Ezekiel 25
The section on which we now enter — the great
“parenthesis,” as I have
called it, of Ezekiel’s prophetic work — contains messages
to the seven
nations that were most closely connected with the fortunes
of
- Ammon (ch. 25:1-7);
- (Zidon (ch.28:20-24);
A prophet’s work was hardly complete without such a survey
of the Divine
order of the world so far as it came within the horizon of
his thoughts; and
Ezekiel had before him the example of like groups of
prophecies addressed
to the heathen nations with which
13-23. and Jeremiah 46-51. It was natural that the two
contemporary
prophets should be led to address their messages to the
same nations, and
so we find Ezekiel’s seven named together with others in
Jeremiah 25:15-26,
and five of them (
while we have fuller and special prophecies for
(Jeremiah 47.);
49:7-22), with the addition of
49:28-33);
in Ezekiel is that he has no message for
Jeremiah was the leading representative of the world-powers
considered in
their antagonism to the Divine kingdom. This may, in part,
be explained by
supposing that he omitted it in order to keep to his number
of seven
nations as the symbol of completeness; but a more probable
hypothesis is
that he was led, as Jeremiah had at one time been (Jeremiah
29:1-7), to
see in the Chaldean monarchy the appointed minister of the
Divine
judgments on
purpose it was fitter that the exiles for whom he wrote
should “seek the
peace” of the
people among whom they dwelt rather than that they should
exult in its future downfall. He, like Jeremiah, may have
been personally
favored by Nebuchadnezzar and his officials; and Daniel,
whom he
mentions with honor (ch. 14:14), and whom he may have known
personally, was the king’s chief minister. There was, we
may well believe, a
sufficient reason for this exceptional reticence.
The Judgment of the Nations (vs. 1-17)
This verse introduces a new series of prophecies, which
contain successive
utterances of judgment against foreign nations, extending
over the
following chapters to the end of the thirty-second. The
whole series is
deserving of consideration, both for the sake of its common
character and
in order to note the distinctions of the several parts.
- GOD RULES OVER THE WHOLE EARTH.
The prophet has not
ended his mission when he has
delivered his message to the Jews. He has a
new oracle to utter. The word of
God comes to him again with fresh, full,
distinct declarations, and the whole of these declarations concern foreign
nations. Seven nations are specified. The number is suggestive; the
typical
number of completeness, it
implies that the nations named are not the only
ones over whom God exercises
jurisdiction, but that those nations, being
the nearest to
prophets repeatedly extended
their gaze far beyond the hills of
The Moabites might regard
Jehovah as the tribal God of Israel, in the same
sense in which Chemosh was their
God (see the Moabite Stone), and
Jephthah might use language
which appeared to recognize this position
(Judges 11:24), but the inspired prophets made no such mistake. They
knew that the one
God was Lord over the whole earth. God
is now
concerned with the heathen. He
is also concerned with the godless at
home. Men may ignore, renounce,
or oppose Him, but they cannot elude
His notice or escape from His authority.
- GOD EXERCISES HIS JUDGMENTS AGAINST WICKEDNESS
OVER THE WHOLE EARTH.
Those seven nations were called to
account by God, charged with
wickedness, and threatened with
destruction. They were heathen
nations, but that fact did not exonerate
them from blame or protect them
against just punishment. Christ
announced a judgment of all the
nations to follow that of
(Matthew 25:32). Paul spoke to the Athenians of God’s judgment
of all men (Acts 17:30-31), and
pointed out to the Romans that the
heathen would be subject to it
(Romans 1:18). These and other
expressions show us that those
people who had not light and law would
not be judged by the high standard
of the more instructed, but that their
own consciences would be the
measure of their guilt (Ibid. ch. 2:14-16).
The heathen know
sin. Unbelievers cannot deny their own
misconduct in
daily life, though they may deny
the doctrines of Scripture. As sinners, just
like other men, if not as
unbelievers, will they be judged. We cannot escape
the consequences of our sins by
repudiating religion.
- GOD VISITS NATIONAL SINS WITH NATIONAL JUDGMENTS.
Ř
Each nation is judged as a whole. There is and there
will be separate,
individual judgments. Of this
Christ spoke (Matthew 25:32). But while
the New Testament is
individualistic, the Old Testament is national. It
more frequently takes a nation
as a corporate unit. There are national
sins,
o
sins which are committed
by many in the nation, and so become
characteristic of it, as
drunkenness among Teutonic nations; and
o
sins committed by the
people as a whole through its government.
For such sins the nation is
punished.
nation for
Ř
Each nation is judged separately. A distinct judgment is
pronounced
against each of the seven nations. God is discriminating in His judgment of
communities as well as in His
judgment of individuals. All have not sinned
in the same way, therefore all
will not be punished on the same scale.
THE JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH WILL DO RIGHT! (Genesis 18:25)
In conclusion, note that God, who rules over all the nations, and will judge
them all, HAS SENT HIS ONLY
SON TO BE SAVIOUR OF ALL!
(John 3:16) The gospel is as broad as the judgment (Romans 5:20).
1 “The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and
prophesy against them;
3 And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD;
Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my
sanctuary, when
it was profaned; and against the
when it was
desolate; and against the house of
went into
captivity;” Set thy face against the Ammonites. The main facts that
are essential to
a right understanding of the message to this people, not to
speak of their long-standing enmity against
- that they formed part of
Nebuchadnezzar’s army, as allies or tributaries,
against Jehoiakim (II Kings
24:2);
- that afterwards they, with
other neighboring nations, intrigued with
Zedekiah against the Chaldean
king (<242703>Jeremiah 27:3), so that it
was an open question whether his
first act of vengeance should fall on
Rabbath- Ammon or
not long before, Ezekiel had
uttered his prediction of the coming judgment.
Here we read that when they saw
that
like
cruelty and outrage are found in
Ibid. ch.83:7; Amos 1:13 — 15;
Zephaniah 2:8-11. We learn from
Jeremiah 40:14 that the name of
the Ammonite king at this time
was Baalis.
4 “Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the
east for a
possession, and
they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their
dwellings in
thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy
milk. 5 And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the
Ammonites
a couching place
for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”
The men of the
east; Hebrew, children
of the east. The name is applied in
Genesis 29:1; I Kings 4:30; Job 1:3; Judges 6:3,33; 7:12;
8:10, to the nomadic
tribes, Midianites and others, which roamed to and fro in
the wilderness east
of Ammon and
sheep and camels, and were looked upon as descendants of
Ishmael. Palaces;
better, with the Revised Version, encampments, or
tent-villages. The word is
found, in this sense, in Genesis 25:16; Psalm 69:25;
Numbers 31:10. This was,
probably, the immediate result of Nebuchadnezzar’s march.
Rabbah was left
undefended, and became a stable for the camels of
the Midianites and other
tribes (Judges 6:5). The prediction has been slowly fulfilled. Under the
Egyptian rule the city revived, was named after Ptolemy Philadelphus, and was
flourishing under the
still found on its site, but its present desolate condition agrees with the picture
drawn here by Ezekiel
and in Jeremiah 49:2. The language of Ibid. v.6 implies
captivity and a partial return from it.
6 “For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped
thine
hands, and
stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy
despite against
the
mine hand upon
thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen;
and I will cut
thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish
out of the countries:
I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I
am the
LORD.” A spoil to the heathen. The noun for “spoil”
is not found
elsewhere, but probably means “food.” The Hebrew Keri, i.e.
its marginal
reading, gives the same word as that rendered “spoil” in
ch. 25:7.
The meaning is substantially the same whichever word we
choose. Ezekiel,
it will be noticed, says nothing about the return of the
Ammonites, but
contemplates, as in ch.21:32, entire destruction. The
moaning of Rabbah
(“great” or “populous”), the mother-city of Ammon, gives
greater
force to the prophecy of desolation.
Malignity
(vs. 1-7)
The prophet, having been enjoined to silence for a season
with regard to
encompassed. His mission to them must have been one very
painful to
discharge; for he was called upon to rebuke their sins and
to denounce
against them the anger of an omniscient and righteous
Ruler. Between
Ammon and
judgment was now at hand.
·
THE NATURE OF MALIGNITY. The children of Ammon are charged
with malevolence and malignity.
They wished harm to their neighbors, the
children of
neighbors’ calamities. When
land was laid waste and
desolate, when
they said, “Aha!” they clapped their
hands, they stamped with their feet,
and rejoiced with all the
despite of their soul. All these actions
were
manifestations of a vile
disposition and habit of mind leading to satisfaction
in the ills and adversity
befalling others. The reality of such a vice as
malignity cannot be questioned.
·
THE BASENESS OF MALIGNITY. There are sins into which men
fall through the pressure of
temptation arising from their natural
constitution, and through the
circumstances of life providentially permitted.
We recognize in such sins signs
of the frailty of human nature, and we
make allowances for the strength
of the temptation to which the sinner has
yielded. But the sin of which
the Ammonites were guilty was of a different
kind. What were called by Lord
Shaftesbury, the author of the
‘Characteristics,’ the “unsocial
passions,” are of all the most blamable and
inexcusable. They are those habitual emotions known as malice,
envy,
jealousy, malignity.
