Trading

During my study of my Sabbath School lesson this week I found myself reading in Ezekiel where it speaks of Satan. If you would like, you can read it for yourself:

12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyre, and say unto him, Thus says the Lord GOD; You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

13You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of your timbrels and of your pipes was prepared in you in the day that you were created.

14You are the anointed cherub that covers; and I have set you so: you were upon the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

15You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity was found in you.

16By the multitude of your trade they have filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I will cast you as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

17Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor: I will cast you to the ground, I will lay you before kings, that they may behold you.

~ Ezekiel 28:12-17

 

As I read verse 16 stood out to me:

 

16By the multitude of your trade they have filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I will cast you as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

 

16 "By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. (NAS)

 

For a moment I pondered the phrase "by the abundance of your trading." I wondered what that meant. Thankfully I was reading this passage from my study Bible, so I looked to see if there were any notes about this verse and sure enough there was:

"Trading~ Literally, "to go about from one to another trading, either in goods, or in words(slander). The meaning of trading material goods fits the context of this word in verse 5(Of Ezekiel 28) referring to the earthly king of Tyre, a city know for its merchandising; but in the cosmic context the meaning " slander" fits best: the guardian cherub slandered God by accusing Him of injustice."

 

As I finished reading this note I began to think of how easily in our day to day conversations, we can fall into the trap of "abundance of trading."  From time to time I am guilty of this.

 

I began to think of what the Bible says about this and several verses came to mind. I thought I would share a few with you today.

 

 

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Ephesians 4:29

 

31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger,

and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32And be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,

even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:31-32

 

14Do all things without murmuring and disputing:

15That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world;

16Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.

Philippians 2:14-16

 

8For you were once darkness,

but now are you light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

~Ephesians 5:8

 

8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

9Those things, which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

~Philippians 4:8-9

 

Conclusion - our thoughts and our words need to be without slander. Philippians 4:8-9 tells of a list of things we should think on - I think this also can apply to our words. It really gives us something to think about.  And it also helps to keep us from an "abundance of trading".

 

19Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,

singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

20Giving thanks always for all things unto God, even the Father,

 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

21Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

~Ephesians 5:19-21