Ezekiel 28:14

There is more difficulty about verses 11-19. Is it the same person or a different one? I am inclined to think it is the same person historically. But it carries a deeper reference to Satan's fall inside it. This may be one reason why the Spirit of God changes "prince" into "king."

So Ezekiel 28, from verse 11, is commonly — and I have no doubt rightly — applied to the fall of Satan. It is not the same as the prince of Tyre, who is judged historically at the beginning of the chapter... Clearly we see this under the figure of the king of Tyre — but under a figure. It goes far beyond the idea of a mere king of Tyre, and I do not doubt it is Satan.

"You are the anointed cherub who covers" shows that God charged him with carrying out His judgments, and with doing it intelligently — the anointed cherub. "You were on the holy mountain of God," the seat or symbol of His holy authority. He had walked "in the midst of the stones of fire." That seems to picture how familiar he had been with the display of God's moral glory. Before that glory, evil is consumed and disappears. And yet, perfect as he had been, his heart became lifted up because of his beauty, and iniquity was found in him. Such, sadly, is the creature — such fully was Satan.

Then we are told he was the anointed cherub that covers — that is, that defends — a word used for the cherubim covering the mercy seat.

He was the anointed cherub that covers; the Lord had set him to be this. As the anointed cherub, chosen by God, he held a high position in the government of God's throne. Everything shows that this majestic creature had a place of great dignity. He was "on the holy mountain of God," walking up and down among the stones of fire. He was always there, moving about in the fiery glory of a holy and righteous God.

Scripture says that before his fall Satan walked up and down among the stones of fire, and that every precious stone was his covering. The precious stones were on the breastplate of the high priest. These stones are not pure light. They are the reflection of the divine glory, where the most exalted creature walked before its fall... In Ezekiel, this is in creation; on the breastplate of Jesus, in grace; here, in glory. In the first case the creature could not keep itself there. Christ keeps the church there in its weakness.

He was clearly the highest creature that God in His wisdom created. Sadly, pride was his ruin.

Indeed he was once morally like them, the very chief of them all (Ezek. 28) — the "covering cherub" that overshadowed the throne of the LORD. But "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!" He was dazzled by his own glory. He deliberately forgot the creature-place he must always keep, and so he fell into pride ("the condemnation of the devil"). By that pride he became the bitter, eternal enemy of all that is good, and of God Himself.

We do well, I am sure, to recognise that the spiritual forces ranged against us are very great. Realizing this, we shall never speak lightly or dismissively of the devil... If he was "the anointed cherub that covers," he was in the very nearest position to God Himself. He aspired to be as God, and then he fell.