Chapter 792 of 1163

EZEKIEL 35

God announced blessing for Jacob, but He pronounced judgment on Edom, the descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau (25:12–14). The Edomites were guilty of sins that are still practiced today.

Hatred (5). Their grudge went all the way back to Genesis 27, and they would not forgive and forget. How tragic that brothers could not dwell together in unity (Ps. 133)!

Anger and envy (11). When you hate others, you are envious of their blessings and angry when they succeed. The Edomites revealed their anger when they helped the Babylonians ravage Jerusalem (Obad. 10–14). Are you envious when others succeed and glad when they fail? Then you may be carrying a grudge. Beware! The judgment you want to fall on your enemy may fall on you (v. 15)!

Pride (12). The Edomites boasted of their great security in the rocks (Obad. 1–4), but God would bring them down in humiliation (Jer. 49). God still resists the proud—whether in nations or individuals—but gives grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5).

Grudges

Some people nurse a grudge the way a mother nurses a child: they love it, cherish it, and cannot live without it. But they forget that the child is growing and may one day turn on them and destroy them. A grudge against an enemy is a very expensive thing, no matter how much enjoyment you may get nursing it. Ponder Matthew 5:21–26, 43–48.

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