God is sovereign.  God takes notice of pride filled men and women who think they are in control of all that can happen on earth.  The arrogant shout, “this cannot happen, we did everything to avoid getting hurt”!  But then when it does happen, we realize we are not the “GOATS”, (greatest of all times) we thought we were.  As I read Ezekiel’s words from God that tell the story of the how the city of Tyre, the trading capital of the known world, sunk like a rock to the bottom of the sea, I think of the more modern story of the Titanic. 

The creators, builders and operators of the Titanic boasted greatly of this new ship engineered perfectly and completely “unsinkable.”  There was no way any ship could surpass it’s beauty and seaworthiness.  There was no way it could sink because of the way it was built.  The Titanic was the product of intense competition among rival shipping lines in the first half of the 20th century. In particular, the White Star Line found itself in a battle for steamship primacy with Cunard, a venerable British firm with two standout ships that ranked among the most sophisticated and luxurious of their time.  The battle was on for who was the best and fastest among the ships built in the early 1900’s.  (Reported by History.com)

On May 31, 1911, Titanic’s immense hull–the largest movable manmade object in the world at the time–made its way down the slipways and into the River Lagan in Belfast. More than 100,000 people attended the launching, which took just over a minute and went off without a hitch.  Absolute “unsinkable” was the boast of the designers and builders of this new luxury liners.  The “GOAT” of that time! a

It cannot and will not sink! –But then it did.

Factual Fatal Flaws—

According to some hypotheses, Titanic was doomed from the start by a design that many lauded as state-of-the-art. The Olympic-class ships featured a double bottom and 15 watertight bulkhead compartments equipped with electric watertight doors that could be operated individually or simultaneously by a switch on the bridge.  It was these watertight bulkheads that inspired Shipbuilder magazine, in a special issue devoted to the Olympic liners, to deem them “practically unsinkable.”

• However, the watertight compartment design contained a flaw that was a critical factor in Titanic’s sinking: While the individual bulkheads were indeed watertight, the walls separating the bulkheads extended only a few feet above the water line, so water could pour from one compartment into another, especially if the ship began to list or pitch forward.

Not enough ways to escape—

• The second critical safety lapse that contributed to the loss of so many lives was the inadequate number of lifeboats carried on Titanic. A mere 16 boats, plus four Engelhardt “collapsibles,” could accommodate just 1,178 people. Titanic could carry up to 2,435 passengers, and a crew of approximately 900 brought her capacity to more than 3,300 people.  Only a third could be saved in a lifeboat.

Titanic created quite a stir when it departed for its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912. After stops in Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown (now known as Cobh), Ireland, the ship set sail for New York with 2,240 passengers and crew—or “souls,” the expression then used in the shipping industry, usually in connection with a sinking—on board. 

Nothing can stop those in the city of Tyre, the magnificent trade merchant of the world.  Nothing can or will happen to the grand ships armed by soldiers and seafarers. 

“Oh, this has happened!”  What went wrong?

Ezekiel 27, The Message

Tyre, Gateway to the Sea

^1-9 God’s Message came to me: “You, son of man, raise a funeral song over Tyre. Tell Tyre, gateway to the sea, merchant to the world, trader among the far-off islands, ‘This is what God, the Master, says:

“‘You boast, Tyre:
    “I’m the perfect ship—stately, handsome.”
You ruled the high seas from
    a real beauty, crafted to perfection.
Your planking came from
    Mount Hermon junipers.
A Lebanon cedar
    supplied your mast.
They made your oars
    from sturdy Bashan oaks.
Cypress from Cyprus inlaid with ivory
    was used for the decks.
Your sail and flag were of colorful
    embroidered linen from Egypt.
Your purple deck awnings
    also came from Cyprus.
Men of Sidon and Arvad pulled the oars.
    Your seasoned seamen, O Tyre, were the crew.
Ship’s carpenters
    were old salts from Byblos.
All the ships of the sea and their sailors
    clustered around you to barter for your goods.

