THE ROOTS OF EVIL (EZEK 28:11-19)
The biggest winner after the events of September 11 did not show up to claim the prize. Oddly, Christians stop noticing, blaming or challenging him once a war breaks out. He was not a Taliban official, an Al-Qaeda fighter, or a cave dweller in Afghanistan. George W. Bush did not want him, dead or alive; America did not offer $25 million cash reward for information leading his location or capture; and America’s Most Wanted did not put his photo on TV. The biggest winner was undoubtedly the devil, Satan himself. He took a vacation, ducked out of sight and the citizens of the world were left attacking one other and calling one another names.
To the Arab coalition, America is the Great Satan and Israel is the Lesser, Small or Little Satan. To the Americans, Hitler was the embodiment of Satan. Reagan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire” at the height of the Cold War in the 80s, and the senior Bush demonized Saddam Hussein in the 90s.
Two passages in the Bible point to the devil’s origin, undoing, and condemnation. Ezekiel 28 is one of two passages that give us the clearest understanding of the Satan; Isaiah 14 is another. Ralph Alexander, the commentator of Ezekiel in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, said that this passage is the hardest passage in the Bible to understand. The chief problem is the debate on the identity of the subject in this passage. The three possibilities are the devil, man himself and the king of Tyre.
However, a regular reader of the Ezekiel 28:11-19 does not see the devil. The probable answer may be that the rise and fall of the king of Tyre is emblematic of Satan’s downfall and doom, and the passage is a restatement and reenactment of the devil’s fate.
Tyre was an eye-catching, a breath-taking, and well-watered city by the coast northwest to the land of Israel. It was a unique city; part of Tyre was on an island a short distance from the shore, and the other on the opposite mainland. The Bible referred to Tyre as the “strong” or “fortified” city (Josh 19:29). International Standard Bible Encyclopedia records that the city’s borders on the mainland were protected by a 150 feet wall. Tyre was famous for her fertile land, her busy ports, and her enormous affluence (Ezek 27:3-7).
What was the devil’s original status? Why was he rejected by God? When will God complete His judgment on the devil?
Satan was a Captivating but Created Being
11 The word of the LORD came to me: 12 “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ’This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “’You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. 14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. Ezek 28:11-14
A young woman who had recently undergone somewhat of a religious transformation sought the advice of her pastor on a matter of great urgency. Previously she had lived her life obsessed with the latest beauty secret, the newest fashion, and the best weight loss program.
The woman said, “Reverend, I need advice to overcome grievous sin.” The minister asked, “What is it, child?” The young woman confessed sheepishly, “I have committed the sin of vanity. Twice a day I gaze at myself in the mirror and tell myself how amazingly beautiful I am. I can’t help it. It is an ungodly preoccupation. Now that I have found God, I know that this is not the way to live. Will you please pray for me?”
The preacher turned, took a good look at the girl, and replied, “My dear, I have good news. That isn’t a sin - it’s only a mistake.”
It’s been said, “The devil entangles youth with beauty, the miser with gold, the ambitious with power, the learned with false doctrine.”
Satan had three fascinations: good looks, bright lights, and fine things. The devil was infatuated, captivated, and obsessed with none other but himself. He did not need make-up or touch-up, a supporting cast or an adoring public; all he needed was a continuous supply of mirrors. Of course, the devil’s biggest admirer, promoter and believer is himself.
The devil, originally, was the closet thing to a heavenly celebrity. His obsessions were fame and power. Originally, he was a guardian cherub (vv 14, 16) with outstanding qualities. He was “the model of perfection” (v 12), or in the NASB: ““You had the seal of perfection…” (Ezek 28:12). He was also “full of wisdom,” the kind that not even Solomon or any person on earth could match (1 Ki 4:30, 7:14). Satan’s wisdom was considered full, not just filled; the two words differed slightly in Hebrew.
Finally, Satan’s beauty was celebrated in words, songs and archives. His beauty was extolled by God in Hebrew as “perfect beauty,” (Eze 27:3), “perfected beauty” (Eze 27:4, 11) and “perfect in beauty.” (Eze 28:12) No individual had that kind of perfect beauty, not even the “lovely to look at” Queen Vashti (Est 1:11). Precious stones covered this creature. By the way, the devil was gold-plated! God gave him the highest compliment among angels. The word anointed (v 14) is an offshoot of the word Messiah (Isa 61:1).
