Judgment of the nations (4) Edom
Amos 1:11-12; 10/30/2022; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
The name Edom sounds confusing because it immediately conjures up Esau, who was also a descendant of Abraham. The passage of time shows the historical destiny of the Edomites’ competitiveness and final demise. Let’s look at the first point:
Of the same root
Esau’s origin is derived from a prayer of his father Isaac, the Bible says: “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. (Genesis 25:21) ” First of all, it is destiny to fight each other. In our life, we will inevitably encounter some inexplicable struggles with each other. Somehow, a struggle begins. The situation of World War I and World War II is still dazed in the writings of historians, and the situation of World War III is coming! Jacob and Esau were twin brothers, and they were supposed to be very close! But the strange thing is that they “fight each other” in the womb before they were born! Their mother, Rebekah, felt that her life was worse than death, and she was in so much pain since she was pregnant! Obviously, her spiritual life is not bad, at least when she encounters problems, she prays and asks God. Of course, how can the mother who gave birth to them know what kind of situation and even major “international disputes” will arise in the future for the two children in her womb! Who would look back and ask how Rebekah felt when she was pregnant? Who can tell?
Second, the strength and weakness are predestined by God. Our international situation today may remind me of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period more than 2,000 years ago, the commonality of which is the Year of Great Controversy. Maybe the Chinese people’s competitiveness will remind people of the psychological shadow brought by the loss of power and humiliation in the past 150 years, will it? Americans want to maintain the international order they established, and Putin of Russia is still living in Peter the Great’s dream of becoming a powerful country. Let me ask: In heaven and earth, who is stronger and who is weaker, isn’t it determined by God? The Lord said to Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger. (Genesis 25:23)” Qin Shihuang couldn’t understand this sentence, and Caesar, Alexander, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Tojo Hideki, Mao Zedong, etc. couldn’t understand it! Likewise, the strong men in the world today do not understand!
Finally, Movement and demeanor in God’s eyes. Whether it is predestined or predestined by God, it does not mean fatalism. Because God’s eyes have been watching Esau and Jacob, looking at their life situation, especially their relationship with God. The biblical writer gave God’s insight: “The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. (Genesis 25:27)” Esau obviously still had the good genes to be the eldest son, and at that time, he had practiced a good style. Hunting and farming, raising a family, and taking on family responsibilities. Such and such, of course, is deeply loved by his father. Jacob, as a representative of the “disadvantaged group,” was only loved by his mother who had no status. However, between the movements, God took a fancy to Jacob’s quietness and his core value of valuing the birthright. Let’s look at the second point:
Provoked God’s wrath
Birthright is nothing special in itself, after all, it is a worldly thing! But the authority and intention of establishing the firstborn should not be taken lightly! First, it is unforgivable to despise God’s grace. People’s folly is often not able to tell the difference between grace and benefit, agree? It is grace that God established the birthright. But Esau said because of a bowl of red bean soup: “What good is the birthright to me? (Genesis 25:32)” For those of us who think that everything is good for me or not, we should be on the alert! Believing in Jesus Christ is not necessarily beneficial in itself, is it? There is even a high probability that there will be no benefit, do you agree? To bear the cross and imitate the Lord is to sacrifice and lay down your life! The attitude of seeing power is to yield rather than grab it, and the attitude of seeing reputation and status is to hide rather than grab it! If there is still one of us who can’t get past this level and still has an obsession with the world, then he may not have truly believed in the Lord.
Second, repeatedly hurting the people of God. Hatred can be passed down from generation to generation, agree? The descendants of Esau were humiliated by the testimony of their ancestors. So keep this humiliation in their heart and pass it on to future generations. Just like today’s Fenhong (fans of the red regime), they have the feeling of being humiliated easily. In addition to preventing Jacob from returning home, the next step was when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and back to Canaan, Again Edom answered: “You may not pass through.” Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army. (Numbers 20:20)” As a result, the Israelites were unable to walk through Kadesh and took a detour around Mount Hor. In the end, Aaron also died on the mountain, leaving an indelible memory. During the kingdom period, the Edomites also took the initiative to attack David. He was eventually defeated by King David, who, according to the Bible, said: “He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. (2 Samuel 8:14)” What Amos said should be a generalization of the evil deeds of the Edomites in history.
Finally, loot a burning house to provoke God’s wrath. God is not pleased with those who gloat and take advantage of misfortune! In 721, the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Assyria. In 586, the southern kingdom of Judah was destroyed by Babylon. Edom’s attitude is similar to that of the surrounding nations, and they are all delighted and satisfied! God said through the prophet Ezekiel: “this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland.’ (Ezekiel 36:5)” The Jews in captivity sat by the river in Babylon and cried at the thought of Zion! Why? That’s because “Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!” (Psalms 137:7)” Let’s look at the third point:
Facing judgment at the end
Everything in the world is done by humans and watched by God! Every man will be judged before God for everything he does in the world. First, sowing and reaping complement each other. The Bible says: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (Galatians 6:7)” Esau thought that he had driven away his younger brother and occupied all the property, so he thought he could inherit the actual property. He also took 400 slaves to intercept Jacob in the middle of the road, showing off his power. However, his values kept him out of the promised land that God had promised. In the end, Esau moved to Edom, built his own home, started a new business, and tossed out a family system of his own. Edom worked very hard to till and reap the eventual destruction and demise.
Second, pride and flesh would pay a price. Pride and flesh have haunted Esau and his descendants since his birth. When he asked Jacob for red bean soup, he despised God’s grace and blessing out of pride! When he learned that Jacob deceived his father and robbed him of his blessing, he felt desperate, but at the same time he showed self-defeating! It shows that he is not God-centered and God-driven in his heart. The ultimate concern in his heart is until Isaac, and even regards Isaac as God and the final judgment on whether his life is blessed or not! When he heard that his younger brother was back, He invited a group of people on the way to make a punitive expedition against his brother. However, Jacob’s long-prepared gift once again defeated his flesh and pride. In the end, because Edom cast stones on Israel, both Teman and Bosra were destroyed, and the Edomites were eventually replaced by the Nabataeans of the East. Russia also brazenly launched a war because of pride and flesh. What will be their outcome?
Finally, evil deeds got punished. Esau’s life is characterized by impulsiveness and brutality, and is portrayed by impulsiveness and recklessness. Jacob and Rebekah conspired to defraud Isaac, of course this is wrong! They do pay the price and suffer the consequences in the future. However, this does not mean that you, Esau, have the authority to kill your brother! You can pray, you can talk to God! However, Esau’s heart and mind were full of evil, and his pattern of conduct was habitually evil. This is also why some people say that you can see people’s true colors after drinking, and that’s what they meant. They have come to this point, and they are unwilling to repent, then there is only one underworld left to go to the end! God’s curse will surely be punished on him!
Conclusion
Well, thank the Lord! That’s it for today’s sermon “ judgment on Edom”! Pray for God to help us take history as a mirror, and be gracious and merciful in our hearts to triumph over judgment!
Let us pray……
Amos 1:11-12
11 This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Edom, even for four, I will not relent. Because he pursued his brother with a sword and slaughtered the women of the land, because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked,
12 I will send fire on Teman that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.”