^10-11 “‘Your army was composed of soldiers
    from Paras, Lud, and Put,
Elite troops in uniformed splendor.
    They put you on the map!
Your city police were imported from
    Arvad, Helech, and Gammad.
They hung their shields from the city walls,
    a final, perfect touch to your beauty.

¹² “‘Tarshish carried on business with you because of your great wealth. They worked for you, trading in silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products.

¹³ “‘Greece, Tubal, and Meshech did business with you, trading slaves and bronze for your products.

¹⁴ “‘Beth-togarmah traded work horses, war horses, and mules for your products.

¹⁵ “‘The people of Rhodes did business with you. Many far-off islands traded with you in ivory and ebony.

¹⁶ “‘Edom did business with you because of all your goods. They traded for your products with agate, purple textiles, embroidered cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies.

¹⁷ “‘Judah and Israel did business with you. They traded for your products with premium wheat, millet, honey, oil, and balm.

¹⁸ “‘Damascus, attracted by your vast array of products and well-stocked warehouses, carried on business with you, trading in wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar.

¹⁹ “‘Danites and Greeks from Uzal traded with you, using wrought iron, cinnamon, and spices.

²⁰ “‘Dedan traded with you for saddle blankets.

²¹ “‘Arabia and all the Bedouin sheiks of Kedar traded lambs, rams, and goats with you.

²² “‘Traders from Sheba and Raamah in South Arabia carried on business with you in premium spices, precious stones, and gold.

^23-24 “‘Haran, Canneh, and Eden from the east in Assyria and Media traded with you, bringing elegant clothes, dyed textiles, and elaborate carpets to your bazaars.

²⁵ “‘The great Tarshish ships were your freighters, importing and exporting. Oh, it was big business for you, trafficking the seaways!

^26-32 “‘Your sailors row mightily,
    taking you into the high seas.
Then a storm out of the east
    shatters your ship in the ocean deep.
Everything sinks—your rich goods and products,
    sailors and crew, ship’s carpenters and soldiers,
Sink to the bottom of the sea.
    Total shipwreck.
The cries of your sailors
    reverberate on shore.
Sailors everywhere abandon ship.
    Veteran seamen swim for dry land.
They cry out in grief,
    a choir of bitter lament over you.
They smear their faces with ashes,
    shave their heads,
Wear rough burlap,
    wildly keening their loss.
They raise their funeral song:
    “Who on the high seas is like Tyre!”

^33-36 “‘As you crisscrossed the seas with your products,
    you satisfied many peoples.
Your worldwide trade
    made earth’s kings rich.
And now you’re battered to bits by the waves,
    sunk to the bottom of the sea,
And everything you’ve bought and sold
    has sunk to the bottom with you.
Everyone on shore looks on in terror.
    The hair of kings stands on end,
    their faces drawn and haggard!
The buyers and sellers of the world
    throw up their hands:
This horror can’t happen!
    Oh, this has happened!’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

• Tyre was proud of its beauty and its success but didn’t give any praise to the Lord for His goodness.  Though many products were brought in and exported out for the good of many, the glory was placed solely on the efforts of mankind. 
• Tyre was the “ship of state”.  The ship metaphor included all that was a part of the city of Tyre, its agents and customers, its business, and the large trading network that it had developed in the Mediterranean world.
• In describing the ship’s crew, Ezekiel was actually naming some of the nations that had made it possible for Tyre to become such a great success.
• This passage has admiration turning to desolation. The storm arrived that was promised in Ezekiel 26:3, and the great ship was shattered in the mighty waters. No matter how efficient, rich, and beautiful the ship of state might be, when the Lord decides to sink it, nothing can stay His hand.

In tomorrow’s reading, chapter 28, we will more learn of the fatal flaws of Tyre, the trading capital of the world whose “ship” was sunk to the depths of the sea. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, you are probably noticing that pride has a lot to do with sinking our own ships of arrogance.

“Too much pride will destroy you.” Proverbs 16:18 CEV

Lord,

We repent of pride that gets in the way of spiritual growth.  Help us all to see ourselves as we are with a longing to transform our thinking to be more like you taught us, dear Jesus.  To you be the glory, honor and praise for all that is good.

In Jesus Name, Amen