Two Prophesies Against Ammon
Ammon had been a long-time enemy of Judah. It began in the time of the judges. It continued through King Saul. David conquered them for a short time and
after Solomon died the Ammonites regained their freedom. Judah and Ammon continued to be enemies, with
Ammon siding with Babylon several times when Judah would try a coup against
Babylon. They sided with Babylon simply
to try and claim more and more land when Judah would be defeated.
With this as the back story, we come to Ezekiel’s prophesies. The first one describes how the Ammonites
celebrated when the temple of the Lord was profaned and when the kingdoms of
Judah and Israel were delivered into exile.
Notice the terminology of the prophecy.
Ezekiel uses a “because,” “therefore,” and “you shall know” style. Because the Ammonites celebrated against the
Lord, therefore the Lord will bring judgment upon them via the Babylonians and
allow the Babylonians to be masters over everything that was Ammonite in
control. Why? The Lord will do this so that they shall know
that He is Lord.
In verse 6, we get another prophecy of the same stylistic
device. Because the Ammonites celebrated
with malice against the Hebrew people, therefore the Lord will hand them over
as plunder to the nations. They will
perish as a people. (The last known
mention of people with Ammonite blood is shortly after the time of Christ
referencing a people living in south Palestine.) Why will all this happen? This will happen so that the Ammonites will
know that the Lord is sovereign.
Prophecy Against Moab and Seir
Here we have another example of the prophetic style of this
chapter. Because the Moabite claimed
that the people of Judah were no different than the other nations, God is going
to hand them over to the Babylonians.
Why? So that they will know that
God is the Lord.
I think this sin is pretty interesting. The Moabites are guilty of claiming that
Judah is no different than the other nations.
On one level, the Moabite claim is right. The Hebrew people were facing their own
judgment because they had adopted the ways of the world. However, even though they acted no different,
they were still different. They were
God’s chosen people. They were in a
special relationship with God – even if it didn’t show. Therefore, the Moabites are guilty of denying
God’s relationship with His people. They are guilty not of insulting the Hebrew
people but of denying God His place.
This is particularly interesting to me because it does point to
the importance of the people of God actually being a demonstration of God’s presence
within them. God’s people are called to
reveal God to the world. When we don’t
do that, we actually become the proof that others need to deny God His rightful
place.
Prophecy Against Edom
Again we see the pattern.
Because the Edomites took vengeful action against the Hebrew people, God
will take vengeance against them. We
know that the Edomites were conquered by the Nabateans. The remnant of Edomites fled their homeland,
moved west towards the Negev, and became known as the Idumeans. Later, the land they had taken near the Negev
was conquered and they were allowed to stay in the region if they would
circumcise themselves and become Jewish.
They did. As we hear in
scripture, the Edomites would ultimately lose everything – including their
national identity – at the hand of God’s people.
Note, however, that the “why” changes in the case of Edom. Here God does not say, “So that they may know
I am the Lord.” Here God says, “That
they shall know my vengeance.” Edom had
been an antagonist of the Hebrew people ever since Jacob and Esau. Remember that the Edomites were the
descendants of Esau. Also remember that
when the Hebrew people were coming out of Egypt the Edomites would not let them
go through their land. The Edomites made
a habit of standing in the way of the Lord.
The Lord would show His vengeance as the Edomites showed vengeance upon
His people.
Prophecy Against Philistia
Note: Cherethites
is a synonym for the Philistines.
In this final prophecy of this chapter, we see the same
pattern. Because the Philistines have
always opposed the Hebrew people from the time that they tried to possess the
land until the time Jerusalem was besieged, God would take vengeance upon
them. The Philistines were an ancient
and ever-present enemy. Thus, God will
judge them. We know that the Philistines
disappear as a nation between when Jerusalem is taken and the time of
Christ. Again, we hear the same
conclusion. This will happen so that the
Philistines would know that God is the Lord.
A Note About the Nations
I don’t think I need to go into too much depth here, but I do
think that it is worth talking about the four judgments here. The four nations mentioned here in this
chapter are the ancient enemies of the Hebrew people. These were the people to whom the Hebrew
people should have had the easiest time reaching. These were the Gentiles that had the best
opportunity to embrace God and His ways.
It never happened. The Hebrew
people did not demonstrate God’s love to them.
They did not come seeking God’s love even where it could be found. This chapter demonstrates the near colossal
failure of people of the Old Testament.
God brought His people out of Egypt with such high promise. It failed – because of the human influence,
mind you – only a few hundred years later.
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