It is wrong to seek our own pleasures overmuch; but it
is worse to seek and to delight
in the suffering and the ruin of our fellow
creatures. Inasmuch as we are
members of one race, of one body, and
partakers of one nature, we are peculiarly bound to sympathy,
benevolence, and
mutual helpfulness. The Christian law
is one of great
beauty both in substance and in
expression, “Rejoice with them that do
rejoice, weep with
them that weep.” (Romans 12:15)The malignity displayed
by the children of Ammon was not
only neglect and violation of the natural law
of sympathy, it was in exact
opposition to that law. This is a sin not even now
extinct; traces of its presence
may be found even in Christian communities,
though decency may compel those
who are guilty of it to conceal it with a
thin disguise. But it is a sin
which every conscience must condemn, and in
defense or even extenuation of
which no word can be uttered.
·
THE EXPLANATION OF MALIGNITY. This habit of mind may
have originated in a state of
society in which every man’s hand was against
his neighbor, in which,
consequently, suspicion and distrust were prevalent.
In such a state of social life
(if it may so be called) the strength of a
neighbor was a source of danger
and fear to a people conscious of their
own weakness; and any calamity
which diminished a formidable neighbor’s
power to harm would awaken
satisfaction and rejoicing, as presaging peace
and the opportunity of progress
and prosperity. The emotion may survive
the circumstances in which it
arose. But this can be no excuse for the
cherishing of malevolence and
malignity in ordinary states of society, in
which it is an unjustifiable
expression of the worst tendencies of human
nature.
·
THE CONDEMNATION AND PUNISHMENT OF MALIGNITY.
The sentence issued against
Ammon is one of awful severity; the sin must
have been inexcusable and even
horrible to call for such a punishment as is
here published. They were to be
conquered and spoiled; strangers were to
possess their land and enjoy its
produce; and as a people they were to be
blotted out from amongst the
nations, and to be no more. The displeasure
of the Eternal could not be more
powerfully exhibited. And there is every
reason for believing that the
same sin is ever regarded with the same
disapproval and meets with a
similar retribution. Malignity reached its
deepest depths when the holy Jesus was hated by scribes,
Pharisees, and
religious leaders, who found in His goodness the reproach of their sin.
rejecting Christ the ancient
people of God brought upon themselves the
condemnation which has from that
day to this remained upon the scattered
and homeless sons of Abraham.
How awful and how instructive are the
lessons
concerning God’s hatred of sin embodied in the history of mankind!
The Scoffing Nation (vs. 2-7)
The first nation selected for denunciation is the Ammonite,
situated on the
east of the
towards the
its cruel mockery of their calamities, are to be followed by
a dreadful
destruction. Scoffing and
mockery are dangerous practices for those who
indulge in them.
(map
from Wikipedia)
- THE CRUEL SCOFFING.
Ř
An insult to religion. “Thou saidst, Aha! against my sanctuary when it
was profaned” (Ver.
3). No doubt the sanctuary was regarded as a mystical
center of the power of the Jews.
When the sacred edifice was overthrown,
the talisman was destroyed, the
spell was broken. This was a matter of
delight to an enemy. Thus
scoffing is itself a testimony to the power of
religion, though that power may
be apprehended in a very ignorant and
superstitious way. But to rejoice in the downfall of religious influence is
TO PROCLAIM
ONE’S SELF AN ENEMY OF GOD!. It is fair,
however, to see that scoffing at
religion may be provoked by the misconduct
of its champions. Much of the scoffing of unbelievers at Christianity is not
inspired by hatred to the gospel,
but by disgust at the unworthy conduct of
Christians. The sins of the
Jews led to dishonor to their temple. The sins of
Christians invite insults
against Christ.
Ř
The love of destruction. The Ammonites scoffed “against the land of
destroyed and scattered, but the
waste and ruined condition of the
deserted land was a delight to
the jealous neighbors on the eastern border.
There is a fierce joy in the
idea delenda est Carthago (
Destroyed). But this is heathenish and wicked. Sin that works for
death
creates a delight in destruction
(this is malicious – CY – 2014). The
Christian idea is the opposite
to this — not breaking a bruised reed, but
helping on the time when “the wilderness and the solitary place shall
be
glad; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1).
Ř
A pleasure in cruelty. The Ammonites scoffed at the contemporary
calamity of the southern kingdom
— “the
house of
into captivity.” The earlier destruction of
joy. “Thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet,
and
rejoiced in
heart with all thy despite against the
There is no more Satanic
wickedness than joy springing from
the
contemplation of the
misery of others.
- THE NATIONAL DOOM. This is to be very similar to that of
and
shall come on their own heads,
but still with certain variations determined
by their situation and
character.
Ř
Subjection to others. Ammon had rejoiced over the downfall of her
western neighbors. She in turn
shall be overrun by people from the cast.
The destruction was to come from
the Arabs, would follow it, and
like vultures pounce on the prey left by the
advancing Chaldean army. Cruelty makes many enemies and no friends.
The scoffer must expect to be
scoffed at.
Ř
Reduced civilization. Rabbah, the proud capital, will become a pasture
for camels, and the once
populous
punishment lowers a people in
the scale of social life. (Read about
what happened to
Ř
National destruction. The Ammonites are to “perish out of the
countries.” This old-world
nation did cease to exist. Though individuals
may remain, the corporate life
of the nation is destroyed. As the wages of
individual sin is individual
death, so a nation’s sin is punished by national
destruction. The wicked
national conduct whether the
same fate will come on the
8 “Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Because that
Behold, the house
of
appears as distinguished from it, the latter nation having
a distinct message
in v. 12. A possible explanation is found in II Chronicles
20:23,
where we find
Mount Seir. The Moabites may have retained possession of
it, and so
Ezekiel may have coupled the two names together. Their sin
also, like that
of Ammon, is that they exulted in the fall of
to the level of other cities, no longer exalted above them
by the blessing of
Jehovah. The Moabite Stone, found in the ruins of Dibon
(‘Records of the
Past,’ 9:165), on which Mesha, King of Moab, narrates his
conquests over
neighboring nations, including
kingdom, and in Isaiah 15. and 16. it is represented as
conspicuous for its
pride. They too, like the Ammonites, served in
Nebuchadnezzar’s army
(II Kings 24:2).
9 “Therefore, behold, I will open the side of
from his cities
which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country,
Bethjeshimoth,
Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim, I
will open the side of Moab;
literally, the shoulder, i.e. the slopes of the
For Bethjeshimoth (equivalent to “House of wastes”), see
Numbers 33:49;
Joshua 12:3; 13:20. It had been assigned to Reuben, but had
been
seized by the Moabites. It has been identified by De Sauley
with the ruins
now known as Suaime, on the northeastern border of
the
(Numbers 32:38), more fully Beth-baal-meon (Joshua 13:17),
or Beth-moon
(Jeremiah 48:23). The name is found in ruins of some
extent, known as the
fortress of Mi’un or Maein, about
three miles south of Heshbon (‘Dict. Bible,’ s.v.).
Kiriathaim. The dual form of the name (equivalent to “Two cities”)
implies, perhaps,
the union of an old and new town, or two towns on the
opposite sides of a brook
or wady. The name appears in Genesis 14:5; Numbers 32:37;
Joshua 13:19;
Jeremiah 48:1,23. It has been identified with El-Teym, about
two miles
from Medeba (Burckhardt), and with Kurei-yat, on the
south side of Jebel
Attarus. Eusebius
(‘Onom.,’ s.v.) describes it as about ten miles from
Medeba, and close to the Baris, but nothing is known as to
the last-named
place. The three cities all belonged to the region which
Sihon and Og had
conquered from the Moabites before
and they were afterwards claimed as belonging to the
Israelites by right of
conquest (Judges 11:23), and them may therefore be a touch
of irony in
Ezekiel’s language describing them as Moabite cities.
Collectively they
were the glory of
the country, the region known
as the Belka, in which
they were situated, giving the best pasturage, then as now,
in Southern
(see Tristram’s ‘
Baalmeon appear in Mesha’s inscription on the Moabite
Stone.
10 Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give
them
in possession,
that the Ammonites may not be remembered among
the nations. 11 And I will execute judgments upon
shall know that I
am the LORD.” Unto the men of the east with
the Ammonites.
The Authorized
Version is obscure. What is meant is that the Moabites as well
as the Ammonites were to be given to the nomadic tribes,
the “children of
the east,” for a possession. The doom that Ammon was to be no more
remembered (ch. 21:32) was to be carried out to the
uttermost,
and the children of the east were to complete what
Nebuchadnezzar had
begun. The utter destruction of Ammon was, as it were,
uppermost in the
prophet’s thoughts, and that of
words received a partial fulfillment in Nebuchadnezzar’s
conquests five
years after the destruction of
yon Niebuhr’s ‘Geseh. Assurs,’ p. 215), but the Ammonites
were still an
important people in the time of the Maccabees (I Maccabees
5:6, 30-45)
and Justin Martyr (‘Dial. cum Trypho, p. 272).
