““Be still” – (be silent, be still, wait) the world rages and screams at God… and God say’s now be quiet it’s time to listen… when God says to be silent and listen it’s wise for us to do so…
Tyre and Sidon initially enjoyed the favor of the Lord… They helped in the building of Solomon’s temple… But where it turned was when they began engaging in the slave trade, and the sale of the Jewish people to the Greeks… in their pride they no longer honored God and His people and treated them like any other nation…
The problem isn’t beauty or art… God created beauty and art… and He created us with the capacity to create it… the problem is when it becomes our god…
The problem isn’t wealth… God created wealth… and He created us with the capacity to create wealth… the problem is when it becomes our god… to seek wealth for wealth’s sake leads to idolatry…
“He will suffer no rivals to His throne.”
Tyre and Sidon had this immense wealth, art and beauty… and it consumed them and filled them with pride… Pride was the source of their fall…
Pride destroys humanity: it destroys our character… we compromise the right thing for the thing that gets us the most glory… Pride isolates us (we cannot admit if we’re struggling)… Pride robs us of the ability to be wrong… we can come off as Pompous… Pride breaks our relationship with God…
Sometimes a change of scenery isn’t the solution… it doesn’t matter our location… we’re always stuck with ourselves, and if we’re broken and refusing His healing then no matter where we are at we will not know peace and joy and rest…
Our God is a consuming fire, and evil must be dealt with, sin must be dealt with… Sometimes we try to shave the rough edges of God…
God’s judgement isn’t random: it’s the exercise of divine righteousness, injustice cannot be let go of…
Christ in effect is the sheath of His sword… We in all our pride and dishonor rage against God and we deserve the fate of these nations… but Jesus in His grace endured “the sword of the Lord” for us…
So let us humble ourselves before God… Let us “be still” and learn from the failures of others and not allow pride to destroy us… When His judgement, when His sword swings it will not relent, so let us be in right relationship with Him when it does come down…
There is a heavy price for pride and hardheadedness… but the mercy and grace of Jesus is greater…”