diff --git a/content/bible_journal/ezekiel_25:8-17.md b/content/bible_journal/ezekiel_25:8-17.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ba6a9d1 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/bible_journal/ezekiel_25:8-17.md @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ ++++ +title = "Ezekiel 25:8–17" +date = "2023-05-09" ++++ + +### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel25.8-17) + +Moab was descended from Lot, the nephew of Abraham. As nations, Moab and Israel +were often in conflict, though Ruth famously immigrated from Moab to Israel in +the time of the judges. In this oracle, Moab shares Ammon's fate, though the +cause appears to be not so much malice as unbelief. The Moabites declared Judah +to be like all the other nations, that is, not being the Lord's chosen people. +They thought Judah's troubles were a sign that their God was not powerful +enough to save them, just like other nations' gods were not powerful enough to +save them from conquering armies. They had surely heard stories of Assyria's +miraculous defeat at Jerusalem in Hezekiah's day, but since that was about two +generations ago, they probably sounded embellished by this point. Whatever the +case, the Lord defends His fame and honor among the nations and brings an end +to the ones who have blasphemed against Him. + +Edom was descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob who was named Israel. Again +there was animosity between these two nations for much of their history, but in +this case Edom is condemned for taking vengeance while Israel was vulnerable. +While the judgement is the same as what befell Ammon and Moab, it is +interesting that the Lord specifies Israel as the one to carry out the +sentence. Israel and Judah have been totally defeated at this point; they have +all been scattered abroad and there is no one to tend to the land, much less +form an army. Therefore there is hope already, even amidst these judgements, +that Israel will be restored and the Lord's promises will be made complete. + +The Philistines were a thorn in Israel's side during the time of the judges and +through David's reign. Their lineage can probably be traced back to the island +of Crete, and scholarship currently identifies them as the "Sea Peoples" whose +migration into the region disrupted all of the centers of civilization during +the Bronze Age. The Lord's charge against them is their "never-ending enmity" +(_v. 15_) against His people. Many other prophets spoke oracles against them as +well. + +* * * + +Your name is holy and You defend it against all slander.