Ezekiel 35:1-15

Ezekiel proclaims judgment on Mt. Seir.   Just as Mr. Zion is a representation of the nation of Israel, Mt. Seir represents Edom or the descendants of Esau.  This is the second time that this proclamation is being made.  Chapter 25 was also dedicated to a condemnation of Edom.  God will not be mocked without consequence, and the Edomites were mocking God because of the fall of Israel.  They were about to experience the consequence of their lack of reverence and respect.

EDOM IS CONDEMNED FOR THEIR ARROGANCE: Since the time of Jacob and Esau there has been a competition and jealousy between the descendants of the twin brothers.  The Edomites had become a powerful nation but had also become a people full of arrogance. They viewed themselves as being self-sufficient and would not submit themselves to the Lord.  They were an irreverent people who placed little or no value on the blessings of the Lord.  When they heard of the judgment of Israel at the hands of the Babylonians; they responded with joy and mocking.  They should have responded with fear and repentance.  When we see others suffer under the discipline of the Lord, we should be sobered by it instead of gloating.  Arrogance will always end in the judgment of God.


EDOM IS CONDEMNED FOR THEIR VIOLENCE: The Edomites were also a very violent people.  They had participated in unjust wars and were constant enemies of Israel.  They took the slaughter of men lightly and had no respect for the image of God represented in the lives of the men they slaughtered.  When the nation of Israel was judged and many taken into captivity the nation of Edom became a constant threat to the remnant of Israel that was left in the land.  They thought they would be able to claim the land for themselves by force.  God had other plans.  Our actions have consequences and when we refuse to live within the fear of the Lord, we will experience those consequences.

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