An Ancient Hatred Answered

Ezekiel 35:1-15 

1 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it, 3 and say to it, 'Thus says the Lord GOD:

"Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you;
I will stretch out My hand against you,
And make you most desolate;
4 I shall lay your cities waste,
And you shall be desolate.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD.

5 "Because you have had an ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, when their iniquity came to an end, 6 therefore, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; since you have not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue you. 7 Thus I will make Mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it the one who leaves and the one who returns. 8 And I will fill its mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those who are slain by the sword shall fall. 9 I will make you perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; then you shall know that I am the LORD.

10 "Because you have said, 'These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess them,' although the LORD was there, 11 therefore, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "I will do according to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you. 12 Then you shall know that I am the LORD. I have heard all your blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, 'They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.' 13 Thus with your mouth you have boasted against Me and multiplied your words against Me; I have heard them."

14 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "The whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate. 15 As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, so I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom—all of it! Then they shall know that I am the LORD."'

The judgment of the LORD on Mount Seir was for their age-old hatred of God’s people since they entered the promised land given to Abraham and his descendants.  This ancient hatred was to be answered according to God’s word from Ezekiel to hold them accountable as Israel suffered a lesser judgment for their idolatry and immortality.  Mount Seir where Edom lived (Genesis 36:8) was given by the LORD and were to be left alone by Israel on their way into their God-given country (Deuteronomy 2:5, 7).  Genesis 25:30-34 tells us how Edom sold his birthright as firstborn because he did not count God’s inheritance to be valuable until he lost it (Hebrews 12:16-17).  Then he fought against Israel and coveted the land he forfeited as he reveled in the judgment against Jerusalem and her people, which was really anger, envy, and hatred against God Himself.  This brought a severe and certain consequence of judgment which led to Edom’s destruction and desolation.  They attacked the chosen line of God’s people (Ezekiel 25:12) in the lineage of the Messiah as if to stop the delivering salvation of all the chosen because of bitter regret for a poor and selfish choice to give it all up as worthless, but now seen as infinitely valuable.  Psalm 137:7-8 recounts how God used Babylon as His weapon to punish Edom for wanting to destroy Jerusalem where God met with man for sacrificial atonement and worship and to list after the city and land for themselves in their blasphemous desires to take over what right was freely abrogated before.  Yes, the anger and envy drove Edom from Mount Seir to attack the chosen ones even after they had been given much by the LORD and even protected from attack by their kinsmen of Israel.  They wanted more in their aim to take Judah and Israel, and they wanted it by forceful vengeance driven by jealousy.  God heard their boasts and leveled judgement on Edom with resulting rejoicing of all who looked on at their humbling defeat and desolation.  This is encouraging for we who are the called and chosen of all nations in Christ because we see and know that no enemy can defeat our Lord and His people.  There is victory in Christ as 1 Corinthians 15:57 and Romans 8:37 strongly remind us each day until His return to set up the kingdom forever apart from even the presence of such sin.  Our faith in Him and His work is our (1 John 5:4) assurance to overcome the world set against us.  Then all who look on will know and confess that He is the Lord ((Philippians 2:11).  Then all who willfully and even violently oppose God and His people will regret selling their eternal inheritance for their own fleeting temporal gain.  How far better to turn from sin to trust in Him and claim the birthright of the called!  An ancient hatred should instead be answered by a new love to join God’s people.