The Skeptical Nation (vs. 8-11)
The sister nation of
second in the order of the peoples whose doom is pronounced
by the
prophet of Jehovah. It has its characteristic sin, and it
will have its
characteristic punishment.
- THE RECKLESS
SCEPTICISM. “Moab
and Seir do say, Behold, the
house of
unbelief in regard to the
peculiar privileges of
themselves out as the chosen
people of God, and their claim was disputed
by
Ř
The skepticism was prompted by jealousy.
pretensions of the Jews. What
right had one little nation to arrogate to
itself the favor of Heaven? The
same jealousy leads those who are outside
the Christian profession to
depreciate the privileges of the Church. But in
the latter case there is far
less excuse, because the doors of the
Church are
open for all to
enter it. There is no exclusiveness in
Christianity. Judaism
was narrow, and while men of
most heathen nations could only enter the
covenant by becoming Jews, i.e.
by renouncing their own nation, an
express provision was made to
rigorously exclude Moabites and
Ammonites (Deuteronomy 23:3).
Ř
The skepticism was encouraged by
the sins of the Jews. Unhappily there
was a sting of truth in the
taunt which the Moabites had flung at the
degenerate Jews. As a fact,
Her separateness was based on a
distinction of faith and morals; but alas!
this distinction was fast
melting away, and both in the practice of idolatry
and in a departure from the high
ethical standard of the Law, the Jews were
assimilating themselves to their
pagan neighbors. In the same way, the sins
of Christians sow seeds of
skepticism in the world. The Church is too
much like the world, and the
consequence is that the world doubts the high
pretensions of the Church.
Ř
This skepticism was grounded in error. The view of the
Moabites was
superficial. They saw the
glaring faults of the Jews, they observed the
external likeness of
the surface to certain great
spiritual truths. They did not see “the remnant”
of the faithful, in which the prophets
detected the germ of the future and
recognized already the true
Israel of God. They failed to note that a people
may fall grievously from its
mission, and yet may not utterly lose its
vocation. It is the same with the
world’s judgment of the Church. In the
darkest ages
there has ever been a remnant of true Christians with whom
could be found
the sacred deposit of truth and grace.
Even when the
Church had sinned greatly, “the root
of the matter” may still be in her, so
that after heavy chastisement she
may learn to repent and be restored.
Moreover, the real Christian
privileges which distinguish the true and
faithful people of God from
the world, the privileges of membership in the
kingdom of heaven, fellowship
with God, etc., are not perceived by the
worldly, for they are “spiritually discerned” (I Corinthians 2:14), and
“eye hath not seen… the things which
God hath prepared,” etc.
(Ibid. v. 9)
- THE JUST PUNISHMENT. This is assimilated to the guilt. There
is to
be nothing distinctive in the
punishment of
of Ammon. Denying the
distinction of the Jews, the Moabites are not to be
distinguished in their doom.
Refusing to admit the unique national destiny
of
nations. Now look at the just
irony of history. In course of time, the
skeptical nation
melts out of memory, while the people of
God grow into a
greater distinction and fulfill a higher destiny than they ever anticipated.
The Blasphemy and the Punishment of
Although Ezekiel, speaking as the prophet of the Lord, has
words of
upbraiding and of threatening for the several nations from
whose hostility
indiscriminate application. On the contrary, they have special reference
to
the circumstances
of the several peoples and to their peculiar relations
with
which is not, indeed, supported by detailed facts, but
which he was
nevertheless assured was a just charge and a heinous
offence.
·
THE PECULIAR OFFENSE.
house of
know, that the descendants of
Jacob were a separated, chosen, and peculiar
people. And to assert the
contrary, as
upon the revelation of God, upon
the vocation with which His people were
called, upon the purpose which
Divine wisdom had in view in conferring
upon them special privileges.
·
THE MORAL ENORMITY OF THE OFFENSE. It is only when the
character of this sin of
involves, that the guilt of
Ř
It involves the
classing of the holy and ever-blessed Jehovah with the
idols which were the expression
of human injustice, cruelty, caprice, and
lust.
Ř
It involves the
confusion of the righteous laws of Moses with the
regulations and observances
which obtained in heathen communities, some
just and some unjust, and many
of them superstitious and impure.
Ř
It involves the
confusion of the Divine ordinances of sacrifice, of
priesthood, of religious
service, of sacred festivals, with the debasing rites
practiced among the
unenlightened idolaters.
Ř
It involves the
classing together of the people consecrated to Jehovah
with those who had abandoned
themselves to systems of selfishness,
worldliness, or superstition.
All this was just calling darkness light, and
light darkness. It, indeed,
reminds us of what our Lord has said regarding
blasphemy against the Holy
Ghost. We cannot, therefore, look upon this
offence of the Moabites as
something which has no application to
ourselves. The offence of
calling evil good and good evil is an offence
which, in various forms, is
committed in our own day, and against which,
therefore, men need still to be
warned. There are blemishes in the Church
of Christ as it actually exists
upon earth; but still it is the
and it must not, therefore, be
confounded with institutions of human origin,
and to speak of it as we might
speak of other organizations and institutions
is to sin somewhat after the
manner of the sin of
Captivity.
·
THE PUNISHMENT OF THE OFFENSE. In the case of
was terrible indeed. The
territory was to be laid open to the incursions of
the Eastern foe, the cities were
to be taken by a foreign force, judgments
were to be executed upon the
people, and, like the Ammonites, they were
to be overtaken by speedy and
irremediable ruin. The very thought of such
infliction is enough to make
the sinner tremble, to induce him to repent of
his evil words and actions,
and to seek, in God’s own way, reconciliation
with the authority which he
has despised, Silence, contrition, and true
submission of heart are the true way of peace.
A Forgotten
People (v. 10)
“That the Ammonites may not be remembered among the
nations.” We
have the name of this little nation preserved, but even
that only reaches us
through its connection with
us on ancient inscriptions, no history of value, nothing to identify the race,
remains. It is,
indeed, a forgotten people. Let us
consider how a nation may
bring upon itself this fate of oblivion.
·
IT MAY CEASE TO EXIST.
Though the Jewish nation was broken up
twenty centuries ago, the Jewish
people remain among us to this day as a
numerous, marvelously energetic,
and quite distinct section of mankind.
But where are the
Ammonites? We do not hear of Ammonite
bankers,
Ammonite newspaper editors, or
the admission of the Ammonites to
Parliament. Neither in
are those long-lost people
ever mentioned except as a race of antiquity.
Now, how comes it that a people thus ceases to exist? A nation can only
withstand the shock of invasion,
conquest, and deportation to foreign parts
without the loss of separate
existence if its members are inspired and bound
together by the possession of
one common great idea. It is the Hebrew idea
that retains the Jewish name and
race as a separate entity independent of
geographical boundaries and
political revolutions. If the English are not to
become an extinct people, they
must depend on more than a strong navy
and a well-equipped army; for no
one can predict the chances of war. If we
continue
distinguished in our mission as a civilizing, Christianizing people,
we can never
cease to have our part in the great world’s history. The
Church will ultimately cease to
exist if she eliminates all that is distinctive
in Christian truth, and thinks
to prosper simply on account of the strength
of her organization and the
wealth of her vested interests. But if she retains
her sacred tradition of truth, she can outlive all
revolutionary attacks on
her worldly status.
·
IT MAY FAIL TO EXERT INFLUENCE. Each nation has its own
peculiar privileges and
vocation. However small a people may be, if it truly
appreciates its privileges and
honestly fulfils its vocation, it cannot well be
forgotten. Achaia was a small
state, yet as long as civilization endures it
can never be forgotten. The
Greeks contributed permanent elements to the
world’s civilization; and since
Greek thought has passed into universal
culture, it is impossible for
man degenerates
to barbarism. The memory of
present appearance and immediate
influence. The Jews gave us the Bible,
and with the Bible the eternal
foundation of our faith. Therefore the Jews
can never be forgotten. But what
have the Ammonites given to the world?
Contributing nothing, they
deservedly sink into oblivion. If the Uniteed
States is to live in history and
in the world’s continuous course, she must do
her part and contribute her
elements towards the progress of the race. The
Church of the apostolic era was
too fruitful ever to be forgotten. The Church
of the twenty-first century will
live or be forgotten according as it contributes
to the spread of the kingdom of
heaven and the help of man in his higher
thought and life, or fails in this
mission and sinks back into ignominious
inactivity, frivolous formalism, and unspiritual self-complacency.
