John Maxwell once said that, “There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. 'Good pride' represents our dignity and self-respect. 'Bad pride' is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.” LifeWay's Explore the Bible Study: Warns, focuses on the destructive power of selfish pride. We should be able to determine whether selfish pride is evident in our lives, be aware of the damage it can do, and develop a plan to deal with it. 

When we speak of pride, we can be referring to it in positive terms such as pride in our appearance or our work. We encourage our children by saying how proud we are of them. We might even say to them, “You should be proud of yourself.”  All of these expressions communicate a positive kind of pride: dignity, respect and honor, traits that we all can embrace. But pride isn’t always positive. Pride can also mean conceit, arrogance, or superiority. This kind of pride is based on self-centeredness, and it is destructive. This kind of pride invites God’s judgment.

You are a man and not a god

The success of Tyre produced selfish, arrogant pride. The ruler of Tyre felt there was no authority higher than himself, that he was above other gods, even the idol god they worshipped, Baal. He also believed he had accomplished everything without the help of any god, and that he needed no one else because of his position. As God’s pronouncement of judgment begins, He reminds the leader of Tyre that he was a man and not a god. 

Success does not mean you are sinless – Ezekiel 28:11-15

While this passage is speaking of the literal king of Tyre and the pride in his life, it uses an analogy comparing the king with someone who was in the Garden of Eden. Some believe this person was Adam, while others believe it is a reference to Satan. Either way, Adam, Satan, and the king of Tyre all had something in common—their successes and blessings did not hide their sinfulness. Ezekiel reminds the king and all of us that wickedness is still persistent in our lives because we live in a sin-broken world.

Reflect on your own life. Consider all that God has done in your life. What are some of the blessings you can identify? Now consider the sins or “wickedness” that still persistently dwell in your life. How can we avoid thinking that our successes and blessings make us greater or better than others? How can we avoid thinking we don’t need God anymore because of our own self-sufficiency?

How would you respond if someone came to you and pointed out that God had blessed you but also pointed out the wickedness of pride that was in you as well? What would your response indicate about pride?

The king should prefer repentance over God’s judgment, compassion over wrath, and the beauty of confession over the ugliness of sin. However, God didn’t hear any confession, regret, or repentance coming from Tyre’s ruler, even after sending a warning shot through His messenger Ezekiel.

Selfish pride will lead to your downfall - Ezekiel 28:16-19

What were the negative results that occurred because of the king of Tyre’s pride? (Violence, sin, disgrace, banishment, corrupted wisdom, losing position, profaning of the sanctuary, destruction, being a negative example to others, and so forth).

Based on these passages, how does one’s arrogant, selfish pride affect the lives of others? How have you seen arrogance and selfish pride affect a church? A home? An individual?

Have you ever been appalled at someone who was arrogant? How has/did their arrogance affect your relationship with them? Did they ever earn your respect? How does this compare to the results described in verse 19?

Many people did business with Tyre, and they would be horrified as they witnessed Tyre’s destruction. Tyre’s judgment would provide a stern warning to all who witnessed it. Tyre would never exist again, something other nations and peoples never thought would occur.  Additionally, the king would become a spectacle and example before other kings.

If you own a business or supervise people in the workplace, how can pride keep you from being an effective leader?

If you are working for someone who reflects arrogant, selfish pride, what type of environment does that create? How do you survive in such an environment?

If you experience this type of pride in a family, what kind of environment does it create? What can you do to survive in such an environment? Are you the perpetrator of such an environment?

God’s judgment and salvation reveal that He is God and we aren’t! - Ezekiel 28:25-26

In 722 BC, the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and deported the population to various regions in the Assyrian empire (2 Kings 17:6). The Babylonians later had exiled part of the population of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, and soon would destroy Jerusalem and the temple (2 Kings 25:8-10). Throughout history, other smaller nations also had deported groups of God’s people into slavery (Amos 1:6,9). But God promised He would gather His people again, and affirmed: I will demonstrate my holiness through them in the sight of the nations. 

When God’s people experienced His restoration and saw Him judge their enemies, Ezekiel affirmed, they will know that I am the Lord their God. Those who oppose God would and will see His power in judgment, while those who love God would and will experience His love through salvation. In that day, God’s people will know Him at a level they have not known Him previously.

The Rest of the Story

God used Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, as His hand of judgment against the prideful and idolatrous city of Tyre. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre for 13 years, resulting in the destruction of the mainland sectors, but not its island sector. Centuries later, in 332 B.C., Alexander the Great conquered Tyre by constructing a causeway out to the island that his army used to reach and conquer the city. Later, in Roman times, the city flourished again. Jesus visited the area during His ministry. Paul spent seven days in Tyre after his third missionary journey.

