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Are You Trusting in Tyre?

Daily Reflection / Produced by The High Calling
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They will sing a lament for you, and they will say: How you have perished, queen of the sea, city once praised, who once dominated the sea, she and her rulers, who spread their terror abroad, every one of them.

Ezekiel 26:17

I wasn't really surprised to hear it, but the news story still caused me to sigh with sadness. Last month, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., announced that the 2010 edition of its famed encyclopedia would be that last print version. What began in 1768, with the first printed edition of the encyclopedia, is now history. From now on, you will only be able to access the Britannica digitally.

At least the Encyclopedia Britannica, believed by many to be the finest encyclopedia in the world, will continue to exist in some form. The same cannot be said for many of the enterprises that once were a regular part of our lives. Remember when you'd go to CompUSA to buy a modem or to Circuit City for a VHS player? Borders was a great place to grab a book and a cup of coffee, and the Sears Catalog was the best place to buy just about anything.

In the sixth century B.C., the city of Tyre was one of the leading economic powers in the Mediterranean world. Perfectly situated on the coastline of Phoenicia, Tyre was an international center of maritime trade. Moreover, the unique city's location provided a deep harbor for large ships as well as protection from enemy attack. Thus, Tyre was widely praised for her economic prowess and apparent invincibility.

Yet, because Tyre laughed at Jerusalem when it fell to the power of Babylon (26:2), and because of Tyre's unjust business practices (28:18), God chose to judge Tyre using the might of Babylon (26:7). In time, the city that once dominated the world, the city that was once praised for its success, will fall.

Ezekiel 26 reminds us that even the greatest of human institutions will not last forever. That which so impresses us one day will be gone the next. Thus, we are challenged and encouraged to consider what we value and where we put our trust. Are you living for what really matters? Are you praising that which truly deserves your praise? Are you trusting in the Lord...or in today's "Tyre"?

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: What institutions might you be tempted to regard as too big to fail? In what institutions are you tempted to put your ultimate trust, or to invest with your ultimate praise?

PRAYER: Only you, O Lord, are worthy of my full trust. Only you deserve my unbroken praise. Yet, how easily I invest my loyalty in today's "Tyre." How impressed I can become with temporal success.
As I admire human achievements, help me, O Lord, never to vest them with the praise and trust that you alone deserve. Amen.

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