However, twice in this passage, Satan was described as a created being (vv 13, 15). Unlike the Creator, Satan did not have a divine nature, was not preexistent, and had no power to create out of nothing. Satan was brought, fashioned and ordered into existence by his Creator. Satan did not speak, will or evolve himself into existence. Whatever he had was given. The verb “gave” is the word for the translation “ordained” (v 14), “made a spectacle” (v 17) and “reduced you” (v 18). His role was to be the guardian angel, his place of assignment was God’s holy mountain, where he walked back and forth in the fiery stones. Though Satan had some powers, he was not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. He was envious of God’s power, knowledge, and sovereignty.
Satan was a Conceited and Cunning Being
15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 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; I made a spectacle of you before kings. Ezek 28:15-17
A young, gifted, outstanding young preacher was once asked by the renowned nineteenth century Puritan preacher Alexander Whyte to preach in his place at Whyte’s church in Edinburgh. The young man went up to the pulpit to great expectations from the crowd that had gathered to hear the bright, promising young man.
However, when the invited speaker took his place on the lectern, his worst nightmare occurred: his mind went blank, he was speechless and couldn’t think of what to say. It was a disaster, an embarrassment to the church pastor, and a shock to the church. A hushed silence fell on the crowd as he came down from the pulpit a broken-hearted man after further attempts to continue yielded the same result.
The dejected young man privately confided with the more experienced pastor, “What went wrong, sir?” Whyte said gently, slowly but truthfully to him, “Well, laddie, if you have gone up the way you came down, you would have more chance of getting down the way you went up.” (Adapted, Eric Alexander, 1985 Keswick Convention “Giving God the Glory” STL Publications)
Do you know who committed the first sin in the Bible? Adam and Eve were not the ones who committed the first sin in the Bible. Who committed the first sin in the Bible and the worst sin of all? Satan did, and his sin was pride. Adam and Eve’s disobedience was not original with them; it wasn’t their brainchild. His favorite tool is not discouragement, godlessness, or riches. Satan used his best liked and most powerful and familiar tool to tempt humankind in the garden. He dangled the carrot of god-likeliness before Eve, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:4-5) Pride is the flight of the heart to lofty heights. Instead of planting our feet on the ground, proud people have their head in the clouds, their nose in the air, and a chip on their shoulders. His heart was proud, exalted, raised or lifted up to great heights. The Chinese characterize a proud person as having eyes placed on their heads, instead of their face. Pride is a covert, hidden, and underground operation.
How did pride lead to Satan’s downfall and to kings’ destruction (2 Chron 26:16, 2 Chron 32:25)? God created Satan blameless or undefiled, without spot or blemish (v 15), but wickedness was found or appeared or existed in him. The word wickedness in Ezekiel’s usage, unlike other books of the Bible, usually refers not to the inward state of the heart, but the outward act of sin. Most translators translate the word wickedness in other passages of Ezekiel as committing sin or doing evil (Ezek 3:20, 18:24, 26, 33:13, 15, 18). Wickedness was found in Satan when he was caught harboring secret ambition in his heart. The wickedness that was a quiet affair next led to brazen pride and violent rebellion – he actively sinned against God (v 16). Of all prophets, Ezekiel was the prophet who condemned pride most severely. Tyre alone accounted for three references (Eze 28:2, 5, 17).
1 Timothy 3:6 says conceit or pride is the snare or trap of the devil; it leads to his downfall. Satan, who was perfect in beauty, full of wisdom, and dazzling with radiance, became the personification of pride. Pride in what? Beauty, wisdom, and splendor or grandeur (Eze 28:17). The devil’s beauty descended to vanity, his wisdom led him to think he was omniscient, and his grandeur made him a grandiose or grandstanding creature. 1 John 3:8 reveals that the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The devil’s violence or cruelty, falsehood and oppression was a climate that was synonymous with Noah’s generation that incurred God’s wrath and doomed for destruction (Gen 6:11-13).
Satan is a Culpable and Condemned Being
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. 19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’“ Ezek 28:18-19
The widely-respected Gallup organization (gallup.com) conducted a poll in the new millennium to determine people’s belief in God, heaven, angels, hell and the devil. A high 90% of those who responded expressed belief in God. In the same poll, 83% said they believe in heaven and 79% believe in angles.
