Reading Ezekiel 28 in its context, one sees the words of prophecy and lament toward the prince and king of Tyre. Some believe that the address was toward a human king, but we know that it could not have been a king since this person was in the Garden of Eden. Satan fits the character here: “the signet of perfection,” “an anointed guardian cherub,” “upon the holy mountain of God,” “filled with violence,” “heart was proud,” and “cast to the ground.” This description of Satan looks very similar to that of Isaiah 14. Satan had been created as an angel of light to lead the angelic host in praising God, but rebelled against God. Pride had lifted Satan, for he thought he could be like God, therefore God cast him down. While the original description of this character refers to the King of Tyre, we see that it applies to the ruler of our world today – Satan (Ephesians 2:2).

Satan’s purpose as an angelic being was to bring honor and glory to God. Yet he strayed from his purpose as pride overtook his thoughts and actions. Pride is powerful in that it distances us from God and clouds our judgment. God has always uplifted the humble and gives us warning in Scripture that pride comes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18). Do not allow pride to pull you away from your original purpose to follow, serve, and praise Jesus Christ.

How is Satan’s original purpose like our own? Why did Satan reject his purpose?