Today’s Readings: Ezekiel 35-36; John 17
With fiery passion I have spoken against the rest of the nations, but most especially to Edom, who with malicious joy took My precious land for themselves and divided it up as their spoil.
The prophecies often require a little historical background to understand the context in which God foretells the future of nations. So, why does God pick out Edom particularly to lash out against in His messages to Ezekiel? To answer the question, we must go all the way back to the story of Isaac.
God promised Isaac, as He had Abraham, would become the father of a nation whose descendants were as numerous as the stars in the sky. His wife, Rebekah gave birth to twin boys. The oldest, who would become heir two-thirds of all Isaac’s property and patriarch of the family, according to custom, was Esau. The second twin was Jacob. Rebekah loved Jacob more. Isaac loved Esau more. As in most families, the boys’ personalities couldn’t be more different.
Jacob deceived Esau twice, once for his birthright so that Jacob would inherit the larger portion of Isaac’s estate and again as Isaac pronounced his final blessings and gave Esau’s blessing to Jacob making him ruler over his brother. Soon after, Jacob left the tribe to find a wife, but more to escape his brother’s wrath.
Both sons, Jacob and Esau became wealthy in their own right. Both became great nations. But the stories of how Jacob deceived his father lived on through the generations. Edom, the descendants of Esau, always viewed the descendants of Jacob as thieves. They felt all the land Israel owned really belonged to them. Despite the fact Moses and Joshua never attacked or allowed any of the tribes to take anything from the Edomites as they settled into the land God gave them. Edom was Esau’s inheritance, given to them by God. Israel was Jacob’s inheritance, given to them by God. All of the land was and is His. He decides who will reside where, whether we think it true or not.
When Edom decided they would take the land of Judah and Israel after Nebuchadnezzar took the Israelites into exile, the few who remained in the land would easily fall into defeat by the armies of Edom. God decided otherwise, though. The land belonged to Him and His design was to give the land back to Israel after their period of exile ended. The consequences of Edom’s greed would fall on their heads.
Ezekiel’s prophecy tells us what God planned for them because of their greed. Edom’s people also went into exile, but the prophecy contains no mention of restoration of their land. In fact, Edom’s defeat by the Babylonians is complete. They take the people into exile, burn their towns and villages, stone and salt their farms, and make the land uninhabitable for years. Edom ceases to exist as a nation.
What I like about the Old Testament is the correlation between the actions of nations we see in the stories in God’s word and the behavior of individuals today. When we individually behave as the nations depicted in history behaved, we can expect similar reaction from God. If we decide to let greed overtake us, we can expect God to take back ownership of what is His in the first place. We forget that everything is His. We are but stewards and as long as we manage His property appropriately, He allows us to use it. We we don’t, He can and will take it back at any time He chooses.
Join me next time, won’t you?
Richard
Walk with Me 