12 “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that
the house of
and revenged
himself upon them; 13 Therefore thus saith
the Lord GOD;
I will also
stretch out mine hand upon
beast from it;
and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan
shall fall by the
sword.” Because that
and at an earlier date in Amos 1:11; Obadiah 1:11. What had
been malicious
exultation (the ἐπιχαιρεκακία
–
epichairekakia - which Aristotle describes
as the extremest type of evil) passed in the case of
hostility. The moment of
opportunity for gratifying what Ezekiel elsewhere (ch.35:5)
calls
the “perpetual
hatred” of the people against
for the primal wrong which Esau had suffered at the hand of
Jacob
(Genesis 27:36). (For other prophecies against
Isaiah 11:14; Jeremiah 49:7-12; Joel 3:19.) Teman. The name, which signifies
“South,” was probably applied to a district — twice, here
and in Jeremiah 49:7-8,
coupled with Dedan. In Ibid. ch. 49:20-21 the cry of the
inhabitants of Teman
is said to have been “heard
in the
position, as being, in accordance with its name, the
southern region of
Job 2:11 we have Eliphaz the Temanite as one of the
patriarch’s
friends, and the same name appears as that of a son of Esau
(Genesis
36:11). In Jeremiah (loc. cit.) Teman is
named as famous for its wisdom.
Dedan is named as a grandson of
Abraham by Keturah in Ibid. ch. 25:3. It has been inferred
from this that
there were two branches of the nation, one on the shores of
the Persian
Gulf, nomadic and trading, as in the “traveling companies”
of Dedanim
(ch.27:15,20; Isaiah 21:13); the other settled in the territory
of the Edomites (‘Dict. Bible’). The latter is that to
which Ezekiel refers. A
various punctuation gives, with a better sense, “From
Teman even unto
Dedan they shall fall by the sword.”
14 “And I will
lay my vengeance upon
according to my
fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the
Lord GOD.” By the hand of my people
fulfillment in the conquest of
people to receive circumcision (Josephus, ‘
its subjugation is connected with the Messianic prophecy
that the
fallen tabernacle of David should be raised up. There is an
obvious
emphasis in the repetition of the word vengeance. The law of a Divine
retribution will work out its appointed purpose-vengeance
to those who
sought vengeance. They (the Edomites) shall reap as they
have sown, and
shall know that the vengeance of Jehovah is more terrible
than their own.
The Revengeful Nation (vs. 12-14)
The Edomites are characterized as an especially revengeful
people, because
they watched for their opportunity, and, when the Jews were
crushed and
prostrate beneath the cruel Chaldean invasion, rushed in to
smite their
fallen foe.
- THE WICKED REVENGE.
Ř
Vengeance is presumptuous. There is a right
recompense for sin, but this
lies with God. “Vengeance
is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord”
(Romans 12:19). He who seizes
the weapons of vengeance usurps the
authority of God.
Ř
Vengeance is cruel. Divine vengeance is a
just punishment. There is no
vindictive pleasure in it. But
human vengeance springs from an evil
appetite, that seeks a personal
satisfaction in the sufferings of its victim.
Such vengeance is distinctly
wicked. Indeed, the self-elected
minister of
vengeance is
forced into this dilemma — either his vengeance is a delight
to him, or it is
not. If it is a delight, the joy is wicked, devilish; if it is no
delight, why
does he practice it, for the plea that
he is urged by a sense of
public duty is delusive?
Directly that becomes the motive, revenge vanishes
and punishment takes its place.
Ř
Vengeance is unchristian. It is to be noted
that this vengeful spirit was
charged as a great wickedness
against the Edomites. They lived in the pre-
Christian days, and they were a
heathen nation. Much more, then, is
revenge sinful in a Christian.
We have the clearer New Testament light; we
have also the wonderful example
of Christ to deter us from revenge. For us
to behave as the Edomites is to
merit their doom twice over.
Ř
Vengeance is mean-spirited. Apart from all
the above-named
considerations, when the
question is approached on the lowest ground,
vengeance bears a despicable
aspect. The Edomites waited till the
Chaldean power had overthrown
the destruction. This was behaving like the jackals, who cannot destroy
big game, but
who are mad to devour the carrion that the lion has left.
Revenge knows no honorable laws
of war. It has the degraded spirit of
The assassin.
- THE NATURAL PUNISHMENT. There is generally a resemblance
between sin and its penalty. The
punishment is just the fruit of the sin. Thus
the vengeful conduct of the
Edomites brings vengeance on the head of the
vindictive people.
Ř
Revenge does not
end a quarrel. This is the mistake of it. It is foolish
and short-sighted, for, in
return for its own brief, wild delight, it
rouses
fresh enmity and
provokes retaliation. The too stern
treatment of the
French by the Germans left a
rankling spirit of vengeance in the breasts of
the defeated people. The vendetta
in
generations — each member on one
side provoking one in return from the
other side. Shylock speaks of
the mutual vengeance of race-hatred, “if a
Jew wrong a Christian, what is
his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong
a Jew, what should his
sufferance be by Christian example? Revenge.”
Ř
Revenge provokes
the most bitter punishment. This comes
from the
wronged victim.
indirectly through the Chaldean
invasion predicted by Jewish prophets, or
Jews may have some direct hand
in the work. Vengeance makes enemies.
This form of self-protection is
a fatal failure. The true victory
over one’s
enemies is by
FORGIVENESS, the heaping coals of fire on his head
(Proverbs 25:21-22).
The Hostility and the Curse of
Often in the course of Old Testament history do we meet
with references
to the inhabitants of
attitude of hostility towards the chosen people. It is
certainly remarkable
that Ezekiel, in his Eastern captivity, should concern
himself with these
impressed with the great principle of national
responsibility and national
retribution; and that it was revealed to him that this principle had
application, not to the Jews alone, but to all the nations of the
earth. The
Edomites, upon the eastern frontiers of the southern tribes,
were often a
source of annoyance to the inhabitants of Judah and their
neighbors. They
were regarded as the foes, not of
against them the prophet utters words of reproach and of
threatening.
·
THE MANIFESTATION OF
character; it was designated “vengeance,”
“revenge.” This implies a
standing feud, and the
bitterness which is bred of repeated acts of enmity
and injustice.
·
THE GROUND AND CAUSE OF THIS HOSTILITY. We are not
expressly informed upon this
point; but we shall not err in assigning this
enmity to the repugnance
entertained by the Edomites to the religion of
so much in conflict with the
idolatrous religion professed and practiced by
the children of
·
THE GUILT OF THIS HOSTILITY. This is apparent both from the
nature of the case itself, and
from the retribution which Divine justice
deemed necessary in its
chastisement.
·
THE PECULIAR FORM OF PUNISHMENT WITH WHICH
WAS VISITED. This is
perhaps the most striking figure in the passage.
Retribution was to be wrought
upon
appointed by the King of nations
that the Edomites should pay the penalty
of sin; and, not only so, but
that those whom they had hated and reviled
should be the scourge by which
the smiters should be smitten. The hand of
God’s people
they knew by bitter experience
the righteous vengeance of the Lord.
15 “Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by
revenge, and have
taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to
destroy it for
the old hatred;” The sin of the Philistines is virtually the same as
that of the Edomites.
They also had a perpetual hatred. Century
after century
they had been, with various fortunes, the enemies of
(to confine ourselves to more recent history) by Jehoshaphat (II
Chronicles 17:11)
and Uzziah (Ibid. ch. 26:6), formidable under Jehoram
(Ibid. ch.21:16) and Ahaz
(Ibid. ch.28:18), repressed by Hezekiah (Isaiah 14:31),
combining with Amalek,
and Ammon, and
16 “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch
out mine
hand upon the
Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy
the remnant of
the sea coast. 17 And I will execute
great vengeance upon
them with furious
rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD,
when I shall lay
my vengeance upon them.” The
Cherethims. The name
appears, coupled with the Philistines, in Zephaniah 2:5, and has been supposed
to be connected with
they afterwards settled.
By many writers both names are identified with the
Cherethites and Pelethites,
who appear as David’s body-guard in II Samuel
8:18; 15:18, et
al., and who are supposed to represent a body of mercenary or
Subject troops
formed out of the two nations. Both Ezekiel and Zephaniah
Connect the
Cherethims with a paronomasia (a slight change of words),
the verb I will
cut off being almost identical
in sound with it. (For other
prophecies, see Isaiah 11:14; 14:29-31; Jeremiah
47.; Joel 3:4; Amos 1:6-8;
Zephaniah 2:4-7; Zechariah 9:4-7.)
The Tribunal
of Nations (vs. 1-17)
The Hebrews in captivity might, with probability, suppose
that, since God
had employed other armies to chastise
sin, or else their sins had been condoned by God. Nothing
of the sort. God
is no Respecter
of nations. Righteousness everywhere is acceptable to Him.
Unrighteousness
anywhere is offensive. And touching the
degrees of
iniquity, He claims to be Supreme Judge and the wise
Punisher. Because He
employs men in His service, He does not allow this to
be a criterion of their
acceptance. Internal character, not external service, is
the only passport to
heaven. “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)
·
THE SUPREME AUTHORITY AMONG NATIONS. Never yet have
the nations of the world
combined to elect a common tribunal, before
which international disputes may
be heard. We may hope for such in the
future. Yet a Supreme Authority
there is — a King of nations!
Undoubtedly, the God of heaven
takes note of every national delinquency,
deals with every nation in a
method consonant with its present
development, and visits it with
reward or punishment according to its
desert. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the
evil and the
good.” (Proverbs 15:3) And not individual persons only, but societies and
empires, are weighed every day in the balance of Divine justice. A fierce
light, not only from human eyes, but
from the Divine eye, bends upon
every throne.
