Today we are reading Isaiah 23. In this chapter we read about the coastal kingdom associated with the port cities of Tyre and Sidon. “The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them. Be still, O inhabitants of the coast; the merchants of Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you. And on many waters your revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; you were the merchant of the nations. Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: “I have neither labored nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women.””
Isaiah 23:1-4 ESV The port cities controlled all commerce in the region and so were very wealthy. Their wealth was a source of pride and arrogance. In this chapter God promises to destroy these proud people. Their hope and confidence was in their wealth and prosperity. How are you tempted to gain confidence through wealth and prosperity? Is it wrong to be wealthy? What does God want you to do with your abundance? May God move you to rejoice in your abundance and find even more joy in giving! Pastor Tim
