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Devotional thoughts (Monday through Thursday mornings) from the pastor of Exeter Presbyterian Church in Exeter, NH // Sunday Worship 10:30am // 73 Winter Street

Friday, May 30, 2008

Ezekiel 35

God has much to say about the forgotten nation of Edom. One of the surrounding nations of Judah, this south-eastern neighbor was made up of the descendants of Esau. We remember from Genesis that Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. Though they were not identical, they shared the same home in the safety of their mother Rebekah as they were preparing for birth. Even before they were born, these brothers were striving with each other. At that time it was revealed to Rebekah that, contrary to custom, the older would serve the younger. Esau was born first, and Jacob second, but Jacob was the child of God’s blessing. Jacob’s name was later changed to Israel, and he was the father of the twelve tribes. Esau was the father of the Edomites.

There were troubles between the two boys as they grew. This especially came to a head when their mother Rebekah conspired with Jacob to gain the blessing of their elderly father Isaac. Their plan was successful, bringing great grief to the older brother. Esau was soon consoling himself with the thought of murdering Jacob. Jacob was sent away by his parents and God blessed him through a time of significant suffering at the hands of his father-in-law Laban. After many years of being away from home, Jacob eventually met his brother Esau, and the two seemed to be well reconciled. However, the root animosity between these two descendants of Isaac was never really healed. This was particularly obvious when Israel and Judah suffered at the hands of their enemies from the eastern empires. The Edomites rejoiced in the discipline of the descendants of Jacob, and the Lord was not pleased about this.

God has a special love for His people, and those who set themselves up as their enemies, and who rejoice when trouble comes upon His covenant community, will face a very powerful adversary in the Lord. The Edomites are said here to have cherished perpetual enmity against the Israelites. There was no good reason for the descendants of Esau to continue in their age-old hatred of this brother nation. It would do them no good to look for the destruction of Judah.

Because they rejoiced at the shedding of the blood of the descendants of Jacob, the Lord would bring about His plan for the shedding of their own blood. We should hate bloodshed. We should never celebrate when an enemy attacks one of our neighbors. How much more should we have some natural sympathy for all of the descendants of Isaac? The Edomites wanted to see blood flowing from the descendants of Jacob, so the Lord was prepared to show forth His own response to their vicious impulses.

God’s plans for Edom (or Mount Seir) were not just a period of discipline. He would make the land a desolation. Would he have any remedy for this nation? It does not appear to be the case from this chapter of the Bible. The land of Esau would be a perpetual desolation.

What was the motive of the Edomites in their ill-will toward Judah? It was more than an ancient case of sibling rivalry. This southern neighbor saw great opportunity to take the lands to their north and west. This is a tremendous show of disrespect to the Lord. God made Jacob to be who he was. God was the one who determined the status of both boys before they were even born. To hate Jacob and to think that Judah’s discipline was a great time to satisfy greedy longings for power and possession was a very serious mistake. The anger and the envy of the Edomites would bring God’s judgments against them.

When the Edomites railed against God’s nation, they were railing against God. He could remove them in a moment. They had only existed according to His pleasure. There is no rule that any nation must last forever. Where are the Edomites today? They met their end. They are gone.

When Jesus Christ speaks of the judgment that will come against the world, one of the things that He points to is the question of how we have treated the covenant people of God. During the days of Ezekiel, the descendants of Jacob were the covenant people of the Lord. Though they faced His strong discipline, He loved them, and He would defend them. To attack Judah without the Lord’s instruction or to take joy in their difficulty was a direct offence against God.

In our day the covenant people of God is the church of Jesus Christ. Our status of inclusion in His kingdom is seen in true faith in Christ. We are the elect people of the Lord, and He will defend us. His Son died for our sins. When we are attacked, it is Christ who is being attacked. The sign of those who have true peace with God is this: How have we treated the least of the brethren of the Lord? The church is the only “nation” of eternal blessing today. It is the worst kind of foolishness to stand against the people for whom the Son of Man has shed His blood. He will come again as the Lord of judgment. Why would anyone think that it would be safe to oppress the people for whom the Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood?

posted by Pastor Magee @ 7:00 AM

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