·
THE INDICTMENT. The
indictment brought against the neighbors of
Ř
Rancorous hatred. The people of Ammon and others were chiefly
incensed against
By virtue of their allegiance to
the true God they had gained their triumphs
over the degenerate
Canaanites. Hence this dislike of
a dislike of
Jehovah; and dislike of Jehovah meant dislike of righteousness.
Ř
Spiteful revenge.
The nations whom God employed to humble
gone beyond their commission.
They had fostered the lowest animal
passions, and had given way to
fiercest revenge. So far as a nation wages
war in defense of its rights, it
may be approved. Yet if, in the prosecution
of its task, it inflicts needless suffering, or rejoices in mere
destruction, that
nation, in its turn, has violated
the rights of humanity, and will be punished.
Even if God has given to a
nation the clearest command to invade and to
conquer, that command is circled
round with the requirements of
righteousness. Personal feeling
must be repressed. Public advantage alone
must be promoted. Otherwise that
nation so employed becomes a criminal.
·
THE SENTENCE.
Ř
It is equitable.
Therefore the sentence is, “I
will lay my vengeance upon
Philistines had “taken
vengeance with a despiteful heart.” Therefore, said
God, “I will execute great vengeance
upon them.” Retribution is complete.
The same word that describes the
sin describes also the penalty. Every sin
contains in its womb the embryo of chastisement.
Ř
The sentence includes desolating
war. “They
that take the sword, perish
by the sword.” The successful warrior teaches his enemies how to handle
spear and shield. His personal
strength does not abide forever, nor yet his
personal influence. His
watchful, sleepless foes wait in secret for their
opportunity of revenge. VIOLENCE NATURALLY BEGETS
VIOLENCE! In return for reckless destruction on others, their lands
were to be desolated —
productiveness to cease, cities to be razed, and
their palaces to be occupied by
the foe!
Ř
Annihilation of empire and name. The justice of God
is far more
sweeping than anything that we
can conceive. “The Ammonites shall not be
remembered among
the nations.” “I will cause thee to perish out of the
countries.” Men find a pleasure in
posthumous fame. They love the
anticipation of living again
in their children and in their children’s children.
To know in their lifetime that
this prospect is cut off is a serious loss of
enjoyment. One great source of
pleasure is destroyed. One great inspiration
to effort is extinguished.
·
A GRACIOUS
RESPITE. The simple fact that
Jehovah’s prophet
fore-announced these things was
an act of kindness. It gave the people an
occasion and an urgent reason
for repentance. This is not after the manner
of men. In human jurisprudence
there is no place for repentance. But
God’s agencies are every way superior to man’s. As it was with
Jonah’s day, so might it have
been with
God’s patience and pity are wonderful. Yet, at length, justice strikes the
avenging blow.
·
THE FINAL AIM. “They
shall know that I am the Lord.” This
conviction of God’s existence
and God’s active righteousness will surely
come at length, but in many
cases will not come in time to avert the great
catastrophe. Every such national overthrow will be a monument to God’s
power and God’s
veracity. “Being dead, these
nations yet speak.” The
mounds ransacked today for
treasures produce eloquent demonstrations of
the truthfulness of ancient
prophecy and of THE CERTAINTY OF
DIVINE RETRIBUTION! There is a knowledge that saves; there is a
knowledge that does not
save. (II Corinthians 2:16)
The Hating Nation (vs. 15-17)
The Philistines are signalized by an ugly preeminence in
hatred, and they
are to be punished with an extremity of Divine vengeance.
- THE PRE-EMINENT HATRED. Partly through her own mischief-
making, but largely on
account of unwarrantable jealousy, the favored land
of
no people had shown such bitter
and long-cherished animosity as the little
fishing and farming community on
its southwestern border. From the days
of the judges, the Philistines
appear as the hereditary enemies of
Possibly the fact that they were
hemmed in between the hill country of
the east and the west cut off
from them, made them jealous of their more
prosperous and expansive
neighbors. Be that as it may, hatred
characterizes
the relations between the two peoples.
Close contact does
not produce friendship if
sympathy or its worldly substitute, mutual
interest, be lacking. The most
bitter quarrels are those between near
neighbors. Family feuds are
proverbially rancorous. Means of
communication will not bring
“peace on earth” and “good will towards
men.” Commerce does not abolish
war. Railways have not made friends of
worldly
advantage.
- THE DREADFUL DOOM.
Ř
It is a Divine vengeance. This must always be fearful; but
there are
degrees in the execution of it determined
by varieties in the character and
conduct of men. Here it is
described as peculiarly heavy — “great
vengeance,” “with
furious rebukes.” There is nothing
that God prizes so
highly as unselfish love, the
queen of all virtues; and accordingly there is
nothing that He so deeply hates
as hatred. This is a sin that most surely
provokes the wrath of Heaven.
Ř
It is seen in
destructions. The Philistines had been
named “Cherethims”
— “extirpated” from their old
land when they came as exiles across the
Levant and settled on its
eastern shore. Now they will deserve that name a
second time, for they must be extirpated outright. This thing has been
accomplished. The Philistines have ceased to
exist. A similar doom had
been threatened against the
other nations, but with
impressive, as coming most
directly from the hand of God.
Ř
It is experienced after long delay. For generations the
Philistines had
been the incessant enemies of
sometimes utilized for purposes
of needful castigation, often slumbering in
impotent inactivity, but never truly reconciled to the Jews. Their
punishment was long delayed, but
it was not outlived. It is a fearful
thing
to suffer from
ACCUMULATED PUNISHMENT! Awful must be the
doom of the aged sinner. YET IT IS NEVER TO LATE TO RETURN!
Even penitent Philistines will be pardoned.
The Old
Hatred (vs. 15-17)
Between the Israelites, the children of light, and the
Philistines, the children
of darkness, there existed for centuries almost
uninterrupted hostility. Their
position upon the coast, their powerful cities, their
formidable warriors,
their imposing yet debasing religion, concurred to make
them mighty. And
the immediate neighborhood of the descendants of Abraham
brought the
two peoples into frequent collision. The Philistines were
sometimes used as
the means of humiliating the unfaithful and disobedient
children of
and bitterly was the discipline felt when the Philistines
rejoiced over them.
For the Philistines on the west, as well as for the
Ammonites and Edomites
upon the east, the
day of reckoning was at hand.
·
THE HATRED OF THE PHILISTINES TOWARDS
ANCIENT, PERENNIAL, AND UNDECAYING. This may be illustrated
from the historical books of the
Old Testament Scriptures.
·
THIS HATRED HAD ITS POLITICAL ORIGIN IN THE
SETTLEMENT OF THE ISRAELITES IN CANAAN.
·
AND ITS
RELIGIOUS ORIGIN IN THE CONTRAST BETWEEN
THE PURE WORSHIP OF JEHOVAH
AND THE DEGRADING
RELIGION PRACTICED IN
·
THIS HATRED DISPLAYED ITSELF OFFENSIVELY IN THE
TIME OF ISRAEL’S DEPRESSION AND HUMILIATION.
·
THIS HATRED BROUGHT DOWN UPON THE PHILISTINES
THE INDIGNATION AND THE RETRIBUTIVE RECOMPENSE OF
THE MOST HIGH.
·
THIS HATRED THUS FURNISHED AN OCCASION FOR THE
VINDICATION BY GOD OF HIS OWN RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT
AND IRRESISTIBLE AUTHORITY.
·
APPLICATI ON.
Ř
There is such a thing as national morality. Apart from the character and
conduct of individuals, a nation
by its collective action proves itself to
possess a certain moral unity.
Ř
There is such a thing
as national
responsibility. The people sin, and the
people suffer; the people repent
and call upon God, and the people are
saved.
Ř
There is especial
scope for the display of national virtues, and for the
right use of national
opportunity and probation, in the relations which
subsist between different and
sometimes rival communities.
Ř
National pride, power,
and prosperity are of no avail in God’s sight, if
injustice and malevolence are
exhibited by nations in their intercourse and
transactions with each other. “The
righteous Lord loveth righteousness.”
(Psalm 11:7)
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The Sin and Judgment of
the Ammonites (vs. 1-7)
“The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Son of
man, set thy
face against the Ammonites,” etc. For a time the mouth of
Ezekiel was
closed in relation to his own countrymen; he was to be to
them as a dumb
man, or at least dumb as a prophet (ch. 24:27). But having
already
proclaimed the judgment of God upon Israel and Judah by
various figures
and with much reiteration, he proceeds to declare that
judgment against the
neighboring heathen nations. “Judgment indeed begins at the
house of God;
but if the Father of the household does not spare the sons,
how soon must
it alight upon the others! This doctrine first of all
shines forth from the
connection of this chapter with the preceding chapters.