When it came to the question on hell and the devil, 71% said they believe in a literal hell and 68% said they believe in the existence of the devil. Even though the belief in hell and the devil is not as strong as God, heaven or angels, but the information is not complete. The belief in hell and the devil is, however, stronger than a poll conducted by Gallup five years ago. People’s belief in God has not changed much, the belief in angels has jumped 7% and the belief in heaven 9%, but 13% more believe in the devil and 15% more in hell just as science and technology thrived and religious beliefs and dogmatism suffered.
Satan is God’s unforgivable, impenitent, and overthrown enemy. Satan was holy, but not sinless; glorious but proud; awe-inspiring but power-crazy, power-corrupting, and power-grabbing. He is an undomesticated beast who cries crocodile tears and is hell-bound with his allies (2 Pet 2:4). Even Judas can be forgiven, but not Satan.
Satan’s horrible end in verse 19 is described by the Hebrew word for terror. Satan, the first terrorist, will experience the last terror on earth (also Ezek 26:21, Ezek 27:36), the same terror that awaits the wicked (Ps 73:19). Satan was judged for the multitude, the gravity and the design of his sins (v 18). God not only dismissed Satan, but evicted and banished him from his spot; not only pluck, hurl and smash him to the ground, but make an example out of him.
Satan, with all wisdom, however, had no foreknowledge of the future. Not only was he not omniscient, he had no prescience, only second-hand information. The devil and his demons did not know God’s next step nor did they believe in God’s revelation. Satan’s plan of events, judgment of character, and opinion of things were flawed. His greatest joy and ultimate downfall was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 states that the rulers of this age did not understand God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Again, Revelation recorded his Satan’s defeat at the hands of the angel Michael (Rev 12:7). Satan’s first judgement by a scorching fire that consumed or ate or burnt him and reduced him to ashes recorded in Ezekiel will be replaced by the lake of burning sulfur welcoming him on the last days, found in Revelation 20:10. Satan’s origin and destiny is synonymous with fire (vv 14, 16, 18). He who despised walking among fiery stones (Eze 28:14) will be thrown into a sulfur lake or about 832 degrees F literally, as a jokester remarked on the boiling point of sulfur. The truth is that not only Satan was second in command and that, his information was second hand, and he had no second chance.
Conclusion: Praise the Lord, God has an intimate relationship with humans that angels do not have. One of the theories for the angels’ rebellion was that they did not have fellowship with God nor the capacity to love God. They were servants, but never children of God. They were awesome creatures, but not the object of God’s love.
It’s been said, “What causes any battles to be lost is the needless fear of the enemy’s strength.” The evil one cannot harm us (1 John 5:18). Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). Do not let Satan outwit us (2 Cor 2:11) nor give the devil a foothold (Eph 4:27-28). It’s been said, “Avoid evil and the appearance of evil.” His end is sure. Jesus Christ has appeared to destroy the devil’s work (1 John 3:8). God will soon crush Satan under our feet (Rom 16:20). Christians will use him for a place mat! Our obligation is to open the eyes of the world and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness (Acts 26:18).
THE LAST LAUGH (Psalms 52)
On the cover of the May 21, 2001 Newsweek magazine was the full-size head of a man, except that the face of the man is indistinct because the print is like a red X-ray film or an undeveloped photograph. The word E V I L in bold covers his nose and mouth, but not the sharp, hollow, piercing eyes that seem to stare right at readers of the magazine. Underneath the word E V I L is this question: “What makes people go wrong?”
When I saw the cover for the first time, I remarked, “What a choice for a model!” Turning to page 3 I discovered that the cover was not a model, but a hated, vilified, and controversial murderer. At the bottom of the page was an explanation of the cover design:
COVER: Photograph of Timothy McVeigh by Gamma. Colorization by Steve Walkowiak for NEWSWEEK.
Tim McVeigh, you may recall, single-handedly blew up the Oklahoma City federal building to vent his anger at the government, killing 168 innocent victims, including 19 children. The Newsweek edition was published in conjunction with McVeigh’s original execution date, May 16. McVeigh’s execution by lethal injection was carried out a month later, June 11, after his lawyers had failed to delay the execution a second time.
