Thoughts on Ezekiel 35
God’s Punishment of Edom
“Because you have had an ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, when their iniquity came to an end…”
It seems old wounds had refused to heal as over the years, the Edomites, who were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother, had unrelentingly chose hatred rather than brotherly kindness towards Israel.
From the first hostility displayed to Israel when by their refusal to grant Israel passage through their land when the Israelites were on the way to the Promised Land (Num 20: 14-21), to the time of Israel’s captivity in Babylon, Edom remained persistently unfriendly to Israel.
Now, even rejoicing in the woes that befell the descendants of Jacob in the hands of the Babylonians. During the reigns of Saul, Solomon, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaz there was conflict between Israel and Edom.
Though there were opportunities to change their posture, Edom refused to turn a new leaf and this earned them punishment from the Lord who had declared that He will be an enemy to Israel’s enemy and an adversary to their adversaries. (Exodus 23:22).
A takeaway from this short chapter will, therefore, be a lesson not to allow old wounds to fester in our lives as children of God.
Even where we have persistently been hated for His name’s sake, or where people took advantage of our vulnerability or even rejoiced over us in our times of trials. We must be hopeful and encouraged that at His own time, in His own way, He will perform His word…..
“Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds”
(Psalms 7:9 NKJV)
Rightly does the psalmist say this, but a condition is attached… “He tests the hearts and mind of the righteous”.
Through various scenarios, our hearts will be tested to reveal what is in them. We therefore need the wisdom of God to navigate through each trial and pass the tests. Our disposition should be as contained in Matthew 5:44
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”
With full assurance, we trust that our God will stretch out His hand against every Mount Seir in our lives. 🙏
