Please explain Ezekiel 28:17.
Ezekiel 28:17 says, “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze upon you” (NKJV). Before we take a close look at this verse, it is important to see that there are two persons spoken of in this chapter. In verse 1 we read, “The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, ‘Son of man, say to the PRINCE OF TYRE…,” and in verse 11 it states, “Moreover the world of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation for the KING OF TYRE.” The “prince of Tyre is the “human ruler” of Tyre, whereas the “king of Tyre” is the one who ruled over the prince and his kingdom; namely, Satan. As one reads verses 11-19 it becomes clear that a mere human being is not being described, but an angel who had occupied a place in heaven guarding the throne of God but who fell from that exalted position because of pride. We believe it is the same person spoken of as Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12-15, who became the person known as Satan by rebelling against God. Let’s look at the description of him in Ezekiel 28:12-17:
*Verse 12: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” This could never be said of any man, for here was a PERFECT creature that excelled in wisdom and beauty.
*Verse 13-14: “You were in Eden, the garden of God…The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created…You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.” God created Lucifer to lead the angels in praise to God in Eden and to guard His throne in heaven.
*Verse 15: “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.” Not only was he “perfect in beauty” (as we saw in verse 12), but God says he was “perfect in your ways” (everything he DID was perfect). But sadly we read, “Till iniquity was found in you.” There came a day when Lucifer sinned! The moment this happened he became the DEVIL and SATAN, the arch-enemy of God and man.
*Verses 16-17: “By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned…Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.” PRIDE was Lucifer’s downfall, for instead of glorying in God’s beauty and wisdom, he became occupied with his own beauty and wisdom. In Isaiah 14:13-14 we learn of his desire to exalt himself above God: “For you said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” Five times we read the words “I will” in this passage, for pride leads to the creature wanting to do “his will” instead of “God’s will.”
Because of Lucifer’s rebellion, God judged him, as we see in the rest of verse 17, “I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you.” The words, “I cast you to the ground” speak of God’s immediate judgment upon Satan, for he was expelled from the place he had in heaven as “the anointed cherub who covers.” He once guarded God’s throne against the outbreak of sin and rebellion, but now he himself was guilty of this very sin and was cast out of God’s presence. This also foreshadows the time when he will be “cast to earth” (Revelation 12:9), then “cast into the bottomless pit” (Revelation 20:3), and finally “cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:10). He will have the lowest place in hell and he will indeed be made a spectacle of men. Isaiah 14:15-16 agrees with this: “Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you.” (224.1) (DO)