Psalm 52 is an agonizing poem and prayer from a man who felt responsible for the evil that was thrust upon others, causing their death (1 Sam 22:22). David visited a kind priest, Ahimelech, who sheltered, fed, and unwittingly armed him when he fled from King Saul (1 Sam 21:7-9). Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s head shepherd, reported to Saul that the priest was harboring David, Saul’s sworn enemy. Saul then ordered Doeg to execute the priest, his family, and other known priests in the town of Nob. Altogether eighty-five priests were killed. Only Ahimelech’ son, Abiathar, escaped. If that wasn’t enough, Doeg also killed the men and women of the town, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep. (1 Sam 22:18-22)
With the knowledge of what Doeg the Edomite, a descendant of Esau, had done, David penned this intense, wrenching and probing psalm. This is the only psalm that covers the massacre at Nob and only five of one hundred and fifty psalms begin with this agonizing question “Why?” (Ps 2:1, 10:1, 22:1, 52:1, 74:1).
What bothered David was not only the act of evil, but the arrogance of evil - - the boldness, the heartlessness, and the shamelessness of evil to boast, to argue, and to champion its merits, which include causing trouble, creating havoc, and amassing
Evil is a Choice
52:1 For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”
Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? 2 Your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit. 3 You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. Selah 4 You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue!
Evildoers elect to draw the first blood. They strike first and they strike hard. There is no moderation, restrain, or compassion in their schemes, system, or soul. They are cold-blooded, thick-skinned, and heavy-handed.
The word “boast” is the same word for hallelujah in Hebrew or praise in English. Instead of praising God or boasting in the Lord (Ps 34:2, 44:8), the mighty man blows his own trumpet, toots his own horn, and sounds his own praise. Bragging about evil is the worst form of bragging in the Psalms. People have been known to boast of the cravings of their heart (Ps 10:2-3), to boast of their great riches (Ps 49:6), and even to boast in idols (Ps 97:7), but admiring evil is inexcusable, because admiring evil is the same as approving, commending, and embracing it. And embracing evil is abominable to the Lord.
The evil that David referred to (v 1) is the most common word for evil in the Bible, outnumbering another, lesser word for evil three-to-one. This is the word that describes Noah’s generation (Gen 6:5), the men of Sodom (Gen 13:13), and the 14 times in 2 Samuel stating individual kings of Israel and Judah that “did evil in the eyes of the LORD” (2 Kings 8:18, 8:27, 13:2, 13:11, 14:25, 15:9, 15:18, 15:24, 17:2, 21:2, 23:32, 23:37, 24:9, 24:19).
The admiration of evil is intensified by the word “love.” The Hebrew usage for “love” is similar to English. One can love an abstraction such as evil the same way as one love a person or an object. The evil man concurs, connects, and cooperates with evil. He believes, persists and delights in using evil to accomplish his goals.
One of the most captivating stories of good vs. evil is Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low. A wealthy, ambitious and ruthless shoe executive who built his residence on top of a hill received news that his son had been kidnapped, except that his chauffeur’s son was the one wrongly kidnapped. Gondo, who had planned to use his funds for a hostile takeover, did not want to pay the ransom that would have bankrupted him, but relented for moral reasons after a titanic emotional battle.
After a lengthy and clever investigation the police tracked down the mastermind who had also killed off his partners. The kidnapper turned out to be a young man who had lived down the lowly, filthy, and destitute hills, but had a promising future after completing his residency at the hospital.
The kidnapper requested for Gondo while in jail and mocked the executive who bothered to appear: “Are you glad because I’m going to die?” Gondo replied, “Why should you and I hate each other?” The young man then gave a chilling, eerie but provoking reply: “I don’t know. I’m not interested in self-analysis. I do know my room was so cold in winter and so hot in summer, I couldn’t sleep. Your house looked like heaven, high up there. That’s how I began to hate you. That gave me a purpose in life. It’s interesting to make fortunate men unfortunate.”
The evildoer has a distorted perception of things, which include deriving a twisted satisfaction, an inexplicable pleasure, and a sickening gratification from evil. He conveniently practices falsehood and deceit to plot or devise the destruction and ruin of others (v 2). David compares the evildoer’s tongue to a sharpened knife that can wound, mutilate, or kill. They cause financial loss, personal suffering, tragic disasters, bodily injury and even deadly consequences upon others. They do not care or feel for the victims. Innocent lives are collateral damage or acceptable losses to them. He loves “every” harmful word, or “all” words that are intended to gulp or swallow a victim whole (Jer 51:44). Biting, chewing, and tasting are meaningless to them. An evil man has a voracious serpent-, beastly-, or monster-like appetite.
Evil Has its Consequences
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah 6 The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at him, saying, 7 “Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!”
A truck driver was driving a rig in a long line of tractor-trailers when a police officer pulled him over for speeding.
