Gopher Holes

Good morning!

Most of us, if we have lived long enough, believe we have failed in some significant way.  It's just not possible to walk through this life, even as a Christian (especially as a Christian), without stepping into a gopher hole and turning your ankle...severely.  And, then the self-recriminations begin.  "I am a failure."  "I have hopelessly disappointed God.", etc.  Satan gets hold of this narrative and grinds our effectiveness for the Lord to a screeching halt.  While it's true that often our own intentional or unintentional sins lead to stepping in gopher holes, there are also times when things fall apart while we are being totally obedient.  What should, then, be our response?

The king of Tyre, who is referenced most notably in Ezekiel 28, was a real king who ruled the coastal kingdom called Tyre in what we know today as the country of Lebanon.  In fact, the ruler referred to here could have been one of several kings who ruled this area.  We have historical information about the kingdom from the 1300s B.C.
Interestingly, Daniel is referenced in verse 3, which likely indicates that this passage is referring to EthBaal III.  (The Jewish historian, Josephus, refers to the years of his reign as 591-573 B.C.) This Tyrian "Baal king" ruled the coastal area, although it was under Babylonian domination, during the time of Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar, making him Daniel's contemporary.  Daniel, of course, was God's wise man and prophet, living in captivity in Babylon.
Let's look at Ezekiel 28:1-10 (Message version).

 1-5 God’s Message came to me, “Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what God, the Master, says:

“‘Your heart is proud,
    going around saying, “I’m a god.
I sit on God’s divine throne,
    ruling the sea”—
You, a mere mortal,
    not even close to being a god,
A mere mortal
    trying to be a god.
Look, you think you’re smarter than Daniel.
    No enigmas can stump you.
Your sharp intelligence
    made you world-wealthy.
You piled up gold and silver
    in your banks.
You used your head well,
    worked good deals, made a lot of money.
But the money has gone to your head,
    swelled your head—what a big head!

6-11 “‘Therefore, God, the Master, says:

“‘Because you’re acting like a god,
    pretending to be a god,
I’m giving fair warning: I’m bringing strangers down on you,
    the most vicious of all nations.
They’ll pull their swords and make hash
    of your reputation for knowing it all.
They’ll puncture the balloon
    of your god-pretensions.
They’ll bring you down from your self-made pedestal
    and bury you in the deep blue sea.
Will you protest to your assassins,
    “You can’t do that! I’m a god”?
To them you’re a mere mortal.
    They’re killing a man, not a god.
You’ll die like a stray dog,
    killed by strangers—
Because I said so.
    Decree of God, the Master.’”

The name EthBaal means "Baal with us".  Does this remind you of Immanuel, which means "God with us"?  EthBaal III (or II... it's disputed...) was a distant descendant of the infamous Queen Jezebel, who married King Ahab of Israel 300 years earlier.  (1 Kings 16:31)

What was the odious sin of this Tyrian king?  He thought that he was a god, given his own deity because of his close relationship to his false, demonic "god", Baal.  He proclaimed that he was god. He had it all-l-l-l-l under control!  It was not uncommon for ancient monarchs to make this mistake. You may recall that Nebuchadnezzar was seduced by this for a time (the golden statue that everyone was forced to worship, etc.)  You can read about his delusion in Daniel 3.  Nebuchadnezzar eventually repented. Not the king of Tyre.  Notice in verse 10 that God decreed his end would be he would "die like a stray dog, killed by strangers".

By contrast, we see the attitude of the godly man, David, who wrote the following in Psalm 18:31-36 (Message)

Is there any god like God?
    Are we not at bedrock?
Is not this the God who armed me,
    then aimed me in the right direction?
Now I run like a deer;
    I’m king of the mountain.
He shows me how to fight;
    I can bend a bronze bow!
You protect me with salvation-armor;
    you hold me up with a firm hand,
    caress me with your gentle ways.

Here, David, who goes on later to say "You made me a leader of nations" (vs. 43), gives all the glory to God, the one true God, for his successes.  David proclaimed that God was in control, that God directed His paths.

One of the things I've observed about the Christian life is this paradox:  the longer you walk with Him the more you realize that you are totally helpless and hopeless without Him.  It seems like it should be the opposite, doesn't it?  Shouldn't we be getting stronger in the faith that saved us?!  That makes human sense, earthly sense.  But, the apostle Paul stated this well in 2 Corinthians 12.  Paul had been struggling with something and had been begging God tirelessly to resolve the situation for him. Paul reports this as the Lord's response: (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

9But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

{Well, how about that?!  Notice how Paul responded to the Lord's words....}

 So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. 10Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

Christian:  This passage, as well as Psalm 121 declare that  our strength, our power, come from the Lord, who made Heaven and earth. He is our glory.  And, He shows up best when we make ourselves "weak", when we step off our thrones and make ourselves available to Him.

If you find yourself falling into the trap of the King of Tyre, thinking that you have done this, and you have done that, that you made this happen and that you are "all that"... you may find yourself stepping into a gopher hole.  Remember...There is one true God in Heaven, and we are not He.

Dear Father, please forgive me for the many times I fall into this trap.  Hear my heart's confession. It is not a conscious declaration that I make, to set myself up as god.  Rather, it's manifested by my tremendous lack of confidence in You to "handle things".  This is one of my gopher holes!  My sinful, human nature rebels against the very weakness you require so that You can show Yourself mighty.  I need you so desperately!  Please help me...in Jesus' name, amen.