Ezekiel 25:12

Ezekiel 25:12 says, Thus saith the Lord God; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;  God was now going to pronounce His judgment on the Edomites who had taken vengeance on the people of Judah.  The Edomites, descendants of Esau. were once a part of God’s people but had turned away from Him when Jacob, the younger brother, was declared to be the ruler over the older, Esau.  There was jealousy there, and at some point, they became enemies of Isreal, and now they were especially cruel to them since they were in power over them.  No matter how long we may have been a follower of Christ, there is no room for jealousy if some younger Christian is in a position of authority over us.  

Verse thirteen adds, Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.  God said because of the way the people of Edom, whose ancestors had once been a part of the people of Israel until the next generations turned away from Him, that He was going to utterly destroy them.  It does not matter if our parents or grandparents were Christians.  If we reject Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, one day we will be sent away to everlasting punishment.  

Verse fourteen continues, And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God.  The people of Edom had exacted vengeance on Israel, and now God was going to empower the people of Israel to exact vengeance on them.  This was not because the people of Israel were somehow worth more to God because of any earthly reason, but because they were the people He had chosen to work through to reveal Himself to the world.  As Christians, we are not more valuable to God than any other person based on who we are or where we were born, but we are only more valuable to Him because we have accepted His gift of salvation and have become a part of His everlasting kingdom.  

Verse fifteen states, Thus saith the Lord God; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred;  God then pronounced His judgment of the Philistines, who were often at war with Israel.  Just because God had pronounced His judgment on Edom didn’t mean that others who tried to destroy Israel would be exempt from His judgment, just as one day, all those who are the enemies of God’s people will face His judgment, and it will not matter where they are from.  

Verse sixteen adds, Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast.  God said He was going to totally destroy the Philistines, and this occurred when the Chaldean army destroyed them not long afterward.  God sometimes worked through other nations to bring about His will, but this does not mean that He is not in charge.  The Philistines had been trying to destroy Israel, so God allowed them to suffer complete destruction by the Chaldeans.  Matthew Henry points out that the Edomites and the Philistines should have been alarmed when the Chaldeans were defeating those around them, but they obviously weren’t.  There are still many people today who refuse to acknowledge the power of God and their coming destruction because they refuse to accept His gift of salvation, but it is still going to come.  

Verse seventeen continues, And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.  God said when this happened as He had said it would that He would have His vengeance on the Philistines.  Personally, I don’t think this was something that God did with joy, but with sadness that they had to be punished for not just failing to believe in Him but also for actively trying to destroy His chosen people.  Once again, God said that when this happened that the Philistines would know that He is God, but it would be too late for that to do them any good.  When God’s final judgment comes, everyone will know that He is God, but for those who refuse to accept His gift of salvation, it will be too late for it to do them any good.  They will be sent away to everlasting punishment and will no longer be remembered.

Ezekiel 25:8

Ezekiel 25:8 says; Thus saith the Lord God; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen;  The people of Moab claimed that Judah was no different than any other country, giving no credit to the fact that they were God’s chosen people and comparing them to any heathen nation.  The world may view Christians as no different than any other group of people in the world, but if they do, it shouldn’t be because we act no different morally.  

Verse nine adds, Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Bethjeshimoth, Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim,  Ezekiel was then to give God’s warning to Moab.  He was going to open up their cities for defeat.  They may have thought that Judah was no different than any other nation, but even if they had been disobedient to God, they were still known as His chosen people, so for another nation to say that they were no different was to blaspheme God, and He was going to show them that they were wrong.  As Christians, the world may think that we are no different than anyone else, but since we represent God to the world, we should never give them a reason to think that, and if we are truly a Christian, He will one day show them how wrong they are.  

Verse ten continues, Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations.  God said that He was going to bring about the destruction of the Ammonites and that they would no longer be remembered. Those who defy God will one day face utter destruction at His hand.

Verse eleven concludes, And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the Lord.  God said that Moab would be destroyed as well, and then they would know that He is God, but it would be too late to save them.  One day, everyone will know that God is God, but for the vast majority it will be too late for this knowledge to save them.  

Ezekiel 25:1

Ezekiel 25:1 says. The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,  

Verse two adds, Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;  God now told Ezekiel that he was to prophesy to the Ammonites, and it wasn’t going to be a good prophecy.  As followers of Christ, when we are witnessing to the lost people of the world, what they are doing will always bring them trouble spiritually until they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  It doesn't matter how their actions might be viewed by the world, but only how they are viewed by God.  Ezekiel was a captive in Babylon at time and had been for many years, so he wasn't familiar with what was happening in Judah.  

Verse three continues, And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;  God’s word to the Ammonites concerned how they had treated His sanctuary, or temple, by profaning it and how they had treated Isreal when it was desolate, and Judah when the people were carried away captive, or all of those who were supposed to be His people and their land in other words.  Just because those things and those people who are God’s people may not be following Him as they should, this doesn't mean that those who deny Him are free to do whatever they want to do to His people or the land that is His.   

Verse four concludes, Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk.  God told Ezekiel to tell the Ammonites that they were going to be defeated and that men from the east would take their land and their possessions.  One thing we as Christians can be sure of is that one day all those who stand against God, no matter how powerful they may be for a while, will suffer total defeat when Jesus Christ returns in judgment.  

Verse five states, And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couching place for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.  God said that He, and not just those who defeated them, was going to make Rabbah a stable for camels and their land a feeding place for flocks.  The Ammonites had oppressed God’s people and defiled His land, and now they were going to be oppressed and their land was going to be defiled.  Even though this was to be done by another nation, God wanted Ezekiel to tell them that He was the One Who caused this and then they would know that He is God.  One day, God is going to lay all the world desolate because of the unrepentant people who think they are more powerful than Him, and when this happens, they will know that He is God. 

Verse six adds, For thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel;  God said this was going to happen because they had celebrated defeating and mistreating His people and His holy land.  People today may celebrate defeating God’s people physically for a time, but one day, God is going to send His judgment on them. 

Verse seven continues, Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.  God said they needed to understand that He was the One Who was bringing about their destruction and removing their nation from the world, and when this happened, too late they would know that He is God.  When Jesus Christ returns in victory, all those who have not put their faith in Him will suffer everlasting defeat and they will be forever removed from His kingdom and remembered no more.