Your
heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth (Ezekiel 28:17).Was the devil ever an angel in heaven? I don’t know. What I do know is that the biblical texts used to support that thesis only work when improper interpretive techniques are employed. Ezekiel 28 is one such text. Written against the King of Tyre, it speaks of his beauty, his wealth (through shrewd trade agreements), his tendency toward violence, as well as his pride.
Reading this
chapter in the context of popular views of Satan’s origins, there are some things that would seem to fit
the accuser of souls. This evidence is at best anecdotal. Oracles Against the Nations are found in several prophetic writings
including Isaiah and Jeremiah. In Ezekiel, the oracle against Tyre is just one
of several. Ammon, Moab, Philistia and even Egypt are targeted. It would be odd
to suggest that this oracle must be interpreted according to different rules
than other oracles, but that’s exactly what must occur in order to find Satan
in these verses.
Is pride an issue in your life?
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