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.