Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19940529.htm
EZEKIEL: BLOSSOMING DURING LIFE'S MOST SEVERE CRISES
Part XIV: God's Work To Even The Score For His Mistreated People
(Ezekiel 25:1-26:21)
- Introduction
- Every believer has experienced injustice somewhere and in some way. Injustices at the hands of relatives and family members, at the hands of the government, or even from fellow believers makes for a very heady brew for any believer to take.
- Ezekiel 25:1-26:21 offers hope and direction for God's people when they are vulnerable to unjust forces.
- God's Work To Even The Score For God's Vulnerable People, Ezekiel 25:1-26:21.
- When Israel reached a point of "no return" in her sins, God brought in the Babylonians to invade and destroy the city of Jerusalem, cf. Ez. 24 (last week's lesson).
- In doing so, a number of Gentile enemy nations around Israel gleefully took part in stomping the nation after the Babylonians had finished sacking Jerusalem. Accordingly, God stepped in to even the score with these Gentile enemies of His vulnerable, captive people, Ez. 25:1-26:21:
- God promised to even the score with the Ammonites, Ez. 25:1-7:
- When Jerusalem was raised by Nebuchadnezzar, the Ammonites joyfully rejoiced at the destruction of the Lord's temple, the land, and the people who went into captivity, Ez. 25:3.
- Accordingly, the Lord predicted judgment on the Ammonites for this attitude, 25:1-2. God promised to have men from the desert in the East sack Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, 25:3-7.
- God promised to even the score with the Moabites, Ez. 25:8-11.
- When Jerusalem fell, the Moabites who were related to the Jews (cf. Genesis 19:30-38), concluded that Israel was not God's chosen nation after all, Ez. 25:8.
- Accordingly, God worked to correct this errant notion, promising to judge Moab along with Ammon through the invaders from the East, Ez. 25:9-11.
- Historical Note: Ryrie reports that Nebuchandezzar conquered Moab and Ammon in the fifth year following Jerusalem's fall, and these nations were then inhabited by Bedouin tribes (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, footnote to Ez. 25:11).
- God promised to even the score with the Edomites, Ez. 25:12-14.
- The Edomites were also related to Israel via Esau's descendants, cf. Obadiah 1,6; Ez. 25:12.
- When Jerusalem fell to Babylon, the Edomites stood by while Jerusalem was invaded without coming to Israel's need. Then she rejoiced over the city's fall, actually participating in the sacking of the city; finally, Edom helped set up roadblocks to prevent the escape of Jewish people from the Babylonians, Obadiah 11-14.
- For these sins, God would destroy Edom from Teman in the north to Dedan in the south. People and animals would be destroyed, Ez. 25:13-14.
- God promised to even the score with the Gentiles of Tyre, Ez. 26:1-21.
- When Jerusalem fell, the people of Tyre concluded that they would be the dominant trading entity of the region to replace Jerusalem, and that at Jerusalem's expense, Ez. 26:1-2.
- Accordingly, God promised to even this score with Tyre, promising to have Tyre crushed by many nations, v. 3-4. So complete would be Tyre's destruction that she would no longer even EXIST due to her gloating in her future preeminence, v. 21.
Lesson: God is The Great Equalizer when it comes to injustices. Our part is to leave vengeance to Him and not get involved in it ourselves! (Romans 12:19)
Application: (a) If we have been wronged even by colleagues (Ammon, Moab, Edom), it is not our part to take vengeance, but to let God even the score, Rom. 12:19. (b) If someone else is being disciplined by God, don't help God out or we'll get disci plined also! (c) If we are vulnerable to evil secular forces (Tyre), leave it for God to handle!