“Also Edom shall be a desolation: everyone that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof” (Jeremiah 49:17).
TEXT — Jeremiah 49:1-22
Message
From the website of Preaching Today, we find the story of the arrest of a 94-year-old man living for so many decades on a quiet street in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This was a wake-up call for the man’s neighbours. They said they could not have imagined that he was an active collaborator in one of the worst incidents of the Second World War. Federal prosecutors convinced the court that Mr. Berger was part of the S.S. machinery of oppression that kept concentration camp prisoners in atrocious conditions of confinement. This led not only to the injury and emaciation of many of those prisoners but also to their deaths.
We see the terrible judgment pronounced against Ammon and Edom in our text. Ammon forcefully annexed the land of Gad, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and murdered many of the inhabitants to prevent future opposition or challenge. However, God would not overlook such violence perpetrated against the weak. Therefore, He promised to visit Ammon with terror (verse 2), render their land desolate (verse 3), and drive the inhabitants into captivity (verse 3-5). The richly endowed “flowing valley” with its protective mountains would not provide safety and assistance for the Ammonites even though the Lord would be merciful enough to leave behind a remnant (verse 6).
The sin of Edom, on the other hand, was pride and unforgiving spirit. The Edomites descended from Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. They never forgot or forgave Israel for stealing the birthright of Esau, their progenitor. They sought every opportunity to attack Israel or rejoice at her calamity. To weaken Edom and take away her pride, the Lord promised to give them foolish and incompetent leaders (verse 10). Since Edom relied on its military strength to harass Israel, the Lord promised to send a stronger nation to defeat and humble their nation (verse 16).
No matter how long the sinner tries to hide, God’s judgment will surely find him. The judgment on the two nations highlights the evil of land grabbing and unforgiving spirit. Today, land grabbing is common in agricultural communities. The judgment on Ammon underscores the point that God will always intervene on the side of the truth. Similarly, believers who have received pardon and forgiveness from God are not to harbour grudges or rejoice at the downfall of others. Unforgiving spirit will prevent a believer from getting to heaven.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
1 comment
I appreciate God for his mercy and grace upon my self and my family
I appreciate God for his mercy and grace upon my self and my family