Introduction
[17] For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? [18] Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (I Peter 4:17-18).
As we have seen, Ezekiel is very descriptive of God's judgement beginning with His people, but He will not only judge His people, but all the nations.
One reason for this is because of their poor treatment of God's people. One commentator said,
"The principle which is operative in Matthew 25:31-46 is seen as applicable here also: the nations are judged on the basis of their treatment of ‘my brethren.’” (Feinberg)
God does not tolerate the mistreatment of His people. He will avenge and chastise those who mistreat them. The seven nations here are no exception. Each was an enemy of Israel.
Throughout this section of Ezekiel, there seems to be some significance to the number "seven", because it is used throughout it. There are seven nations that are addressed, the seventh nation of Egypt contains seven prophecies, and the seventh of these contains seven nations.
A similarity between the seven oracles in this section is that each begins with the phrase, "The word of the Lord came to me."
Judgement against the nations
Chapter 25 is relatively short compared to some of the other chapters and contains oracles against four of the seven nations:
Ammon (verses 1-7);
Moab (verses 8-11);
Edom (verses 12-14);
Philistia (verses 15-17).
Ammon, Moab, and Edom were all located on the east side of the Jordan River, east of Judah, and Philistia was on the west side of the Jordan River, west of Judah.
The nations of Ammon and Moab originated with Lot's daughters, who got him drunk and laid with him after God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, in order for them to reproduce, because they thought there were not any other people left on the earth. Lot's older daughter got pregnant had a son whom they named Moab, and his younger daughter got pregnant and had a son whom they named Ben Ammi. The Moabites were descendants of Moab and the Ammonites were descendants of Ben Ammi (Genesis 19:30-38).
Throughout their history, the Moabites and the Ammonites were enemies of Israel, sprinkled with intermittent times of peace. One such period is described in the book of Ruth, who was a Moabite woman during the period of the judges. Ruth had been married to a man from Bethlehem in Judah, but after he died, Ruth went to Bethlehem with her mother in-law to live.
There she married Boaz, a Judean, and the town elders who were witnesses said, "May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel...Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah." Judah was the son of Israel (Jacob), and Perez was the son of Judah, through whose lineage the promised Messiah was going to come. Perez was the great, great, great, great grandfather of Boaz.
Then Ruth and Boaz conceived Obed the father of Jesse, the father of David. God made a covenant with David saying, "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever" (1 Samuel 7:16). It was through David's house that Jesus the Messiah came, fulfilling the blessing of the town elders who said, "May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel." Though Ruth was not of Hebrew descent, she was no doubt of the faithful remnant if Israel (Ruth).
In times more recent to Ezekiel's lifetime, Moab and the Ammonites came to battle against King Jehoshaphat of Judah (872-848 B.C.). However, Jehoshaphat sought the Lord in the assembly of Judah, so God defeated the Ammonites and gave Jehoshaphat rest on all sides (2 Chronicles 20).
The Ammonites later fought against Jotham king of Judah (750-735 B.C.), but Judah defeated them then as well (2 Chronicles 27:5).
Finally, God sent troops from Ammon, and Moab, along with Chaldea, and Syria to destroy Judah during King Jehoiakim's reign after Jehoiakim rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon about 602 B.C. (2 Kings 24:1-2), which is just prior to the time period that we are studying.
The nation of Edom descended from Isaac's firstborn son, Esau. Esau was deceived by his brother Jacob into giving him his birthright, and when their father was dying, Jacob deceived his blind father and stole Esau's firstborn blessing. God later changed Jacob's name to Israel (Genesis 25:29-34; 27; 35:9-11).
Throughout Edom's history, they constantly fought against Israel, and was named among the nations to whom God's judgment was going to come against during Ezekiel's time.
Malachi prophesied that Edom was going to become a wasteland inhabited by wild animals (Malachi 1:2-5). Soon afterwards, the Nabataeans conquered them, driving them from their land to the southern part of Israel. There they became known as Idumeans. Herod the Great, who slaughtered all the children 2 years old and younger in an attempt to kill Jesus, was an Idumean.
Later in AD 70, the Idumeans joined Israel in fighting against Rome, but they were slaughtered and became extinct when Jerusalem was destroyed, just as God had said they would through the prophet Obadiah, because of their violence against their brother Jacob (Israel) (Obadiah 1).
The Philistines were a people of Aegean origin who came from Caphtor and settled on the southern border of Palestine along the Mediterranean Sea about the 12th century B.C., about the same time that the Israelites came to the area. Philistia, also known as the Land of the Philistines, was comprised of five cities of the Philistine Confederacy called the Pentapolis. These were Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron. The Greeks later called this entire region Palestine.
As Philistia expanded, they encountered the Israelites with whom they became enemies of throughout their history. The judge Samson married a Philistine woman because God was "seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines because at that time they were ruling over Israel" (Judges 14:4).
Samson later married another Philistine, Delilah, who betrayed him and had him captured and imprisoned by the Philistines. One day when the rulers of the Philistines gathered to offer sacrifices to their god, Dagon, in celebration of capturing Samson, God granted Samson's plea for strength to get revenge on the Philistines. Samson killed all the rulers and all the people in the temple, including himself. "Thus he killed many more when he died than when he lived" (Judges 16).
Another time, during Samuel the prophet, Israel fought against the Philistines and lost, and the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant. They eventually returned it to Israel because God had brought devastation to them, and they were afraid that He was going to kill them all (1 Samuel 4-6).
