No. 19. >> You spoke about the section extending through Chapter 23. Would you mind saying something specific about Chapter 23? >>DR. R. REED LESSING: Let's get our bearings here in an ongoing discussion concerning these oracles against the nations in the book of Isaiah Chapters 13 through 23. The prophet Isaiah in arranging this material in all likelihood used the idea of ***mayorism. Now what is mayorism? Mayorism is taking the extremes on both ends in a way that communicates everything in between. The Bible begins with a mayorism. In the beginning, Genesis 1 Verse 1, god created the heavens and the earth. Moses, the author of Genesis, takes the extremes. The heavens way up there and the earth way down here. It's a way to introduce actually the first chapter of Genesis, that God made everything. That's a mayorism. The prophet Jeremiah uses a mayorism. In Chapter 31 Verse 34, he tells us that God will forgive the sins from the least of them to the greatest of them. Well, it doesn't mean that somehow if you're in the middle, if you're about say six feet tall, that your sins aren't forgiven. Nor does it mean if you're middle aged, you're out of luck. It simply is a mayorism. It's a Hebrew way to indicate the extremes, the least of them to the greatest of them, to indicate that everything, in this case everyone, is offered the gift of forgiveness. So Isaiah, when he structures this section in his book, begins with Babylon in Chapter 13 Verse 1 and ends with Tyre in 23 Verse 1. This is a mayorism. Babylon being the eastern most empire. Famous for pride. And Tyre being the western most empire. Also famous for their pride. In this way, this subtle and literary way, Isaiah says that God is going to judge all the pride of all the nations of all the people. From Babylon to Tyre. It's a mayorism. So this is one reason why we have the oracle against Tyre placed where it is. Now, who is this nation of Tyre? Within the Old Testament Tyre plays a fairly prominent role. Again, because of their pride. But how did they get so proud? Tyre in antiquity was an island. Now, when Alexander the Great conquered Tyre in and around 333 BC, he built a land bridge out to the island in order to conquer it. But before the defeat of Tyre in 333 BC, Tyre was an island. And almost impossible to defeat in terms of a military conquest. Tyre would be the ancient center for the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians actually created the alphabet that the Hebrews would use. The Phoenicians created glass. The Phoenicians were these ancient mariners who were able to have colonies throughout the Mediterranean world. The Phoenicians were great architects and builders. When Solomon gets ready to build his great temple in Jerusalem, who does he hire? He hires Phoenicians. He talks to Hiram, the king of Tyre, in order to construct his great temple to the Lord. So you can begin to see that Tyre would be the epitome of human advancement, human technology, human know-how in the ancient Near East. As well as having a tremendous amount of economic power. So Isaiah Chapter 23 is an oracle against Tyre, this island city. Tyre is simply a sinaitic or Hebrew word for rock. Because the island was a rock that could hardly ever be penetrated in a military sense. In a way of speaking you might understand the island of Manhattan as a modern example of the island of Tyre. Certainly Manhattan would be seen as perhaps the epitome of at least western capitalism and western technology. To conquer Manhattan would be the epitome of someone's power and authority. Just so, God's judgement and the resulting demise of Tyre would demonstrate that Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the God not only of Babylon or of Tyre. But of using the mayoristic idea, God is the God of all the nations. Even the most sophisticated and powerful of the nations. Well, let's now with that brief overview look a little bit more into the text of Isaiah Chapter 23. As we look at that, let me make just one more overview in terms of a comment. The most important document that details Tyre's economic influence is actually in the Old Testament. In Ezekiel Chapter 27. So important was Tyre that Ezekiel models a judgement oracle against this island city, as well. Ezekiel, though, pictures Tyre's economic influence in terms of a ship is the metaphor that Ezekiel uses. And Tyre is like a sinking ship in Ezekiel 27. Again, a modern connecting link might be the Titanic. So full of pride and glory and early 20th Century know-how and technology. But just as the Titanic sunk on her maiden voyage, so Ezekiel says Ship Tyre will sink in her maiden voyage. Tyre, this great metropolis which resembles in Ezekiel 27 a glorious ship which all of the nations in the ancient world vied