Judgment of Tyre
April 30, 2022
Commentary
In this chapter the prophet extends his message to Tyre, which is Israel’s neighboring nation to the northeastern Mediterranean coastal kingdom (v. 1). Ships making their way eastward from Tarshish (probably in Spain) would stop in Cyprus before going on to Tyre and Sidon which were key cities in the known world of that day and whose merchants were made wealthy through trading (vv. 2-4). Egypt trembled when it heard about Tyre (vv. 5-6), which was known as the happy city that had spread to distant lands (v. 7) and its merchants were honored all over the known world (v. 8).
The prophet next turns to the people of the nearest Phoenician colony, Cyprus. He points to the contrast between Tyre’s past gaiety and wide-flung colonization to its current humbling under the mighty hand of God (vv. 9-10). The pride of Tyre was a sin that God could not ignore. The implication of this passage is that the fall of Tyre would mean the ruin of the commercial trading ventures of Cypress (vv. 11-12) and Western Europe. Neither Tyre or Cypress, across the sea, could be regarded as a haven of safety when Assyria, the instrument of God’s wrath (Isa. 10:5-11), was on the rampage (vv. 13-14). The city of Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years (vv. 15-16). At the end of those 70 years, the Lord will let Tyre get back into business (vv. 17-18). Some of the lessons that Isaiah teaches us from this portion of scripture is: (1) God controls all of the nations of the world and does with them what He pleases. (2) God especially hates the sin of pride. (3) God judges the nations for the way they treat each other.
Application
No matter how frightening the national or international situation may become, because I know that I am one of God’s children, I can have peace because God is on the throne.
Isaiah 23:1– 18 (NET)
1 This is an oracle about Tyre: Wail, you large ships, for the port is too devastated to enter! From the land of Cyprus this news is announced to them.
2 Lament, you residents of the coast, you merchants of Sidon who travel over the sea,
3 the deep waters. Grain from the Shihor region, crops grown near the Nile she receives; she is the trade center of the nations.
4 Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea says this, O fortress of the sea: “I have not gone into labor or given birth; I have not raised young men or brought up young women.”
5 When the news reaches Egypt, they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre.
6 Travel to Tarshish! Wail, you residents of the coast!
7 Is this really your boisterous city whose origins are in the distant past, and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?
8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the dignitaries of the earth?
9 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies planned it— to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.
10 Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile; there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre.
11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook kingdoms; he gave the order to destroy Canaan’s fortresses.
12 He said, “You will no longer celebrate, oppressed virgin daughter Sidon! Get up, travel to Cyprus, but you will find no relief there.”
13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans, these people who have lost their identity! The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals. They erected their siege towers, demolished its fortresses, and turned it into a heap of ruins.
14 Wail, you large ships, for your fortress is destroyed!
15 At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the typical life span of a king. At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song:
16 “Take the harp, go through the city, forgotten prostitute! Play it well, play lots of songs, so you’ll be noticed.”
17 At the end of seventy years the Lord will revive Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms. 18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes.
Illustration: Subtlety of Pride
“Pride is so subtle that if we aren’t careful we’ll be proud of our humility. When this happens our goodness becomes badness. Our virtues become vices. We can easily become like the Sunday School teacher who, having told the story of the Pharisee and the publican, said, ‘Children, let’s bow our heads and thank God we are not like the Pharisee!’” (Today in the Word, September 23, 1995, p. 30).