Astounded that he alone was caught, the driver asked, “Out of all these trucks that were going just as fast as I was, why did you pull me over?” “Have you ever gone fishing?” the officer asked.
“Yes,” the man replied. “Well, have you ever caught all the fish in the pond?”
The last of the wicked will not escape God’s capture and judgment. Psalms 37:10 says, “A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.” The righteous, those who spurned, resisted, and opposed evil, will have the last laugh. This is the only record of righteous laughter in the Bible. The righteous will laugh in the end because evil has met its match. The tables will turn on evildoers, evil is on its last leg, and the other shoe will soon drop.
The righteous, according to Brown-Driver-Brigg’s Hebrew Lexicon, are those who are justified and vindicated by God. Rightly, the only fear that prevails in the heart of the righteous is the fear of God (Gen 42:18, Ex 1:17, Josh 24:14), not the fear of other gods (Judg 6:10, 2 Kings 17:35) or the fear of evil or even the fear of evil news. Ps 23:4 says “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Another psalm, Ps 112:7, says the man who fears God will have no fear of bad or “evil” news.”
The unrepentant will experience a drastic and bitter ending. His greatest enemy is no other than God, who alone has the ability to crush its advance. The reign of evildoers is brunt but it will be brief. They will make a lot of fuss or noise but will fall short of their goals; they will charm some supporters temporarily but will exhaust all goodwill eventually; and they will win some wars but will surely lose the battle. They will not surrender but they will still succumb to the power of God.
The translation “destroy” is a single Hebrew word used usually for the ousting, the toppling, and the smashing of idols (Ex 34:13, Deut 12:3, Judg 2:2, Judg 6:28, 2 Kings 10:27, 2 Kings 23:15, 2 Chron 34:4). Like the idols of old, evildoers will suffer a horrendous fate. God will beat them out of shape, smash them to pieces, and grind them to dust.
The evildoers’ fate gets worse and worse. God will not only grab hold of him but will tear him away from the tent and uproot him from the earth. The word tear has the meaning of plucking, yanking, pulling, and ripping him from his tent or home. Next, God will strike into the ground, uncover its roots, and sweep the remains. No struggle is possible, no protests are entertained, and no stone will be left unturned.
Evil Must Be Countered
8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. 9 I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
Finally, good things happen to those who wait and trust in the Lord. But before we can laugh we will first have to trust. Our trust in God must withstand the test of time. Trust is not trust unless you are challenged, shaken, and persecuted. The Hebrew text uses two different words, accurately translated as “forever and ever,” to describe a believer’s unceasing trust in God. Trust is not an instance of devotion or an act of piety, but a life-long dedication and commitment to God. Make no mistake. David ended his psalm with a repetition of the word forever in the last verse. Those who believe fighting evil is a breeze is mistaken.
Admiral Jim Stockdale, the highest-ranking U.S military officer captured in the Vietnam War, recalled how he survived his 8-year imprisonment before he was released and decorated in a book titled “In Love and War.” Besides enduring the brutal conditions there, he did not know his fate and had no means to escape. Jim Collins, a respected journalist, interviewed Stockdale for USA Today when the book he and his wife wrote was released shortly after September 11, asking Stockdale how he could survived the ordeal. Stockdale, who limps from repeated torture, answered, “I never lost faith in the end.”
Collins then asked, “Who didn’t make it out?” Stockdale replied, “Oh, that’s easy. The optimists.” The confused journalist quizzed, “The optimists? I don’t understand.” Stockdale explained, “Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.” Stockdale then turned to Collins after a long pause and said, “This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose—with the need for discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” (USA Today 11/27/01)
Conclusion: Ps 37:19 says the righteous will not be ashamed in the time of evil. Christians have always been in the forefront of any battle against evil, from slavery to oppression. It’s been said, “All it takes for evil to succeed is for good folks to do nothing.” Godly people have no part or association or fellowship with evil and its forces. They commit themselves to shun the evil path (Ps 119:101) and pray when they are tempted by evil (Ps 141:4). As Christians we are not only to hate evil (Ps 97:10), but to plot its overthrow and replace it with good (Ps 34:14). God has promised that He will keep His people from all evil (Ps 121:7), that He will recompense the evil to their foes (Ps 54:5) and that He will deliver his faithful ones from the hand of the wicked (Ps 97:10).
Victor Yap
http://epreaching.blogspot.com/
www.riversidecma.org(For sermon series)
www.preachchrist.com (For Chinese sermons)