for to conquer and manipulate and run. The city's wealth at the time of Tiglath-pileser III, whom we've already mentioned, an Assyrian king in the Eighth Century, is attested by the tribute of 150 talents of God the Tyrannians gave to TP III. This is the largest amount of gold ever recorded in any Assyrian tribute list. So we are looking at the epitome, the height, the glory of civilization as Isaiah would have known it. All right. Now let's roll back the carpet and look at several verses here in Isaiah Chapter 23. Specifically as we look at Verse 7 and Verse 8 of Isaiah 23. The first several verses simply talk about the lamentation and the mourning and the cries of grief that are going to happen when Tyre, even Tyre, great Tyre, is judged by Yahweh. Verse 7: Who is this who is rejoicing over you? Your origins are of old from ancient days. Your feet as a merchant travels from far away places, indicating, as we said, Tyre's Mediterranean colonies. And their ability to harvest economic influence throughout the ancient Near East. Verse 8: Who planned this against Tyre, this one who gave out crowns? Who is against Tyre's merchants and princes, the honored ones of all the earth? So who could position themselves over and against such a mighty empire? Verse 9: General Yahweh -- remember that phrase. The Lord of hosts. But General Yahweh planned it to defile the pride. To defile the pride of all the honored ones of the earth. That would be the idea conveyed throughout this section of Isaiah Chapters 13 through Chapter 23. Verse 9, let me make a few more comments on this. The Lord's plan, you see, that we have already indicated in Verse 8 but also in Verse 9 was intended, you see, to be taken over not only by the Lord. He has a plan. But also by the Judean monarchy of Isaiah's day. That is to say if God can even humble the likes of Tyre, then the Judean monarchy, Ahaz, Jotham, Hezekiah specifically, should also see that they should not and will not make plans, political plans, to enter into agreements and covenants and alliances with Tyre. Because Tyre is finally simply a less than firm foundation to place a political alliance on. So that's one idea. The Lord will establish his plan. And he will defeat the pride of the nations. The double use of all in Isaiah Chapter 23 Verse 9. You see, all the proud ones will be cursed or made light of. All the honored ones of the earth. It's important in terms of the structure of this section of the book of Isaiah. It makes it clear that Tyre is just one example of God's plan to humble all the proud ones of the earth. Due to the imminent Assyrian invasion and also finally Alexander the Great's destruction of Tyre, Tyre will experience the destiny of all the proud and honored people of the earth. This includes Tarshish in Verse 10. And Egypt in Verse 5 of Isaiah 23. Hence, in this way, this chapter in Isaiah is shaped so that it serves as the culmination of the Lord's Word to all the nations. All people. A fitting conclusion for all the proceeds. Just as Babylon, as we said, heads the oracles against the nations in Chapter 13 and is described in general universal terms, Chapter 13 Verses 5 and 7, so is Tyre in Verse 9 described in these universal terms as it ends the oracles against the nations section. But in Verses 15 through 18, we see that God just doesn't humble the nations and debase the nations and judge the nations. No. It's so that the nations can finally stream to Zion. The 70 years of Tyre indicated in this section, Verses 15 through 18 in Chapter 23, have a literal fulfillment. In 631 BC, the eighth year of the reign of Josiah, this is the year he began to seek the Lord. II Chronicles 34 Verse 3. At about this same time, Tyre threw off their yoke, their dominance, and began to reassert some independence. Following the collapse of the Assyrian power in 630, Tyre began to emerge again not only as a free city but a leading city among the Phoenician coastal states. A combination of this freedom as well as Josiah's rebuilding and restoring of the Solomonic Temple indicates that Josiah sought Tyrannian aid to rebuild the temple. II Chronicles 13 Verse 6. In such a situation, an alliance of Tyre, like that enjoyed by David and Solomon, would bring the trade benefits of Tyre back to Judah. That's what these verses in Chapter 23 Verses 15 through 18 in Isaiah indicate. That in light of the tradition of Tyre's assistance with the construction of Solomon's temple, Verse 18 in Isaiah 23 found fulfillment during the Josianic revival and his assistance in restructuring the Solomonic Temple. So what does this mean? This is again, another indication of judgement and grace. Not only for Judah and Israel. But also for all the nations. Typified here in the nation island city of Tyre.