Then, also, we see
here how, with all the special solicitude wherewith God
interested himself
in Israel, he still by no means lets the heathen out of his
sight, since he must
show himself to be a God also for the heathen.” Of these
nations the
prophet first addresses himself to the Ammonites. They were
related to the
Israelites, being the descendants of Ben-ammi, the son of
Lot by his
younger daughter. Yet they were inveterate enemies to
Israel. “They had
joined Eglon, had oppressed Israel in the time of Jephthah,
had fought
against Saul, David, Jehoshaphat, and Jotham. They had
joined the
Moabites in Nebuchadnezzar’s army, when he besieged
Jerusalem in the
reign of Jehoiakim (II Kings 24:2). And they exulted in the
miseries of
Israel and Judah. The date of this prophecy is uncertain.
Hengstenberg says
that “the date in ch. 24:1 applies to this also. What was
predicted
in ch. 24. regarding the immediate future of Judah is here
presupposed
as already accomplished; so that the point of view is
ideal.” But the
‘Speaker’s Commentary’ supposes “that this prophecy was delivered
immediately after the capture of the city by
Nebuchadnezzar.” We have in
the text —
·
AN EXHIBITION OF THE SIN OF THE AMMONITES.
Ř
Exultation in the
miseries of others. “Thou saidst, Aha!
against my
sanctuary, when it was profaned;
and against the
made desolate; and against the
house of Judah, when they went into
captivity.” “They were,” says
Greenhill, “the neighbors bordering upon
them; they were their
confederates, in league with the King of Egypt, as
the Jews were; they were their
half-brethren, descending from Lot; and
upon these accounts should have
sympathized with the Jews, wept with
those that wept (Romans 12:15),
been sensible of their great adversities
(Hebrews 13:3); but they
insulted over them, mocked at them, were
despiteful against them, and
added coals to the fire, weight to their
burdens, and more chains to
their bonds” (compare Lamentations 1:2). They
rejoiced when Shalmaneser King
of Assyria invaded Israel, desolated the
land, and carried the people
into captivity (II Kings 17:1-6). Again, they
exulted in the miseries of the
people of Judah when they were conquered
and carried into exile in
triumphed in the national ruin
and sore calamities of the Jews (compare
ch. 21:28; Lamentations
2:15, 16; Zephaniah 2:8). Such derision
and insultation are
directly opposed to the will of God, especially
when, as in this ease, the
mockers are themselves also guilty of the sin
which brought down the distresses.
When some suffer sore calamities,
God’s will is that others should
be thereby stimulated to consider their
ways and repent of their evil
doings (compare Luke 13:1-5). Moreover, in
exulting over the fallen and
mocking the miserable there is Satanic
malevolence and shocking
cruelty. Sometimes saintly men have severely
suffered by reason of such
mockery. David smarted under it (Psalm
35:12-16), But the guilt of the
Ammonites was darker even than this. They
rejoiced in the desecration of
the temple of God. “Thou saidst, Aha!
against my sanctuary, when it
was profaned.” They looked upon that as the
overthrow of the religion of the
Jews, and probably declared that Jehovah
was unable to defend either his
temple or his worshippers. Thus they were
guilty of blasphemy against the
Lord God.
Ř
Exultation in the
miseries of others with cruel animosity.
“Thou hast
rejoiced with all the despite of
thy soul against the
They rejoiced “with the soul,
with passion, therefore with the whole heart’s
contempt of which” they were
capable. They triumphed with revolting
malignity.
Ř Exultation in the miseries of others with cruel animosity
in unrestrained
expression. “Thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the
feet,”
etc. (v. 6). Their bitter
rejoicing knew no bounds of moderation or even
of common decency. Such was
their grievous and inhuman sin.
·
A DECLARATION OF THE PUNISHMENT OF THE
AMMONITES.
Ř
Their land should
be given to others. “Therefore, behold, I
will deliver
thee to the children of the east
for a possession, and they shall set their
encampments in thee, and make
their dwellings in thee; they shall eat thy
fruit, and they shall drink thy
milk.” In the fifth year after the destruction of
Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar made
war against the Ammonites, and brought
them under subjection (Josephus,
‘Ant.,’ 10:9. 7). “After this the land was
subjected to various masters”
But at length it fell to the Arabians, who are
spoken of by the prophet as “the
children of the east.” This was a common
designation of the wandering
tribes of the desert (compare Judges 6:3).
“They encamp now periodically in
the land of Ammon. They have
continued to do so for
centuries. They, and they only, eat up the fruits of
the land.” Thus the children of
Ammon, who had exulted in the
expatriation of
Ř
Their metropolis
should become a desolation. “And I will
make Rabbah
a stable for camels, and the
children of Ammon a couching-place for
flocks.” When this judgment was
fulfilled we know not. But that it has
been fulfilled is placed beyond
dispute by the ruins of what was once a
flourishing city. That city
entered upon an era of marked prosperity under
Egyptian rule. It was rebuilt or
restored by Ptolemy Philadelphus, and was
called Philadelphia, after his
name. It existed for some centuries afterward
with varying fortunes. “As far
down as the fourth century (of the Christian
era) it was esteemed one of the
most remarkable and strongest cities of the
whole of Coele-Syria.” And now
amidst its ruins may be traced the remains
of a magnificent theatre, an
ancient castle, temples, mausoleum, and other
buildings. The doom has been
fulfilled, and Rabbah, “the populous” (as the
name signifies), is now a
desolation and without an inhabitant. Dr. Kitto
brings forward several witnesses
to the fulfillment of the word of the Lord
by the prophet in v. 5. “Dr.
Keith, in the last edition of his ‘ Evidence
from Prophecy,’ states that Lord
Claud Hamilton told him that ‘ while he
was traversing the ruins of the
city the number of goats and sheep which
were driven in among them was
exceedingly annoying, however
remarkable as fulfilling the
prophecies.’ Lord Lindsay found bones and
skulls of camels moldering in
the area of the theatre, and in the vaulted
galleries of this immense
structure. He says, ‘ The valley stinks with dead
camels, one of which was rolling
in the stream; and although we saw none
among the ruins, they were
absolutely covered in every direction with their
dung. That morning’s ride would
have convinced a skeptic. How says the
prophecy? “I will make Rabbah a
stable for camels.” He adds, “We met
sheep and goats by thousands,
and camels by hundreds, coming down to
drink, all in beautiful
condition.” Mr. George Robinson also testifies, ‘The
space intervening between the
river and the western hills is entirely covered
with the remains of private
buildings, now only used as stables for camels
and sheep. There is not a single
inhabitant remaining: thus realizing the
prophecy respecting this devoted
city.’ These testimonials have occurred
since attention has been called
to the subject of the literal fulfillment of
local prophecies. We add that of
Mr. Buckingham, which is all the more
valuable as being of anterior
date. He halted for the night with a tribe of
Arabs which he found encamped
among the ruins, in a hollow behind the
top of the theatre. Next morning
he writes in his journal, ‘During the night
I was almost entirely prevented
from sleeping by the bleating of flocks, the
neighing of mares, and the
barking of dogs.’ “Thus literally and minutely
has the prediction of the
prophet been accomplished.
Ř
Their existence as
a people would be terminated. “Therefore,
behold, I
have stretched out my hand upon
thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to
the nations; and I will cut thee
off from the peoples, and I will cause thee
to perish out of the countries:
I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that
I am the Lord.” These
expressions indicate utter and total, destruction. In
this respect the judgment of the
Ammonites was more severe than that
pronounced upon Israel. For the
latter there was hope and a future; but for
the former the prophetic message
closes darkly, even as their history has
closed. As a tribe the Ammonites
“disappear wholly at last in the
Arabians.”
·
CONCLUSION. “Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and
he that is glad at calamity
shall not be unpunished” (Proverbs 17:5).
“He that maketh others’
calamities the object of his gladness stirs up God
to be the Author of his
destruction” (Greenhill).
The Sin and Punishment of the Moabites (vs.
8-11)
“Thus saith the Lord God; Because that
house of Judah is like unto all the heathen,” etc. The
Moabites were the
descendants of Moab, the son of Lot by his elder daughter.
They occupied
the fertile district east of the Dead Sea, and south of the
territory of the
Ammonites. The condition of the Moabites may be gathered
from Isaiah
15., 16., and Jeremiah 48. The latter prophecy was
pronounced about “ten
or twelve years before the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar by
which Jerusalem
was destroyed;” so that it may be taken as setting forth
their condition in
the time of our prophet. That condition is well stated by
Sir George Grove,
in Dr. Smith’s ‘Dictionary of the Bible: ‘“The nation
appears in them as
high-spirited, wealthy, populous, and even to a certain
extent civilized,
enjoying a wide reputation and popularity. With a metaphor
which well
expresses at once the pastoral wealth of the country and
its commanding,
almost regal, position, but which cannot be conveyed in a
translation,
Moab is depicted as the strong scepter, the beautiful
staff, whose fracture
will be bewailed by all about him, and by all who know him.
