Who is Your Navigator?
Ez. 27: 8 Your wise men, O Tyre, were in you; they became your pilots.
On January 17, 2013, the United States Navy was awfully embarrassed when one of their ships, the USS Guardian, got stuck on a reef in the Philippines. This was a military ship, a minesweeper, with sophisticated equipment. The US navy has one of the best navigational systems in the world, but they got stuck because, according to their navigators, the reef that they got stuck on was supposed to be eight miles away! They had to scrap a multi-million dollar ship and pay a large fine for the damaged reef because the navigator had made a mistake.
In today’s text, God speaks to the people of Tyre. Old Testament prophets constantly warned the people of Israel, God’s chosen people, to turn from their sinful ways and avoid the punishment of God. But God was not only concerned about Israel. He was also concerned about the other nations around, even though they were heathens and idol worshippers. God chose Israel to do a special work for Him, and as His special servants they got some special privileges, but salvation was intended for everyone, not just the Jews.
Tyre had an excellent harbour and its people, the Phoenecians were perhaps the greatest sailors of ancient times. On the open sea, they knew how to find their destination even though they didn’t have compass, GPS or any of the fancy equipment we have today. But Ezekiel, the prophet, told them that they had lost their way as a people. Spiritually, they were about to wind up on the rocks of destruction because they didn’t follow the right directions. God had given His instructions but they preferred to follow the directions of their so-called wise men and ignore Gods instructions.
There are many people today, teachers and university professors, doctors, philosophers, technocrats, politicians and even church leaders who will advise and instruct us to go contrary to what God says in His word. They will tell you that God’s instructions are not logical, that they are not relevant for these times, that that’s not what God meant, or that God has changed His mind on some things. But only God knows how to guide us through the dangers of this life and lead us to eternal life. Any voice that speaks against the word or instruction of God is evil (no matter how good it sounds) and will only lead to destruction. Follow the real Navigator and His instructions in His Word.
Lord, thank You for the Bible, the only trustworthy guide as I face the challenges of life. I commit myself to obeying and following Your word. In Jesus name I pray, amen.