Tourists today can walk among the ruins of the once great city of Tyre that stands as a constant reminder of what takes place when man becomes so puffed up with pride that he no longer needs god or actually thinks that he has become as great as god.

Prideful people in our time rise and fall as they did in Ezekiel’s day. Among them are politicians, media stars and personalities, musicians, millionaires, corporate businesspeople, and yes, even churches and church leaders.

Billy Graham once even said that, “self-centered indulgence, pride and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.”

Many believe that self-centered pride is good. The thing about swelled chests, however, is that they often birth feelings of invincibility. Thinking personal god-like power shields them from any force great enough to bring them down, the proud rest in a delusion.

Solomon reminds us in Proverbs 6:16 that God hates six things and the first thing listed is arrogant eyes. The expression refers to a person so proud that he or she denies the one true living God—their eyes are focused solely on self. It is my prayer that you will not allow pride to manifest itself in this way in your life.

The downloadable teaching helps provide more details for this study, along with some tools you can use in guiding a group Bible study. Be sure to use this as a supplement to your study of the Explore the Bible Study resources provided by LifeWay.

Imagine you worked so hard to give a special gift to someone, only to have them complain about the gift. Or maybe you discover it was discarded. Or perhaps the person forgot you gave it to them! How would you feel? Would it change your relationship with that person? God is the greatest gift-giver yet we will discover in this weeks Explore The Bible Study: Judges how people throughout history have responded to God's mercy and generosity.

Imagine how God felt as He observed, once again, the Israelites disregarding, not appreciating, and abusing the special covenant gift they had been given by Him. Ezekiel helps us understand how God felt and how He deals with His people because they disregarded His gift. 

In order to understand what is about to unfold in Ezekiel 20, one must understand what was taking place in history during this time. In 597 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon came a second time to Jerusalem. At this time, he deposed and exiled King Jeconiah of Judah (2 Kings 24:8-15) who had only reigned a few months. Then king Nebuchadnezzar left Judah with Zedekiah, a puppet king. Most of the Israelites remaining in Jerusalem thought the worst was over and they were fortunate to survive and escape exile. They thought they were better than the people who were taken into exile. Zedekiah reigned 11 years and was the last of the Kings of Judah before a complete Babylonian conquest.

In the late summer of 591 B.C., news of Egypt’s victory in the Sudan, under Psammetik II, reached the exiles at Tel Abib (Babylon). Rumors also indicated that the Egyptian army would make a triumphal conquest of Palestine as well, thus paving the way for the exiles to return to Jerusalem. This raised the exiles’ expectations as they hoped that Egypt would prove to be the redeemer to free them from Nebuchadnezzar. 

Zedekiah had foolishly shared the same dream and revolted from Babylonian rule and placed his confidence in Egypt’s strength somewhere between the end of 591 and 589 B.C. Such a move was ill-timed; for the Pharaoh soon became ill, and the potential might of Egypt never materialized. (Source: Alexander, Ralph H. 1986. “Ezekiel.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, 6:832. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

This brings us to Ezekiel 20. Israel’s elders come before Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord.  The text is silent concerning the exact nature of the elders’ inquiry, but it was probably to ask this question: “Would Zedekiah’s current diplomacy with Egypt succeed in bringing freedom for the exiles from the tyranny of Nebuchadnezzar?” “Would the Hebrew captives soon return to the Promised Land?”

As you study this passage, consider how you have responded to God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

First, we see how God responds to those come asking with unrepentant hearts - Ezekiel 20:1-4

Ezekiel 20 occurred two years after Ezekiel’s initial call (Ezekiel 1:2). Eleven months had passed since Ezekiel had delivered the previous revelations from God that we studied in the last session from Ezekiel 8. Israel’s exiled elders came to inquire of the Lord because they recognized God’s people faced a tough situation. When they came before Ezekiel God provided to Ezekiel a message for them. 

God’s response was not what one would expect. He didn’t roll over and continue to give and give. Basically, God says to them, “I can’t believe you are coming to inquire of me after all you have done.” The leaders who came to seek God’s counsel were not coming with proper attitudes, and God knew their hearts were not fully His.  The detestable practices of their ancestors broadly depicted the people’s many abominations, including idolatry and immorality. Ezekiel would confront the elders with the record of their sin and the sin of prior generations.

