FBC Morning Light – October 5, 2022

Well, a good Wednesday morning to you. Hope your week is going well thus far. Here we are in the middle of it already, aren't we? Well, today we're reading in Ezekiel 35 and 36. Chapter 35 begins with the Lord pronouncing a prophetic judgment against Mount Seir.

Mount Seir stands for the small nation of Edom. Edom was closely related to, geographically and, I guess, relationally, you know, familially, with Israel. And the reason for this prophecy against Mount Seir is because of their attitude toward the punishment that God had to inflict upon His people, Israel.

God’s Judgment on Edom for Gloating Over Israel

So listen to what the Lord says. He says, Well, why? Why was He doing this? In other words, when Edom saw that Israel was being destroyed, as again, as a punishment from the Lord, Edom didn't help God's people, didn't provide any shelter.

Instead, did just the opposite, joined in in the slaughter. He says, and so the Lord goes on to say, Therefore, as I live, I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you, since you have not hated blood, that is, you haven't hated the bloodshed of your distant relative, Israel.

Therefore, blood shall pursue you. Very clearly here, the Lord does not have much tolerance for a long-seated, bitter attitude and animosity held in the heart toward someone else. And I think this serves as a challenge and a warning to us.

I'm sure that there's probably been people in your past that have really done you wrong, and it can be pretty easy to hold on a hateful, bitter spirit toward them, instead of basically just moving on from whatever they did, however they offended you, grieved you.

By the way, a little caveat here. There have been some who say what I just said, and said it in relationship to those who have been physically or sexually abused as children by somebody else, by a parent or a relative, and it has scarred them, scarred them deeply.

And they hear what I just said and they say, well, wait a minute, look what this person has done to me, am I supposed to just let them get away with that and not deal with that? No, that's not what I'm saying here, and don't misunderstand that.

That person needs to be held accountable and justice needs to be rendered. What I'm talking about are the offenses that take place between people, just the knockdown, drag out stuff that happens in the course of life, and somebody says something and it offends you and rubs you the wrong way, well, what do you do with that?

What do you do with that? Do you put it in a gunny sack and hold on to it and harbor that against that person? And then there's this long-standing, seething attitude that you have toward that person who has said something about you or said something to you or some way offended you or grieved you.

Well, what happens then when that person is hurt? How do you respond when that person is hurt? I must guarantee you that if we have been gunny-sacking attitudes of bitterness toward another person, when that person is hurt in some way, deep down we smile, we rejoice.

And what the Lord is communicating here through the way he deals with Edom is he doesn't appreciate that, doesn't appreciate that at all. We don't gloat over the pain and misery of others, even if those people who are in pain have somehow caused us pain.

We don't gloat in that. We grieve that they have been in so much error that they had to be brought to such pain and misery. So let's be careful about how we respond when God brings chastening or judgment upon another.

Let's not gloat in it. Instead, let's humble ourselves and realize that, you know, but for the grace of God, there go I, there go I. And then let's pray that God will use that chastening or that judgment upon another person to bring them to a great place of repentance and a restored relationship.

What a joy that would be. All right. Well, listen, I hope you have a good rest of your Wednesday and let's pray and ask God to bless it. So thank you, Father, for challenging us with this because all of us have the tendency when we're wronged or hurt by somebody to get bitter about that and then hold on to it and then gloat when they're hurt.

Oh, Lord, deliver us from such attitudes, we pray, and we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Well, have a good rest of your Wednesday. May God bless you in it. Good day.