The Word Made Fresh
1The LORD’s word came to me: 2“Son of man, look toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them. 3Tell them to listen to what the LORD says. Tell them the LORD says it is because you rejoiced over the destruction of my sanctuary, and over the land of Israel when it was devastated, and over the people of Judah when they went into exile 4 that I am handing you over to the nations of the east as their possession. They will camp around you and settle in your midst. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. 5I will turn Rabbah into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a sheepfold for flocks. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
6The LORD God says it is because you applauded and danced and rejoiced in your hatred of the land of Israel. 7“That is why I have put my hand against you and will hand you over to the nations as spoils of war. I will separate you from the other races and let you die in the distant countries. I will wipe you out. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
8The LORD God declares: “Because Moab and Seir say that the house of Judah is like all the other nations, 9I will attack the glory of Moab on its borderlands – Beth-Jeshimoth, Baal-Meon, and Kiriathaim. 10Along with Ammon I will give them to the people of the east to have as their possession. Ammon will be forgotten among the nations, 11and I will judge Moab. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
12The LORD God says this about Edom: “Because Edom took revenge on the house of Judah and offended me in taking vengeance upon them, 13I will put my hand against Edom and take away their people and their animals and I will make Edom desolate from Teman to Dedan, and they will fall before the sword. 14I will use the hand of Israel to take vengeance on Edom. They will do to Edom all that my anger and wrath commands, and Edom shall know my vengeance,” says the LORD God.
15The LORD God says, “Because the Philistines acted in revenge with their unending hostility, and with malice of heart took their vengeance out in destruction; 16I will therefore stretch out my hand against the Philistines,” says the LORD God, “and wipe out the Cherethites and destroy the rest of the coastlands. 17I will carry out a great vengeance against them with the punishment of my anger. They will know that I am the LORD when I smite them with vengeance.
Commentary
1-7: Because the people of Ammon cheered when Jerusalem fell, God will destroy them as well. Nebuchadnezzar may have bypassed their capital, Rabbah, in an earlier campaign (see 19:19-22), but that was but a temporary reprieve for Ammon. The “people of the east” is likely a reference to roaming nomadic tribes of the Arabian Desert who were known for encroaching into settled territories.
8-11: Moab, like Ammon, was a kingdom on the east side of the Jordan. They also taunted Jerusalem when it fell and so they also will fall under God’s wrath.
12-14: Edom in particular took advantage of the remnant in Jerusalem after Nebuchadnezzar departed. They too are doomed to destruction, but in their case the instrument of destruction is not named.
15-17: The Philistines have taken advantage of the situation in Judah as well, although they pillaged the countryside rather than the city of Jerusalem. The Cherethites have not been identified absolutely, but seem to have had some relation to the Philistines. In some passages it appears that the two are interchangeable. Again, the agent of destruction of the Philistines is not named.
Takeaway
It is clear from these chapters that God demands that nations are to be responsible for one another, and treat each other with honesty and respect. That is how God wants people to live, in peace with one another. I remember going to a local grocery store and seeing a sign that declared they would be closing soon. I wonder if any of us customers made any attempt to learn if the employees there were going to be okay. Did they need any kind of support or assistance? Could we do anything to tide them over until they were able to find work? No, we just grabbed what we wanted, rejoiced over the price reduction, and went our merry ways. Thanks to Ezekiel, I am ashamed.