“And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.”
My Notes
What Does Ezekiel 28:22 Mean?
God addresses Sidon — a Phoenician city near Tyre — and declares: I am against you. I will be glorified in your midst. You will know I am the LORD. The purpose of the judgment is knowledge — Sidon will recognize God through the experience of His judgment.
"I will be glorified in the midst of thee" means God's glory will be displayed through what He does to Sidon. His character will be revealed — not through blessing, but through judgment. The nations learn who God is through both.
"Sanctified in her" means God will demonstrate His holiness through the judgment on Sidon. Holiness isn't just an attribute God possesses. It's something He demonstrates — through acts that show the world what separates Him from everything else. The judgment on a pagan city becomes a lesson in divine holiness for the entire watching world.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How do you receive the idea that God reveals Himself through judgment as much as through mercy?
- 2.What does 'sanctified in her' mean — that God demonstrates holiness through what He does to Sidon?
- 3.Does God's statement 'I am against thee' feel arbitrary or purposeful? What makes the difference?
- 4.How does watching God act in judgment teach you something about His character that blessing alone can't?
Devotional
"I am against thee, O Zidon." Five words that seal a city's fate. God's opposition is personal, specific, and aimed.
But the purpose isn't destruction for its own sake. It's revelation. "I will be glorified in the midst of thee" — God's glory will be displayed through this judgment. "They shall know that I am the LORD" — the watching world will learn something about who God is by watching what He does to Sidon.
This is one of the most uncomfortable truths in the prophets: God reveals Himself through judgment as much as through mercy. Sidon won't learn about God's holiness through a revival. They'll learn it through a reckoning. And the nations watching will learn it too.
"Sanctified in her" — God demonstrates His holiness through what He does. Not just through what He says or what He is in theory. Through action. The judgment on Sidon is God showing the world: this is what holiness looks like when it meets corruption. This is what My character demands when confronted with what opposes it.
God's glory isn't only displayed in sunsets and answered prayers. It's displayed in judgment. The fire that consumes reveals the holiness that requires it. And the nations who watch learn something they couldn't learn any other way: I am the LORD.
God's opposition isn't random. It's revelatory.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
The eternal Jehovah, the only true God, the Maker of heaven and earth; this is said by way of preface to the prophecy,…
Be glorified ... be sanctified - Or, “get Me glory ... have shown Myself holy” (and in Eze 28:25).
I am against thee, O Zidon - Sidon for a long time had possessed the empire of the sea and of all Phoenicia, and Tyre…
God's glory is his great end, both in all the good and in all the evil which proceed out of the mouth of the Most High;…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture