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 the others, but that’s exactly what must
occur in order to find Satan in these verses.
Was the devil ever an angel in heaven? I don’t know. What I
do know is that this oracle against Tyre illustrates the biblical axiom that pride
goes before the fall (from
Proverbs 16:18). This city-state
capitalized on Jerusalem’s misfortunes to increase its own financial bottom
line, but soon found its money couldn’t save it.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
What are the possible
dangers of pride in your life?
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