The Hate That Hate Produced Text: Ezekiel 35:1-15
Introduction: The Grammar of Grudges
There are certain animosities in this world that run so deep they seem to be woven into the fabric of the earth itself. They are not fleeting disagreements or temporary rivalries; they are what the Bible here calls "everlasting enmity." These are covenantal hatreds, passed down from one generation to the next, nursed and cultivated like a poisonous vine. And the premier example of this in all of Scripture is the bitter, blood-soaked history between Israel and Edom.
This is not just some obscure, dusty history lesson about tribal conflicts in the ancient Near East. This is a living principle. The spirit of Edom is very much alive and well. To understand Edom, you have to go back to the beginning, back to two brothers wrestling in the womb of their mother, Rebekah. Jacob and Esau. God had made His choice clear: "the older shall serve the younger." But Esau, the elder, never accepted this. He despised his birthright, selling it for a bowl of stew, and then wept bitter tears when he realized what he had thrown away. That bitterness curdled into a murderous hatred for his brother Jacob, who became Israel.
And that hatred became the national identity of his descendants, the Edomites. Mount Seir is another name for Edom. Throughout the Old Testament, whenever Israel is in trouble, you can be sure to find Edom on the sidelines, gloating, jeering, and if possible, kicking them when they are down. When Babylon came and sacked Jerusalem, a disaster of epic proportions for God's people, Edom was there. The prophet Obadiah tells us they stood aloof, they rejoiced, they looted, and they even cut off the Israelite refugees who were trying to escape the slaughter. They were the brother who held the victim's arms while the bully punched him in the face.
In Ezekiel 35, God turns His face toward Mount Seir. Up to this point, Ezekiel has been prophesying judgment against Israel and the surrounding pagan nations. But this prophecy is different. It is intensely personal. This is a family matter. God is settling a blood feud on behalf of His people. And in so doing, He reveals a foundational principle of His government of the world: the principle of lex talionis, the law of retaliation. As you have done, it shall be done to you. The measure you use will be measured back to you. God is a God of perfect, symmetrical justice. The judgment always fits the crime. Edom loved violence, gloated over bloodshed, and sought to possess what was not theirs. And so, God promises to give them exactly what they wanted, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
The Text
Moreover, the word of Yahweh came to me saying, “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it and say to it, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, And I will stretch out My hand against you And make you a desolation and a desecration. I will lay waste your cities, And you will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. Because you have had everlasting enmity and have delivered the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their disaster, at the time of the punishment of the end, therefore as I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will prepare you for bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you; you surely have not hated bloodshed, so bloodshed will pursue you. I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation, and I will cut off from it the one who passes through and returns. I will fill its mountains with its slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those slain by the sword will fall. I will make you an everlasting desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two lands will be mine, and we will possess them,’ although Yahweh was there, therefore as I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will deal with you according to your anger and according to your jealousy which you dealt with them because of your hatred against them; so I will make Myself known among them when I judge you. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have heard all your contempt which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel saying, ‘They are laid desolate; they are given to us for food.’ And you have magnified yourselves with your mouth against Me and have multiplied your words against Me; I have heard it.” Thus says Lord Yahweh, “As all the earth delights, I will make you a desolation. As you delighted over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so I will do to you. You will be a desolation, O Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.” ’ (Ezekiel 35:1-15 LSB)
Divine Opposition (v. 1-4)
The prophecy begins with a formal and terrifying declaration of war from the sovereign of the universe.
"Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it and say to it, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, And I will stretch out My hand against you And make you a desolation and a desecration. I will lay waste your cities, And you will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am Yahweh." (Ezekiel 35:1-4)
When a prophet was told to "set his face" against someone, it was a sign of resolute, unyielding opposition. There is no negotiation here, no offer of truce. God is not sending a diplomat; He is sending a herald to announce a verdict that has already been reached. And the verdict is simple: "Behold, I am against you." There can be no more terrifying words in all of existence. To have your neighbor against you is a problem. To have a king against you is a crisis. But to have the Lord Yahweh, the creator of heaven and earth, against you is the definition of utter ruin.
Notice the repetition. "Desolation and a desecration... lay waste your cities... you will become a desolation." God is piling up the language of utter destruction. Edom was a proud nation, famous for its rock-hewn cities like Petra, seemingly impregnable. They trusted in their geography and their wisdom. But God says He will stretch out His hand, an anthropomorphism for His irresistible power, and He will unmake their world. Their cities will be ruins, their land a wasteland.
And it all culminates in that great refrain of Ezekiel: "Then you will know that I am Yahweh." This phrase appears over sixty times in the book. It is the ultimate purpose of all God's actions, both in salvation and in judgment. God is making a name for Himself. People can come to know God in one of two ways. They can know Him as their Savior, through faith and repentance, and marvel at His grace. Or they can know Him as their Judge, through bitter experience, and be crushed by His power. Either way, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. Edom will learn who Yahweh is, not by reading a scroll in a synagogue, but by watching their civilization crumble into dust under His righteous hand.
The Indictment: Covenantal Malice (v. 5-9)
God is not an arbitrary tyrant. His judgments are always based on a righteous indictment. Here, He lays out the charge sheet against Edom.
"Because you have had everlasting enmity and have delivered the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their disaster, at the time of the punishment of the end, therefore as I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will prepare you for bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you; you surely have not hated bloodshed, so bloodshed will pursue you... I will make you an everlasting desolation... Then you will know that I am Yahweh." (Ezekiel 35:5-9)
"Everlasting enmity." This was not a passing spat. This was a deep-seated, generational hatred rooted in Esau's rebellion against God's elective purpose. It's a family hatred, which is always the most bitter kind. And this hatred was not passive. It was active. They "delivered the sons of Israel to the power of the sword." This refers to their treachery when Jerusalem fell. They were accomplices to murder.
