Ezekiel 35
In Ezekiel 35, the main message is God’s pronouncement of judgment against Edom—i.e., Mount Seir. Edom had hostile relations with Israel for a long time, and during Babylon’s invasion it is known to have mocked Israel’s suffering and taken active steps against them. This chapter contains the theme of God’s justice and righteousness toward neighboring nations, and that God—the Ruler of history—judges in response to evil actions.
1verseMoreover the LORD’s word came to me, saying,
2verse“Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
3verseand tell it, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you. I will make you a desolation and an astonishment.
4verseI will lay your cities waste, and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
5verse“‘“Because you have had a perpetual hostility, and have given over the children of Israel to the power of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time of the iniquity of the end,
6versetherefore, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will prepare you for blood, and blood will pursue you. Since you have not hated blood, therefore blood will pursue you.
7verseThus I will make Mount Seir an astonishment and a desolation. I will cut off from it him who passes through and him who returns.
8verseI will fill its mountains with its slain. The slain with the sword will fall in your hills and in your valleys and in all your watercourses.
9verseI will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
10verse“‘“Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries will be mine, and we will possess it,’ although the LORD was there,
11versetherefore, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will do according to your anger, and according to your envy which you have shown out of your hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them when I judge you.
12verseYou will know that I, the LORD, have heard all your insults which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They have been laid desolate. They have been given to us to devour.’
13verseYou have magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and have multiplied your words against me. I have heard it.”
14verseThe Lord GOD says: “When the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.
15verseAs you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so I will do to you. You will be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”
Structure and Flow
- Verses 1-4: The command comes to Ezekiel to prophesy against Mount Seir (Edom), declaring that the land will be laid waste.
- Verses 5-9: The passage points out Edom’s sin of rejoicing over Israel’s calamity and prophesies that an eternal wasteland and ruin will come upon them.
- Verses 10-15: It rebukes Edom’s arrogance in claiming Israel’s land as its own, and concludes that they will be repaid with calamity according to what they did.
Overall Meaning and Message
This chapter carries the larger message of the “righteous judgment” against “evil”. It shows that God will not simply overlook the wicked deeds of all nations, and that He will surely respond to hostility and malice toward God’s people, as well as to arrogance. The declaration of Edom’s downfall provides a lesson about God’s sovereignty over history and the consequences that human actions bring.
Points to Ponder
- Reflect on whether you have ever had an attitude of using another person’s hardship or taking pleasure in it.
- Consider how God’s justice and righteousness are revealed in our daily lives.
- Reflect on how other people treated me when I was weak, and how I treat those who are weak when I am strong.
Applying It to Me
- Remember that even the unfairness and conflicts I am experiencing now can be recognized, restored, and validated from God’s perspective.
- Be attentive to empathize with others’ pain and to not harbor a heart that takes advantage of their difficulties.
- Trust in God’s righteousness, and work so that I, too, can practice justice and love in my own life.
