DAY 242 Read Ezekiel 26; 31; and 31.
Today's reading: We take another look at prophecies foretelling the fate of cities and nations. The predictions about Tyre are particularly striking.
Memory gem: "The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever" (1 Peter 1:24, 25).
Thought for today:
In the time of Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and other prophets of God, Tyre was one of the greatest commercial cities of the world. It was to the Middle East what New York City is to the Western world today. Right at the height of her power and glory, in 590 B.C., when it seemed that she would stand forever, the prophet Ezekiel declared under the inspiration of God that the city would be destroyed, never to be rebuilt.
History comes to the witness stand and tells us that soon after this prophecy was given, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, after besieging the city for thirteen years, took Tyre and destroyed it and left the buildings in ruins. But the prophecy called for more than this. The very dust of Tyre was to be cast into the sea, leaving a bare rock to be used for spreading fishing nets.
For two and a half centuries the ruins of Tyre stood as a challenge to the truth of prophecy. Then from the west came Alexander the Great to attack the new Tyre, which was built on an island half a mile from the shore. Again the accuracy of prophecy was vindicated. Alexander took the ruins of the old city to build a causeway to the island city. The very dust was scraped from the site and dumped into the sea.
But the prophecy goes farther: it declares that Tyre was never to be rebuilt again. This challenge has faced the world for twenty-five centuries and faces it today. The building of one city would disprove the Bible; but the city of Tyre as a great commercial center has never been rebuilt. Tyre is gone. The Bible still endures.
----------------
Difficult or obscure words:
Ezekiel 26:11. "Garrisons"--rather: pillars, probably referring to the two famous columns in the temple of Baal.
Ezekiel 31:15-17. "Grave," "hell"--the same Hebrew word in all three places--she 'ol.
Today's reading: We take another look at prophecies foretelling the fate of cities and nations. The predictions about Tyre are particularly striking.
Memory gem: "The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever" (1 Peter 1:24, 25).
Thought for today:
In the time of Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and other prophets of God, Tyre was one of the greatest commercial cities of the world. It was to the Middle East what New York City is to the Western world today. Right at the height of her power and glory, in 590 B.C., when it seemed that she would stand forever, the prophet Ezekiel declared under the inspiration of God that the city would be destroyed, never to be rebuilt.
History comes to the witness stand and tells us that soon after this prophecy was given, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, after besieging the city for thirteen years, took Tyre and destroyed it and left the buildings in ruins. But the prophecy called for more than this. The very dust of Tyre was to be cast into the sea, leaving a bare rock to be used for spreading fishing nets.
For two and a half centuries the ruins of Tyre stood as a challenge to the truth of prophecy. Then from the west came Alexander the Great to attack the new Tyre, which was built on an island half a mile from the shore. Again the accuracy of prophecy was vindicated. Alexander took the ruins of the old city to build a causeway to the island city. The very dust was scraped from the site and dumped into the sea.
But the prophecy goes farther: it declares that Tyre was never to be rebuilt again. This challenge has faced the world for twenty-five centuries and faces it today. The building of one city would disprove the Bible; but the city of Tyre as a great commercial center has never been rebuilt. Tyre is gone. The Bible still endures.
----------------
Difficult or obscure words:
Ezekiel 26:11. "Garrisons"--rather: pillars, probably referring to the two famous columns in the temple of Baal.
Ezekiel 31:15-17. "Grave," "hell"--the same Hebrew word in all three places--she 'ol.
RSS Feed
