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Ezekiel 25 (ESV)

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God, Because you said, ‘Aha!’ over my sanctuary when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and over the house of Judah when they went into exile, 4 therefore behold, I am handing you over to the people of the East for a possession, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings in your midst. They shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. 5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon a fold for flocks. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 6 For thus says the Lord God: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the malice within your soul against the land of Israel, 7 therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand against you, and will hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

REFLECTION:

Chapters 25 to 32 of Ezekiel are what God said to the seven nations around Judah, proclaiming God’s judgment on them. At this time, Babylon had begun to besiege Jerusalem, Ezekiel’s wife had died, and the exiled people knew that disaster was about to happen. While they were anxiously waiting for the end, God no longer mentioned Jerusalem, but turned to the seven allies around Judah to pronounce the punishment. God’s judgment has long been destined, not only can Judah not escape the catastrophe, but also the seven nations that fight with Judah against Babylon can’t stay out of the matter. God not only allowed the people of Judah to see the true face of those allies just standing by and watch, but also saw their tragic end of drawing fire on themselves. When the people sighed about the glory of God leaving the temple, God showed them that the glory of the world was completely illusory. The Ammonites are the offspring of the incest between Lot and his daughter. From the time of the Judges, the Ammonites often fought against the Israelites. When Babylon invaded Judah for the second time, the Ammonites followed Babylon and attacked Judah. After Babylon left, the Ammonites encouraged Judah to rebel against Babylon. After Babylon again invaded and destroyed the temple, the Ammonites “rejoiced with all the malice within their soul against the land of Israel.” “Aha” is the voice of gloating, ridicule and sarcasm. On the surface, it mocks Judah. In fact, it mocks Judah’s God for failing to protect His sanctuary and people. Therefore, God cut them off, letting historical facts prove that their idols are all vain, only the “I am who I am” God is the only true God.

PRAYER:

Pray for God to keep your eyes from being blinded by the power and glory of the world. Although the unrighteous can be prominent for a while, even ridiculed and mocking those who believe in God, they will eventually be cut off by God; resolve to God to be a godly person, lay up treasures in heaven and live a holy life, because only such a person can be pleased with God.

HYMN:

Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God – youtu.be/8nbMfLQd2P4