In his cities we
discern a ‘ great multitude’ of people living in ‘glory,’
and in the enjoyment
of great ‘treasure,’ crowding the public squares, the
house-tops, and the
ascents and descents of the numerous high places and
sanctuaries where
the ‘ priests and princes’ of Chemosh or Baal-peor minister
to the anxious
devotees. Outside the towns lie the ‘plentiful fields,’
luxuriant as the
renowned Carmel — the vineyards and gardens of ‘summer fruits;’
the
harvest is being reaped, and the ‘ hay stored in its
abundance,’ the
vineyards and the presses are crowded with peasants,
gathering and
treading the grapes, the land resounds with the clamor of
the vintagers.
These characteristics contrast very favorably with any
traits recorded of
Ammon, Edom, Midian, Amalek, the Philistines, or the
Canaanite tribes.
And since the descriptions we are considering are adopted
by certainly
two, and probably three, prophets — Jeremiah, Isaiah, and
the older seer
— extending over a period of nearly two hundred years, we
may safely
conclude that they are not merely temporary circumstances,
but were the
enduring characteristics of the people. In this case there
can be no doubt
that, amongst the pastoral people of Syria, Moab stood next
to Israel in all
matters of material wealth and civilization.” Our text
presents to our notice:
·
A SIN SEEMINGLY SLIGHT, BUT ESSENTIALLY HEINOUS.
“
heathen.” In these words we
have:
Ř
A decrial of the superiority of the Jews over their heathen
neighbors. In
many respects they were their
superiors. God had granted to them the
clearest revelation of his
character and will, his temple also, and the
ordinances of his worship. His
mighty hand had frequently been stretched
out in glorious deeds on their
behalf. He had assured them of many
blessings and of a bright
future. Jerusalem “was great among the nations,
and princess among the
provinces.” But now that Nebuchadnezzar has
quite vanquished them, taken
their famous city, and destroyed their holy
and beautiful temple, the
Moabites say, “The house of Judah is like unto all
the nations.” By this they
probably meant:
o
They
are no better in their character. ‘By their idolatries and idolatrous
customs, and by
their political treacheries, the Jews had given their enemies
too much
occasion to say this. Yet the religion which was prescribed to
them was
incomparably superior to those of their heathen neighbors; and
there was at
least a small remnant that was faithful to that religion.
o
They
are no better in their condition. When the Chaldeans came against
them, they were
no more able to resist them than any heathen people
would have
been. And these things were said by the Moabites, not
sorrowfully,
but scornfully. Like the Ammonites, they rejoiced over the
miseries of the
people of
Prophet
Jeremiah cries, “‘
derision unto
thee? ... for as often as thou speakest of him thou waggest
the head”
(Jeremiah 48:26, 27).
Ř
A denial of the superiority of the Lord Jehovah over
heathen gods. This
aspect of the sin of the
Moabites is clearly and forcibly presented by
Hengstenberg: “The guilt
consists in the denial of the true Deity of the God
of Israel; for only on this
ground could Israel be placed on the same level
with all other nations. The
pretence for this denial they take from the
misery of Israel, which they
derive, not from their guilt, but from the
feebleness of their God, and
discern therein a palpable proof against his
true and full Deity. Their God
Jehovah, the absolutely pure Being, the
primeval Ground of all things,
the absolutely certain Helper of his people,
is a mere fancy: otherwise must
they soar above, and not sink beneath. This
full Deity, against whose
historically extant evidence they rashly close their
eyes, they must now discover by
their own destruction. The transgression
is seemingly small; but it is
that by which the nations perish even to the
present day. As each takes its
stand towards God, who is historically
revealed in his Church, so is
its destiny measured out.” Thus “Moab
magnified himself against the
Lord” (Jeremiah 48:26).
·
A PUNISHMENT CORRESPONDING TO THEIR SIN.
Ř The Moabites had rejoiced in the overthrow and exile of the
Jews, and
they also should be
overthrown and their land possessed by others.
“Therefore, behold, I wilt open
the side of Mesh from the cities, from his
cities which are on his frontiers.”
He would expose Moab to the assaults of
its enemy. Certain cities are
mentioned, and are appropriately described as
“on his frontiers.” They lay to
the north of the river Amen, which was the
proper boundary of
called “the glory of the
country.” The tract in which they were situated,
“belonging to the district
called by the Arabians Al Belka, has been at all
times highly valued on account
of the excellence of its pastures for cattle.
Among others, Bochart writes, ‘
As the pasturage in Belka is far better
than in the rest of Southern
Syria, there has been a continual struggle
among the various Arab tribes as
to who should secure it. The Bedouins
are accustomed to say, “Thou
canst find no land like Belka” (Havernieh)
(‘Speaker’s Commentary’).
Moreover, their country was ultimately to pass
away from them into the
possession of “the children of the east,” the
wandering Arab tribes. Like
Ammon, the land was ravaged by hostile
armies, and at last was left unoccupied
except by the Bedouins.
2. The Moabites had denied the superiority of Jehovah over
heathen gods,
and they should be brought by
painful experience to know his supremacy.
“And I will execute judgments
upon Moab; and they shall know that I am
the Lord.” Says Hengstenberg,
“Through the judgments under which Moab
falls, it is forced to
acknowledge the true Deity of Jehovah, which it did not
willingly accept.” (See our
notes on ch. 6:7, 10; 7:4.)
·
CONCLUSION.
1. Let those who are avowedly followers of Christ take heed
that they do
not give occasion to sinners
to blaspheme the Name or the cause of God.
Let them show “all good
fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God
our Savior in all things;” “Walk
worthily of the calling wherewith ye were
called.”
2. Let those who are not Christians take heed that they do not
bring upon
themselves the anger of the
Lord by speaking against his cause or his
people.
The Judgment of
(vs.
12-14)
“Thus saith the Lord God; Because that
of Judah by taking vengeance,” etc. The Edomites were the
descendants of
Esau, who settled in Mount Seir immediately after the death
of his father
Isaac. The country in which they dwelt was called Edom, or
Idumaea. It
was situated south of the territory of Moab; and “it only
embraced the
narrow mountainous tract (about a hundred miles long by
twenty broad)
extending along the eastern side of the Arabah, from the
northern end of
the gulf of Elath to near the southern end of the Dead
Sea.” Of their
religion little is known; but that they were idolaters
appears from
II Chronicles 25:14-15, 20, and Josephus, ‘
·
THE HEINOUS SIN OF THE EDOMITES. “Thus saith the Lord God;
Because that
vengeance, and hath greatly
offended, and revenged himself upon them.”
Notice:
Ř The sin itself. Revenge is the sin with which the Edomites are here
charged. Distinguish
between revenge and vengeance. “Revenge is an act
of passion;
vengeance, of justice; injuries are revenged, crimes are
avenged”
(Johnson). Vengeance is righteous, calm, majestic; revenge is
wicked, cruel,
malignant. The accusation against the Edomites is revenge.
Schroder
translates, “Because Edom exercises vindictive revenge upon the
house of
fraudulently
depriving him of his blessing seems to have run down through
all his
generations. And it was increased by what the Edomites afterwards
suffered in
conflict with the descendants of Jacob
(compare 1 Samuel 14:47;
1 Kings
11:15-16; II Chronicles 25:11-12); although Hengstenberg
says “that
formerly,
particularly under David, suffered from
supposition was
the revenge sinful.” Revenge was prohibited by the holy
Law of God as declared
in the Old Testament (compare Leviticus 19:18).
And much more
so as expressed in the New Testament (compare Matthew
5:44-48; Romans
12:17, 19; Ephesians 4:31).
Ř The manifestation of this sin. Joel, who probably prophesied in the
early
years of the
reign of King Uzziah, predicts that “
wilderness, for
the violence done to the children of
have shed
innocent blood in their land” (Joel 3:19; see also Amos 1:11-12).
But probably
the reference in our text is chiefly to the action of
besieged
plunder of the
city and slaughter of the poor Jews. Their cruelty at that
time seems to
be especially referred to in the hundred and thirty-seventh
psalm:
“Remember, O Lord, the children of
who said, Raze
it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof!” Their conduct at
that time is
described by the Prophet Obadiah (vs. 10-14).
Ř The aggravations of their sin. They were kinsfolk of
joining
Nebuchadnezzar against
against those
who had descended from the same ancestor as themselves.
Moreover, in
former times the Israelites had made distinctions in their
favor. When
they marched to the conquest of
commanded not
to contend with the Edomites (Deuteronomy 2:4-5);
and they
observed that command. The Lord also commanded them not to
hate the
Edomites (ibid. ch. 23:7). Yet the
Edomites hated the Jews, and
rejoiced in
revenging themselves upon them.
·
THE RIGHTEOUS RETRIBUTION OF THE SIN OF THE
EDOMITES. “Therefore
thus saith the Lord God; I will also stretch out
mine hand upon Edom, and will
cut off man and beast from it,” etc. (Vers.
13, 14).
Ř
The judgment inflicted. Two chief elements of it are mentioned by the
prophet — slaughter by the
sword, and the laying waste of the land. It is
also intimated that the judgment
should, pass over the whole land. “And I
will make it desolate from
Teman; even unto Dedan shall they fall by the
sword.” Or, as some would
punctuate, “From Teman even unto Dedan
they shall fall by the sword.”
