Most who teach this take the description of the King of Tyrus in Ezekiel 28:12-15 to be a description of Satan. He is said there to have been in the Garden of Eden and was perfect in all his ways until iniquity was found in him. That fits none other but the devil. Therefore, the prince of Tyrus mentioned earlier in the chapter would be the earthly ruler of
Tyre, while the king of Tyrus would be the devil who rules over the prince of Tyrus. Daniel, chapter ten, also deals with the connection between many earthly rulers and evil spiritual principalities.
Therefore, taking this to be Satan, Ezekiel 28:13 has a phrase that is very interesting: "the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created." That is, he was created with tabrets and pipes built in him. What would this refer to? Tabrets (spelled taborets in modern English) are small drums like those used to beat out timing for a fife player. Pipes probably refer to tubes used to produce tones by blowing air through them, as in an organ. This shows us that the devil had the makings of percussion instruments and wind instruments built into his very being.
We can also arrive at a good conclusion as to why he had this apparatus built in him. In Ezekiel 28:14, he is called the "anointed cherub that covereth." In Ezekiel 10:1-22, there are four cherubim who stand at the four corners of the throne of God. Since "the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub" (Ezekiel 10:4), the cherubim were there to give glory
and praise to the Lord. But here we see no cherub covering the throne. That had been the job of Satan as the anointed cherub that covered. He would be the fifth cherub and his job would have been to glorify God. It is interesting that the most powerful of God's heavenly creatures is the one who most prominently gives glory and praise to God. In one sense
therefore, Satan was the heavenly choir director and he led the songs of praise to the Lord that still ring in heaven. The inbuilt tabrets and pipes would definitely come in handy here.
Now, when Satan fell in rebellion against God, he did not lose the natural abilities that God had given him. Therefore, he kept the tabrets and the pipes. But now, he did not use them to bring glory to the Lord but to turn God's creatures against their Creator. His expertise is seen in the powerful influence he welds today in music. He knows his music and
he hates the Lord. This is a dangerous combination.
