Now that Jerusalem had been taken, and the Temple profaned, The Lord gave Ezekiel prophecies against other nations. Each nation had celebrated or spoken out against Israel the Lord was giving them judgments so they would know He is the Lord.
Verses 3-7 is God’s prophecy against Ammon.
“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.”
He has similar judgments against Moab, Seir, Edom, and Philistia. Each nation rejoiced over Jerusalem’s fall. Each had something negative to say about Israel and Jerusalem. Verse 8 says,
“Thus says the Lord God: Because Moab and Seir said, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the other nations,”
Verse 12 says,
“Thus says the Lord God: Because Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended in taking vengeance on them,”
Verse 15 reads,
“Thus says the Lord God: Because the Philistines acted revengefully and took vengeance with malice of soul to destroy in never-ending enmity”
And the Lord dealt with each of them accordingly so that they would know Him or something about Him. Verse 11 reads,
“and I will execute judgments upon Moab. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Verse 14 ends with, “…and they shall know my vengeance, declares the Lord God.”
And Verse 17 says,
“I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.”
Jerusalem may have deserved her dire sentence. But that was between her and the Lord. Israel was still God’s people and He was still their God. He doesn’t take kindly to hatred of His people. That means a couple of things for you and me.
First, have you ever delighted over seeing someone deal with the consequences of their actions? Have you ever reveled in someone else’s misfortune? Did you smirk when the rude waitress lost her job? Did you cheer when you saw the Porsche driver pulled over by the policeman?
Trouble, adversity, and hardship in other people’s lives are not opportunities for you to gloat. They are openings for you to love, show kindness and compassion, and share your testimony in a tangible way. God allows trouble for a reason and it is normally so that people will know He is the Lord, that He will be glorified. You and I as believers, can be a part of glorifying Him. We don’t have to prove the haters right by delighting in their hard times.
It also means that if you belong to God, if you are His child, you do not have to concern yourself with fighting all those who call you hater or hypocrite, or who harm you, rob you, or otherwise cause you detriment. You are God’s. He is with you, before you, behind you and beside you. He’ll handle the people who hate you. He will show them He is Lord. You don’t have to. Do you trust God to be God?
Deuteronomy 32:31-36 reads,
“For their rock is not as our Rock;
our enemies are by themselves.
32 For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom
and from the fields of Gomorrah;
their grapes are grapes of poison;
their clusters are bitter;
33 their wine is the poison of serpents
and the cruel venom of asps.
34 “‘Is not this laid up in store with me,
sealed up in my treasuries?
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense,
for the time when their foot shall slip;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
and their doom comes swiftly.’
36 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone
and there is none remaining, bond or free.”
Even God’s vengeance is compassionate. We have to keep in mind that their rock is not our Rock. They don’t know God. But the Lord will vindicate you. Keep in mind also, that He had mercy on us. We didn’t get the punishment we so sorely deserve. What right do we have to hope someone else is punished because we think they deserve it? Judgment and punishment is not our job, it is up to the Lord. Evil is not triumphed by evil, it is overcome by good. God tells us to prevail over evil with tangible love and kindness. (Romans 12:14-21).
Colossians 3:12-14 reminds us we are to be kind and we are to forgive because we are forgiven.
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Let God be God, you be His. Let Him handle the haters and you love Him by loving them. Remember they are not the enemy, they are lost. Their rock is not our Rock.