Isaiah 23:1-7 – Let our confidence be in the Lord

In Isaiah 23, the prophet brought a message to Tyre. Together with Sidon, they were the key cities of the Phoenicians. Strategically located at the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, these cities were commercial cities known for shipping. Ships would bring goods from as far as Tarshish to the city of Tyre. During the time of David, Israel had an alliance with Hiram the King of Tyre. David even used building material and workmen from Tyre to build his palace. Into the time of Solomon, Israel still had a peaceful relationship with Tyre. In fact, Solomon solicited the help of builders and skillful artisans of Tyre in building the temple of Jerusalem. There is one notorious fact about Israel’s relationship with Tyre. It is the marriage of King Ahab with Jezebel, the Phoenician princess who introduced and promoted the worship of Baal in Israel. However, we can tell that Tyre was once a very distinguished city.   

Here Isaiah’s message in verses 1-7 describe the sorry state of affairs of Tyre. It would soon be a far cry from the city it once was. Here the prophet began his call to the Tarshish sailors coming to Tyre to wail. Why? For that city together with her houses and harbor would be destroyed. These sailors were purported to have received the news from Cyprus. Both Sidon and Tyre were apparently enjoying prosperity because their ships were used to ferry goods from Egypt to other nations. With their destructions, their wealth and prosperity would soon cease. So here the merchants of Sidon were described as silent, more precisely left speechless. The destructi0n of the city and her shipping industry would cause merchants from Tarshish as well as Egypt to wail. The once jubilant citizens of successful Tyre and Sidon were admonished to wail. There would be nothing for them to be joyful about when what they would soon be ruined 

Reading an account of how the once magnificent Tyre was being brought low lead us to think about the warning given by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:12. He said, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” The moment we look at our accomplishment as if we had attained it by our own ingenuity, we are poised for pride to strike. Perhaps this was the situation of Tyre. It behooves us to take time to reflect and realize that what we all have accomplished and can potentially accomplish, they all come from the Lord. That will keep our feet ever grounded in humility. So let our confidence be in God not in ourselves!