Ezekiel 35 is about ‘Mount Seir’, more commonly known as Edom. They were one of the most ancient and sworn enemies of Israel. They were constantly trying to take their land and fight against God’s people. Originally, of course, Edom was Israel’s brother. Edom came from Esau, Jacob’s brother. God says many things to them in many different books, but in this chapter we have this interesting verse:
‘ “Therefore, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; since you have not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue you.”’ (Ezekiel 35:6)
This is pretty much the original ‘He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword’. But it goes a bit further. For it was not Edom’s love of blood (violence) that God was judging them for, but their lack of hatred for it. That is, it is not enough simply to abstain from evil, but we must be vehemently opposed to it. This is a reminder. Often we can be caught up in the active positive. ‘This is what I must do, and I have to do this’. But there are also things we must not do, and not only should we not do them, but we should be actively opposed to them. Let’s not fall asleep on our watch.
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