King Saul was fighting against the Philistines when a young warrior who had God on his side, named David, killed the Philistine giant Goliath. David later conquered Philistia, however he did not destroy them and they remained a thorn in Israel's side. They continued to fight against Israel after it was divided into the northern and southern kingdoms. Now, at this point in time, the Philistines had joined the Babylonians in their attack against Judah.
Ezekiel 25:1-7
"The word of the Lord came to me saying..." (Ezekiel 25:1).
The proclamation or oracle against Ammon was the "word of the Lord". These were the words of God; the words from God. God said it and therefore it was going to happen.
The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a true prophet of God, who passed on the word that the Lord spoke to him.
"Son of man..." (Ezekiel 25:2).
This should have been addressed much earlier in this study, but God refers to Ezekiel as "son of man" over 90 times throughout the book. Some commentators believe that God refers to him this way to remind him that he is only a man born of flesh, in contrast to God who is eternal and divine.
"...set your face against the Ammonites and prophecy against them" (Ezekiel 25:2).
It is likely that Ezekiel faced in the direction of Ammon and prophesied against them with a look of anger and wrath on his face, just as he had done earlier with Judah.
"Say to the Ammonites, 'Hear the word of the Lord God!" (Ezekiel 25:3)
God called for the Ammonites to "Hear the word of the Lord God!" The Ammonites did not worship the Lord God, however when He destroys them, they will know that He is the Lord God.
"'Thus says the Lord God: "Because you said, 'Aha!' against my sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity, indeed therefore, I will deliver you as a possession to the men of the east...
"'‘For thus says the Lord God : “Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel, indeed, therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations; I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish from the countries; I will destroy you, and you shall know that I am the Lord .”' (Ezekiel 25:3-7)
The Ammonites took joy in the fact that Judah was suffering, and therefore God was displeased and was going to destroy them. Though they aligned themselves with Babylon in the destruction of Judah, they were later conquered by Babylon and came under their rule.
Ezekiel 25:8-11
'‘Thus says the Lord God : “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,’ ' (Ezekiel 25:8)
Seir is referred to elsewhere in the Bible as Mt. Seir, and the use of it here means Edom, whom God also speaks to regarding His judgement.
Judgement was coming upon both of these nations because they viewed them as being no different than the other nations. Although Judah had become like the other nations around them, it was still God's kingdom of people who were set apart for Himself.
God was going to destroy them and give them over to the Babylonians. When God executed His judgement against them, then they would know that He is the Lord (Ezekiel 25:9-11). Moab was conquered by the Babylonians in 582 B.C. and then later disappeared from history. The region was settled by the Nabataeans in the 4th-3rd century B.C.
Ezekiel 25:12-14
"Thus says the Lord God..." (Ezekiel 25:8).
Again, it is God who is speaking against the nations.
“Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them...” ' (Ezekiel 25:12)
God is referring to when Edom attacked Judah and carried away captives during King Ahaz's reign (735-715 B.C.) (2 Chronicles 28:17).
'therefore thus says the Lord God : “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the sword. I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord .' (Ezekiel 25:13-14).
Because of what Edom had done to Judah, God's vengeance was going to come upon them by making it desolate of man and beast by destroying them with the sword, also as Malachi had prophesied. They too were conquered by the Nabataeans and then later driven to extinction by Rome in 70 A.D.
Unlike the other nations, God does not say that when these things happen to Edom, that they will know that He is the Lord, but rather "they shall know My vengeance."
Ezekiel 25:15-17
'‘Thus says the Lord God : “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred...” ' (Ezekiel 25:15).
God is referring when the Philistines had "invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they dwelt there ' (2 Chronicles 28:18).
'therefore thus says the Lord God : “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord , when I lay My vengeance upon them” ’ ” (Ezekiel 25:16-17).
Because the Philistines had invaded and overtaken those regions of Judah, He was going to cut them off and destroy them by executing His vengeance upon them with furious rebukes. Then they shall know that He is the Lord.
Philistia was conquered and became a part of the Neo-Babylonian empire. Later they came under the control of Persia, Greece, and Rome.
Conclusion
As we see all throughout this chapter, as well as all throughout the book of Ezekiel, God's word will not return to Him void, but it accomplishes what He pleases, and it prospers in the things for which He sent it (Isaiah 55:11). The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel and He spoke, "Thus says the Lord God", and everything that He said would come to pass against these nations, did come to pass. His word did not return to Him void.
God's judgement was against the nations who had come against His people, just as we have discussed many times already throughout this study. This is encouraging to us because as Christians, we are God's people. Therefore when we are persecuted for Jesus and for righteousness sake, God's vengeance will come against our persecutors. God is our shield of protection, our fortress, and our strong tower.
God forgives, but only those who are repentant. These nations could have repented by turning to God, and God would have relented, just as He had done when Ninevah repented (Jeremiah 18:7). However, they did not repent, and therefore God destroyed them all.
We are told throughout the book of Ezekiel that it was God who brought these devastations upon them and who destroyed them. God is a god of justice. If injustice is being done towards others, then His wrath will come upon them. God sent His Son to save the world, and He is willing that none should parish, but He does not allow evil to prosper, nor does He allow evil people to bring harm to others, especially to His people. They will suffer His just wrath.
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