They did this "at the time of their disaster." This is the key. They were opportunistic predators. They saw their brother bleeding on the road and instead of helping, they rifled through his pockets. This is a profound offense to God, who identifies with His people in their suffering. To strike God's people is to strike God. As Jesus would later say, "inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."
And so, the sentence is pronounced with a divine oath, "as I live." This is the most solemn formula possible. God swears by His own existence that this judgment is certain. And the judgment is a perfect poetic justice. "I will prepare you for bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you." The Hebrew here is a masterful play on words. Edom sounds like the Hebrew word for "red," and their land was known for its red sandstone. But God says their red land will be made redder still with their own blood. The next line is dripping with irony: "you surely have not hated bloodshed, so bloodshed will pursue you." You loved watching Israel bleed, so now you will get to watch your own sons bleed. Blood will be like a relentless hound, chasing you down in your famously secure mountain fortresses. No one will escape. The mountains, hills, valleys, and ravines will be filled with the slain. The desolation will be "everlasting." Just as their enmity was everlasting, so their punishment will be.
The Root of the Sin: Arrogant Greed (v. 10-13)
God now digs down to the root motivation behind Edom's hatred. It was not just malice; it was covetousness and blasphemous pride.
"Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two lands will be mine, and we will possess them,’ although Yahweh was there... I will deal with you according to your anger and according to your jealousy... you have magnified yourselves with your mouth against Me... I have heard it." (Ezekiel 35:10-13)
Edom saw Israel's collapse as a real estate opportunity. With Israel and Judah gone, they thought they could just move in and claim the inheritance. "These two lands will be mine." But there was a fatal miscalculation in their plan, summed up in three devastating words: "although Yahweh was there." They saw an empty land, but they were blind to the unseen reality. They forgot that the land belonged to Yahweh. He had given it to Israel as a covenant possession. To try and seize it was to try and steal from God Himself. They acted as though God was dead, or had been evicted along with His people.
This is the essence of practical atheism. It is not denying God's existence with your lips, but denying His presence and authority with your actions. Edom's anger, jealousy, and hatred were ultimately directed at the God who had chosen Jacob over Esau. Their contempt for the "mountains of Israel" was contempt for the God of Israel. When they said, "They are laid desolate; they are given to us for food," they were speaking against God. "You have magnified yourselves with your mouth against Me." Their political maneuvering was blasphemy.
And God's response is chilling in its simplicity: "I have heard it." Nothing is hidden. Every boastful word, every contemptuous sneer, every secret plan hatched in the councils of Edom was recorded in heaven. God hears. And what God hears, God judges.
The Final Verdict: Symmetrical Justice (v. 14-15)
The prophecy concludes by summarizing the foundational principle of God's judgment: the law of righteous retaliation.
"Thus says Lord Yahweh, “As all the earth delights, I will make you a desolation. As you delighted over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so I will do to you. You will be a desolation, O Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”" (Ezekiel 35:14-15)
Here is the principle in its stark clarity. "As you delighted... so I will do to you." You took joy in the destruction of God's people. Now, the whole world will take joy in your destruction. This is not cosmic karma; this is the personal, righteous judgment of a holy God. When a wicked and predatory nation is brought down, it is a cause for celebration for the righteous. The fall of Babylon is met with alleluias in heaven. The removal of a tyrant is a relief to the oppressed.
Edom's sin was schadenfreude, taking pleasure in the misfortune of others. And not just any others, but their brother. Their delight in Israel's desolation was a delight in the apparent failure of God's covenant promises. Therefore, God would make their desolation the object of the world's delight. The judgment is total: "O Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it." There will be no remnant, no survivors. Historically, this was fulfilled. The Edomites were eventually pushed out of their land, became known as the Idumeans, and were ultimately absorbed and disappeared from history. Their everlasting hatred resulted in an everlasting desolation.
Conclusion: The Spirit of Edom Today
This is a hard chapter. But we must not read it as though it were merely a record of an ancient grudge match. The spirit of Edom is a perennial temptation for the fallen human heart. The spirit of Edom is that bitter, envious, resentful hatred for God's elect and God's election.
It is the spirit of Cain, who hated Abel because his sacrifice was accepted. It is the spirit of the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son, who was angry and resentful at the grace shown to his repentant sibling. It is the spirit that sneers at the church, that rejoices when a pastor falls, that delights in the struggles of God's people, that sees the church's weakness as an opportunity to seize its cultural inheritance.
Whenever you see the world gloating over the church's troubles, you are seeing the spirit of Edom. Whenever you hear the argument that because the church has failed here or there, its claims should be dismissed and its property confiscated for the public good, you are hearing the voice of Mount Seir saying, "They are laid desolate; they are given to us for food."
But they always make the same fatal miscalculation. They forget the three crucial words: "although Yahweh was there." The church may look desolate. It may be exiled in a hostile culture. But Yahweh is in her midst. And He hears every word of contempt spoken against His bride. He is jealous for His people and for His inheritance.
The warning to the world is clear: as you do to the church, so God will do to you. If you bless her, you will be blessed. If you curse her, you will be cursed. But the comfort for the church is just as clear. God is our vindicator. Vengeance is His, and He will repay. We do not need to nurse our own grudges or seek our own revenge. We are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Why? Because we can trust our cause to the God who sets His face against Mount Seir, the God who hears everything, the God who will, in His perfect time, make all things right, so that all the world will know that He is Yahweh.