God still confronts unrepentant sinners with the truth of their sin. However, unrepentant sinners cannot receive God’s grace as long as they attempt to justify their own attitudes and actions.

Imagine you have given to someone over and over again, and they mistreat you in spite of all you have given.  Would you be more or less likely to ignore them if they came to you for help in getting out of a tough situation? 

Do you think God still loved the people? (Yes) If so, why did He not accept them with open arms when they asked for help? What can we learn from God’s response regarding unconditional love? 

What motivates you to come before God? Is it the gift of the relationship you have with Him through Jesus Christ? Is it a heart of repentance when God reveals sin? Or is it to see if God will get you out of a sticky situation of your own making?

Next, God reminds them of all He had done to love and redeem them and how they responded to Him - Ezekiel 20:5-14

What did God give to the Israelites according to this passage? How did Israel respond to all God had given to them?

In the face of such rebellion, God had demonstrated his unending grace toward his people with great long-suffering. Twice God states that He withheld His wrath of total destruction. Yet, here they are again, rebelling and throwing the gift God had given them back into His face. So again, the time had come for the nation to prepare herself for judgment; for the Lord was going to soon bring Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem to destroy the city and to take additional captives to Babylonia (20:45–21:32). 

Repeated rebellion against God invites His judgment. Further, persistent disobedience hardens people against turning to God. God’s mercy is indeed great. Believers fall short regularly, but God extends His mercy and grace in situations when He could bring discipline against us. However, we should never consider His mercy and grace as reasons to sin more (Romans 6:1-2). Further, we must warn our friends, coworkers, and neighbors who do not know God, that they cannot presume on His mercy apart from a relationship with Jesus.

Responding to God's Gift

Man is always subject to this pattern. God’s gift is given. God’s gift is ignored and unappreciated. God judges. God gives grace. Man repents. The cycle starts all over again and will continue until this sin broken world has been redeemed.

Warren Wiersby gives this illustration regarding this passage, as a part of his series, Be Reverent: 

“The American editor and writer Norman Cousins wrote in a Saturday Review editorial (April 15, 1978), “History is a vast early warning system.” But some anonymous thinker has said, “The one thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history”; or in the words of Dr. Laurence J. Peter, “History teaches us the mistakes we are going to make.” The Jewish historians, prophets, and psalmists were honest enough to declare the sins of the nation and write them down for future generations to read! Why? So that future generations wouldn’t make the same mistakes that they made. But, alas, God’s people haven’t begun to learn the lessons, let alone obey them.”

Twice God reminds His people that He withheld total judgment. Consider how many times God has withheld His judgment on you. How should that cause you to respond to the gift of salvation that is given to you through Jesus Christ?

Go back to the time when you received Christ. Consider or make a list of ways in which you have habitually rebelled against God since you received Christ as Savior. Can you see God’s mercy and grace in your relationship with Him? How should that change the way you live today?

Consider how you can live a life that demonstrates to a lost world the appreciation one should have for being given the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Consider sharing the gift of salvation with others during this Christmas season.

The downloadable teaching helps provide more details for this study, along with some tools you can use in guiding a group Bible study. Be sure to use this as a supplement to your study of the Explore the Bible Study resources provided by LifeWay.

Do you believe many express a false hope because they feel safe and protected by living in the United States? While those of us who live in the United States do enjoy the blessing of usually feeling safe and secure, if we profess Christ, we know that hope for ultimate safety and security rests solely in Christ. Ezekiel 11, the focus of the Explore the Bible Study: Saves, reveals that placing hope in the wrong things to save us and keep us safe can be dangerous.

The Bible describes hope as a confident assurance based on God’s promises. However, hope doesn’t mean the absence of difficulties or the absence of God’s judgment. We live in a sin-broken world that is experiencing the judgment of God. We are all held accountable for our sin. But we also have the promise of God’s love for those who seek and respond to His salvation. 

How can we apply this to our own views regarding safety and security? How can we avoid the attitudes and actions described in these passages?

What attitudes might reveal that Christians view themselves as more important than other believers, because of their traditions or history? How can these attitudes impact our view of other believers around the world?

How do these verses give you hope when you feel as if you are living in exile and experiencing things that you thought you would never have experienced?

How are the actions described in Ezekiel 11:19-20 demonstrated in your life? Does this list reveal areas in which you don’t have a repentant heart? Consider how you should respond?

Perhaps you have claimed to be a believer, but you realize from this passage that you haven’t truly repented and turned to Christ. Consider what you should do to correct what God has revealed. Talk with your pastor or a Christian friend who can help you.