Ezekiel 25:1-7 – Don’t rejoice at other's misery.

The Prophet Ezekiel was among the people of Judah who were brought into exile during Babylon’s second invasion of Judah. He was from the priestly stork. At an age where he should be installed as a priest serving in the temple, he was redirected into the prophetic ministry. All because he was in exile and the temple was in Jerusalem. He was ushered into the prophetic vision to minister to the people in exile. For many years he relentlessly prophesied to the people of God in exile. His message was on God’s much-needed judgment to cleanse and purify His covenant people for the centuries of their misconduct and unfaithfulness to Him.

In Ezekiel 24, he gave the message concerning Babylon’s final siege of Jerusalem on the day it happened. The siege lasted three years before the temple and Jerusalem finally fell to the oppressor. During those three years, the people of Judah went through unimaginable suffering. They became the scorn of the nations. Was God going to stand idly by and allow His people to be derided by their enemies all around? Of course not! Because the final siege lasted three years, while Ezekiel was to remain mute concerning Jerusalem, he did not refrain from talking about God’s judgment on the enemy nations.

Chapters 25-32 are his prophecies of the judgment of God concerning the nations that mocked God’s people. The known nations that derided the covenant people were Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, Egypt, Damascus, Babylon, Ethiopia, and Assyria. But Ezekiel only prophesied and dealt with seven of them in these chapters. The rest were dealt with by other prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and the minor prophets. However, of all the minor prophets only the Prophet Hosea said nothing about the enemy nations.

Ezekiel didn't deal with Babylon. Perhaps, it was because he wanted to protect the people of God in exile. In Ezekiel 25:1-7, he started by prophesying God’s judgment on Ammon. Earlier in Ezekiel 21:18-32, reference was made concerning Ammon’s judgment who chose to gloat over Judah’s misfortune. Picking up from there, Ezekiel 25:1-7 continues to prophesy the judgment of Ammon.  

In these verses, we see what the Ammonites did when Jerusalem’s temple was desecrated, when Judah was disseminated, and the people captured. Because they delighted in the misfortune of God’s covenant people they would be dominated by the “sons of the East.” These desert tribes would come and set their camps and make Ammon their dwelling place and would take liberty to partake of the fruits and milk of the land. Rabbah, the capital of Ammon would become pasture ground for those tribesmen’s camels and flocks.  In other words, Ammon would be overrun by the desert tribesmen making her into their animals’ pastureland. All these would only prove that the Lord is the only true God.  

Our propensity is to rejoice and take delight in the misfortune of the people we dislike. Let us not repay evil for evil but be like God to overcome evil with good.      

 

Here are thoughts worth our mussing:

If we repay evil for evil, we only do what an animal would do.

If we repay good for good, we only do what a human would do.

If we repay evil for good, we only do what the devil would do.

But if we repay good for evil, we will do what God would do.