As Malachi the prophet
shared the “burden of the word of the Lord” with Israel,
he began by telling them the Lord loved them. Proof of God's love was
that He chose Jacob over Esau, and the Lord's destruction of Esau was
a demonstration of it. In chapter one and verse four of the prophecy
of Malachi, God shares Esau or Edom's rebellion against him after
their destruction and His response to their dissent where we read:
Whereas Edom said, We
are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places;
therefore says the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw
down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The
people against whom the LORD has indignation for ever.
The
verse begins, “Whereas Edom said, We are impoverished,
but we will return and build the desolate places;” “Edom”
which means “red” became the name for “Esau”
after he sold his birth-rite to his brother Jacob (See Genesis
chapter twenty-five). We are told Edom reacted to their destruction
by declaring “we are impoverished”
which means “beat down or shattered”. They purposed with resolve
to “return and build the desolate places”
or their “place laid waste, ruin, waste, and desolation”. Though
the Lord was ultimately behind their devastation, Edom or Esau
believed they could rebuild and make a place for themselves again.
The
verse goes on to say,”therefore says the LORD of hosts,
They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them,
The border of wickedness,...” In
reaction to Edom's resolve, the “Lord of Hosts”
declared, “they shall build, but I will throw down”
which means “tear down, break down, overthrow, beat down, break,
break through, destroy, pluck down, pull down, throw down, or ruin”
any efforts they make. Their destruction will be so great that those
who look upon them will call them “the border of
wickedness” which means “the
territory or region of guilt and unrighteousness”.
Finally
the verse says, “and, The people against whom the LORD
has indignation for ever.” Not
only would people refer to Edom as “the boarder of
wickedness” but they will also
deem them as “the people against whom the Lord has
“indignation” or “denounced,
abhorred, cursed and shown anger” “for ever”.
There would be no time in the future where the Lord would alter His
“indignation”
against Edom. In other words, the fate of Edom or Esau was final, and
there would be no place of repentance for them ever again.
If
we take the time to think about these words of the Lord as recorded
by Malachi the prophet, we cannot help but wonder if there are those
in the world who align themselves with the same position as Edom.
Have they been so rebellious against the Lord that no matter what
destruction and rebuilding they endure, the Lord's “indignation”
will be against them? As we ponder this idea, let us keep in mind
that this is proof of the Lord's love for Israel. Though Israel has
been rebellious, yet the Heavenly Father loves them still, and though
they were often far from Him in relationship, He demonstrated His
care for them over and over again. If there are any lessons in these
words, they are to align ourselves with the Lord no matter what
happens in our lives lest we too be called “the boarder
of wickedness” and “the
people against whom the LORD has indignation for ever”.
Next
time we will see further proof of God's love for Israel,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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