I’ve been enjoying studying Isaiah. It always amazes me how relevant the prophetic books are and how convicting. I’m so like the different people that Isaiah is predicting dire consequences for. One of the prophecies is about Tyre, which was a chief port of Phoenicia. The commerce from other countries made that city very rich and wealthy. Let’s see what we can learn about what they depended upon. We may find we can relate.
Isaiah 23:6-7 (NASB) tells us: “Pass over to Tarshish; Wail, O inhabitants of the coastland. Is this your jubilant city, Whose origin is from antiquity,”
One of the things they depended upon was their rich history. Tyre was established in 2700 BC and Isaiah was alive around 700 BC. Some people could depend upon their family’s heritage for their significance, rather than their inheritance in Christ.
Isaiah 23:7b: “Whose feet used to carry her to colonize distant places?” Here they depended upon their influence and growth into other areas. As Christians, we can start to brag about how many people we have led to the Lord or the influence we have at church. Hopefully, the Lord won’t have to take those things away from us to have us find our joy only in our relationship with Him, not our accomplishments.
Oh, hmmmm, come to think of it, the Lord called Larry and I out of ministry three years ago and even though we’re technically back in after a sabbatical, our “influence” is currently caring for his mother who has dementia. And no speaking opportunities in sight. OK, Lord, you define “influence” different than I do.
I’ll continue tomorrow…