Please explain to me Ezekiel 28:1-19. Who is the King of Tyre?
In this portion we have two persons before us. In verses 1-10 we have the PRINCE OF TYRE and in verses 11-19 the KING OF TYRE. I believe the “Prince of Tyre” was a “literal MAN” who ruled over the city of Tyre, but the “King of Tyre” is a “spiritual being” who controlled the heart of the prince. We shall see that the “character of both rulers” is the same.
Let’s start out by reading verses 1-5: “The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, ‘Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God: Because your heart is lifted up, and you say, “I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, in the midst of the seas,” yet you are a man, and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god (Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you! With your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself, and gathered gold and silver into your treasures; by your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, and YOUR HEART IS LIFTED UP because of your riches).’” Again, this is a real MAN who reigned over Tyre and he was so LIFTED UP WITH PRIDE (because of his WISDOM and RICHES) that he thought he was a god.
Now let’s look at the King of Tyre in verses 11-17a: “Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the seal of perfection, FULL OF WISDOM and PERFECT IN BEAUTY. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. 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. YOU WERE PERFECT IN YOUR WAYS from the day you were created, TILL INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN YOU. By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and YOU SINNED; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. YOUR HEART WAS LIFTED UP because of your BEAUTY; you corrupted your WISDOM for the sake of your splendor.”
As I said, the character of these two rulers is the same, for both of their HEARTS WERE LIFTED UP WITH PRIDE because of their WISDOM. But with the King of Tyre, it is also said that he was PERFECT IN BEAUTY and this, along with his wisdom, ultimately led to his pride. He is also called “the anointed cherub,” which tells us he wasn’t a man, but an ANGEL. In Ezekiel 10:1-14 we learn that cherubim are indeed ANGELS that were created to guard the holy throne of God and here we see that the King of Tyre was the most powerful cherub among them. We also know he was an angel because we read, “You were perfect…till iniquity was found in you.” This could never have been said of a mere man, for all men are “born in sin” (Psalm 51:5). But eventually, “iniquity was found in him” and the “he sinned” (verse 16). Do we know anything else about this mighty cherub? Yes, we do, for another account of “his fall and rebellion against God” is found in Isaiah 14:12-14, which I would encourage you to read. His name was Lucifer and because of his pride and rebellion he became the Devil and Satan.
I had said that the “King of Tyre controlled the heart of the Prince of Tyre.” Can we not see that it is Satan’s desire to introduce, into the heart of man, the same PRIDE that led to his fall? He would have man occupied with his wisdom or any other blessing that God has given him instead of being occupied with God’s wisdom, power, holiness, and all of His other attributes and moral qualities. This, as we have seen, leads man to glorify himself and to rebel against their Creator. We see this at the dawn of man’s creation when the Devil tempted the woman in the Garden of Eden with the “forbidden fruit” and told her that if she ate of it “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). This was true of Lucifer who said, “I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14); it was true of the Prince of Tyre who said, “I am a god,” and it will be true of everyone that is under the influence of the King of Tyre, the fallen cherub who is the Devil and Satan. (DO) (516.3)