Spain (Tarshish). Along their travels they established colonies every 30 miles so that no ship had to sail more than a day’s distance without putting into port, thus avoiding sailing at night and to have safe harbors during storms. The wealth of the cities of Tyre and Sidon came from their trade activities with all of the great empires of the Near East. The Bible points to the King of Tyre providing the lumber of Lebanon cedars for the building of palace and temple in Solomon’s reign. However, one cannot serve God and money equally, sooner or later you will have to choose one or the other as your first and foremost desire, and in this case Tyre and Sidon protected their trading wealth interests first and foremost. The Lord while doing out punishments during the era of Isaiah certainly did not let Tyre and Sidon go without punishment because they traded and sided equally with enemies and friends equally. They took care of #1 first and avoided conflict to protect their interests.
How many times have I seen in our churches and communities similar attitudes! There are those who have conducted their selfish affairs in the church or community for years because they stayed out of conflict. Their decision to do so had nothing to do with pacifism, but with protecting their interests. They take no sides as long as they can continue controlling what they are interested in being involved in. They are oblivious to issues that clearly have a right and wrong position. Their right and wrong is solely based upon what is right and wrong for them alone.
The Lord clearly says “you are either for me or against me” and we cannot straddle the fence on many issues without offending God’s interests. In the end, the Lord will act as He did with Tyre and Sidon and humble them in an effort to restore them to applying their talents and gifts to the Lord’s interests as well. So I guess be careful that you choose to stand apart from the fray as one of the “tall, proud, and arrogant” seeking to protect your own interest over that of the Lord’s interests. Seek God’s will, God’s ways, and God’s wisdom according to God’s Word daily as your guide, and submit to His interests and when needed take a stand and God will bless you. Power, possessions, and prestige are not bad, as long as we use them for God’s glory and remember who made them possible.
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
Then He proceeded to denounce the towns where most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago! But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” Matt 11:20-24 (HCSB)