Teman was a district in the south of Edom,
and Dedan was in the north; so
that “from Teman unto Dedan” signifies
over the entire country. Not in one
event alone may we trace the fulfillment
of this prediction, but in
several. In the time of the Maccabees, Judas the
Maccabee slew more than forty
thousand Edomites (1 Maccabees 5:3;
II Maccabees 10:15-23). About
thirty years afterwards, John Hyrcanus turned
his forces against
people to submit to circumcision
and to conform to the Jewish religion, or to
suffer expatriation. And they
were so desirous of remaining in the country
of their forefathers, that they
yielded to his conditions, and, as Josephus
says, “they were hereafter no
other than Jews” (Josephus, ‘Ant.,’ 13:9. 1).
So complete was their
incorporation with the Jews “that the name of
Idumaea appears no more in
history as a separate kingdom.” As Schroder
remarks, “The vengeance of God
could not in a more marked retribution
manifest itself upon Edom than
by the extirpation of his nationality, and
that precisely in the form of an
absorption by Israel.” The desolation of the
land was at length accomplished
by the Mohammedans. “In the seventh
century,” says Dr. J. L. Porter,
“the Mohammedan conquest gave a deathblow
to the commerce and prosperity
of Edom. Under the withering
influence of Mohammedan rule,
the great cities fell to ruin, and the country
became a desert. The followers
of the false prophet were here, as
elsewhere, the instruments, in
God’s hands, for the execution of his
judgments.” And so “the Edom of
prophecy — Edom considered as the
enemy of God and the rival of
Israel — has perished for ever: all, in that
respect, is an untrodden
wilderness, a hopeless ruin; and therein the
veracity of God’s Word finds its
verification.”
Ř
The instruments for the
infliction of the judgment. “I will lay my
vengeance upon
house of Jacob shall be a fire,
and the house of Joseph a flame, and the
house of Esau for stubble,” etc.
(Obadiah 1:18). The prophecy points
to Judas the Maccabee and his
army, and yet more to John Hyreanus, who
completely subjugated the
country of Edom, and annihilated the nationality
of the Edomites.
Ř
The retributory
character of the judgment. “Because that
dealt against the house of
offended, and revenged himself
upon them; therefore thus saith the Lord
God... I will lay my vengeance
upon Edom by the hand of my people
Israel, and they shall know my
vengeance, saith the Lord God.” The
Edomites inflicted vindictive
revenge upon the Jews; and for so doing they
must suffer the vengeance of the
Lord Jehovah. “Revenge for revenge.”
“The Lord is a God of
recompenses; he shall surely requite” (Jeremiah
51:56).
·
CONCLUSION. Our subject addresses to us:
1. Warning
against estrangement or lack of love amongst relatives. When
kinsfolk or former friends
become hostile to each other, they are much
more embittered than strangers
in a similar condition. “A brother offended
is harder to be won than a
strong city: and such contentions are like the
bars of a castle” (Proverbs 18:19);
“Love one another with a pure heart
fervently.”
2. Warning
against encouraging any feeling of revenge. Such feelings turn
the heart which entertains them
into a hell; and the entertainment of them
awakens the stern displeasure of
the Most High. Our Lord says,” Love
your enemies, and pray for them
that persecute you,” etc. (Matthew
5:44-45). And St. Paul writes,
“Bender to no man evil for evil... Avenge
not yourselves, beloved, but
give place unto wrath,” etc. (Romans
12:17, 19-21).
The Heinous Sin and Severe
Punishment of the Philistines
(vs.
15-17)
“Thus saith the Lord God; Because the Philistines have
dealt by revenge,”
etc. This paragraph treating of the Philistines is similar
in its prominent
features to those which dealt with the Ammonites, Moabites,
and
Edomites, especially the last. In each case there is a
setting forth of the sin
and an announcement of the punishment. And there is a close
resemblance
between the Edomites and the Philistines, both in their sin
and in their
punishment. With this similarity of essential character in
the paragraphs of
this chapter, it is not easy to suggest variety of
homiletical treatment for
each paragraph. In our text we have:
·
A BRIEF STATEMENT OF A LONG COURSE OF HEINOUS SIN.
“The Philistines have dealt by
revenge, and have taken vengeance with
despite of soul to destroy it
with perpetual enmity.” Mark the gradations of
their sin as they are indicated
in the text.
Ř
The sin of the Philistines was hatred against the Jews. They were a
powerful people, occupying
territory to the south-west of
unvarying in their hostility to
the Israelites. Their sin was the very opposite
of that love which God commands
as the supreme duty of man to his
fellow-man: “Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18).
And in Christian ethics their
sin is equivalent to murder:
“Whosoever hateth his brother is
a murderer” (1 John 3:15).
Ř
Their hatred was intense and scornful, it was no superficial
emotion.
They took “vengeance with
despite of soul.” They were hearty and
passionate and zealous in their
enmity to the Jews.
Ř
Their hatred was hardened. “The old hatred,” or “perpetual enmity.” A
glance at their history shows
this. In the time of the judges “they vexed and
oppressed the children of
career of Eli they defeated
Israel in battle with great slaughter, and seized
the ark of God (1 Samuel 4:10,
11). They were conquered by the
Israelites under Samuel, and
were kept in check all his days (1 Samuel
7:7-14). But in the days of Saul
they again became troublesome, and
brought
20). In the battle in which Saul
and his sons were slain, they inflicted a
disastrous defeat upon Israel (1
Samuel 31.). They were vanquished by
David. But in after-times they
caused much trouble and damage to Judah
(II Chronicles 21:16, 17;
28:18). And they showed their old animosity
by acts of hostility at the time
when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem.
Their hatred was ancient and
persistent.
Ř
Their hatred was habitually active. “The Philistines
have dealt by
revenge, and have taken
vengeance.” Their enmity existed not simply as an
emotion, but found vigorous
expression. And it expressed itself, not simply
in hostile and bitter words, but
in malignant deeds, in revengeful actions.
And these deeds were not
occasional, but habitual. They “dealt by
revenge,” as if it had been
their trade or occupation. “A perpetually
enduring war,” says Schroder,
“is the standing feature of the relation, while
fixed hostility was the root of
it.”
Ř
This hatred was
destructive in its design. “Have taken
vengeance with
despite of soul to destroy it
with perpetual enmity.” The aim of the hostile
Philistines was to bring the
Jewish nation to an utter end. This was their
steadfast purpose. One aspect of
hatred is very conspicuous in this brief
delineation, and it is as
admonitory as it is conspicuous, viz. its tendency to
continuance and growth. If
animosity be not resisted, if it be not combated
by the presentation of prayer to
God and by the cultivation and expression
of kindness towards men,
especially towards the object of our aversion, it
will increase in depth and
intensity. Hence it is of the utmost importance to
check the beginnings of hatred.
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger,
and clamor, and railing be put
away from you, with all malice; and be ye
kind one to another,
tender-hearted, forgiving each other, even as God also
in Christ forgave you.”
·
A STARTLING ANNOUNCEMENT OF SEVERE PUNISHMENT
FOR PROTRACTED AND HEINOUS SINS. “Therefore thus saith the
Lord God; Behold, I will stretch
out mine hand upon the Philistines,” etc.
(vs. 16, 17). We see here:
Ř
Punishment of great severity. “I will execute great
vengeance upon them
with furious rebukes.” Who can
conceive the dread severity of the great
vengeance of the Almighty with
furious rebukes? They who had dealt by
revenge and taken vengeance on
Israel should suffer the great vengeance
of the God of Israel. After the
destruction of Jerusalem, when
Nebuchadnezzar turned his mighty
forces against Egypt, “the result was
specially disastrous to the
Philistines: Gaza was taken by the Egyptians,
and the population of the whole
plain was reduced to a mere ‘remnant’ by
the invading armies.”
Ř
Punishment ending in destruction. “I will cut off the
Cherethites, and
destroy the remnant of the sea
coast.” The name “Cherethites” is given “to
the whole of the Philistines,
for the sake of the paronomasia.” The name
signifies “cut off,” or
“extirpated,” and it was to find its fulfillment in their
doom. “The destruction of the
remnant points to this,” says Hengstenberg,
“that they shall be destroyed to
the last man, as in fact the Philistines have
utterly disappeared. It is the
great privilege of the people of God, that how
heavy soever the judgments of
God may be upon them, never will it be said
of them, ‘I will destroy the
remnant.’ “They who had made it their object
to destroy the Jewish nation
should themselves be destroyed by the
Almighty. “With what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured unto you.”
Ř
Punishment from the hand of God. “Thus saith
the Lord God; Behold, I
will stretch out mine hand upon
the Philistines,” etc. The Chaldeans and
others were but as weapons in the
hands of the supreme Sovereign and
righteous Judge of all.
“The Lord
sitteth as King for ever:
He hath
prepared His throne for judgment.
And He
shall judge the world in righteousness,
He shall
minister judgment to the peoples in uprightness.”
And if men will not be brought to
know Him by the
sweet influences of His
grace, then by the stern severities of His vengeance they shall know
that
HE IS THE LORD!