https://literalword.com/esv?q=Ezekiel+35
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 8 October 2026:
Ezekiel 35 turns from the promise of the Good Shepherd in chapter 34 to God’s judgment against Mount Seir, representing Edom. The central issue is more than hostility between neighboring nations. Edom allowed an ancient grievance to become lasting hatred, rejoiced over Judah’s suffering, and sought to profit from its destruction. God exposes what happens when resentment is cherished rather than surrendered: it begins to shape how we see other people, interpret their circumstances, and justify our own actions.
Ezekiel 35:1-4 — The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it, and say to it, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you, and I will make you a desolation and a waste. I will lay your cities waste, and you shall become a desolation, and you shall know that I am the LORD.
Mount Seir was the mountainous homeland of Edom, descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother. The hostility between these peoples had deep roots, but their shared ancestry made Edom’s conduct especially grievous. When Jerusalem fell, Edom did not respond with compassion toward a suffering brother nation. Instead, it welcomed Judah’s destruction and saw an opportunity for its own advancement (Obadiah 10-14).
God’s declaration, “I am against you,” is sobering. Edom may have viewed its actions through the lens of historical grievances and national interests, but God judged them according to His righteousness. A long history of conflict does not give us permission to abandon love, justice, or mercy. Jesus commands us to love even our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). This does not mean ignoring evil or refusing to pursue justice. It means refusing to let another person’s wrongdoing determine the condition of our own hearts. Are there people whose past actions have become your justification for attitudes or behavior that Christ would never approve?
Ezekiel 35:5-6 — Because you cherished perpetual enmity and gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment, therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; because you did not hate bloodshed, therefore blood shall pursue you.
The phrase “cherished perpetual enmity” exposes the heart of Edom’s sin. This was not merely a moment of anger. Hatred had become something Edom preserved, cultivated, and carried forward. The people had allowed an old conflict to become part of their identity, until the suffering of their neighbors seemed justified and even desirable.
Resentment often develops this way. We rehearse an offense, revisit the injustice, and gradually become more committed to our grievance than to reconciliation. We may continue to believe we are simply defending what is right, while bitterness is quietly changing what we love and what we are willing to do. Scripture warns us to let no root of bitterness grow up and cause trouble (Hebrews 12:15). Paul commands believers to put away bitterness, wrath, and malice, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:31-32).
- Ephesians 4:31-32 — Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
The Gospel gives us both the reason and the power to obey in love. Jesus did not wait until we stopped being His enemies before loving us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8), and through His death we who were enemies have been reconciled to God (Romans 5:10). Forgiveness does not require pretending the offense was harmless, eliminating appropriate boundaries, or abandoning justice. It means surrendering our claim to personal vengeance and refusing to nurture hatred. When we remember how much mercy we have received, we become increasingly willing to extend mercy to others. Is there a grievance you have kept alive so long that releasing it now feels like surrendering something you believe you deserve?
Ezekiel 35:7-9 — I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation, and I will cut off from it all who come and go…. I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities shall not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
Edom had celebrated Judah’s devastation, but now God announces that Edom itself will experience devastation. The nation that delighted in another’s vulnerability would discover its own. This is not simply a warning that evil actions eventually produce unpleasant consequences. It reveals the righteous judgment of a God who sees injustice, defends those who are mistreated, and holds nations as well as individuals accountable.
There is a recurring pattern throughout Scripture in which God judges people according to the way they have treated others. Jesus taught, “For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). He also warned that those who refuse to forgive others should not presume upon God’s forgiveness (Matthew 6:14-15), and taught us to treat others as we would want to be treated (Matthew 7:12). James reminds us that “judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy” (James 2:13). Paul states the same principle more broadly: “whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). These are not promises that every wrong will be repaid in exactly the same way during this life, nor do they mean we earn God’s mercy by showing mercy. Rather, they reveal God’s righteous character and the seriousness with which He regards our treatment of others. We cannot knowingly cultivate cruelty, bitterness, and unforgiveness while presuming that God will overlook those same attitudes in us. The mercy we extend to others should reflect the mercy we have already received through Christ.
There is also a warning here against confusing God’s patience with His approval. Edom’s hostility had continued for generations, but the passage of time had not made its conduct acceptable. Peter reminds us that the Lord’s patience is an opportunity for repentance, not evidence that judgment will never come (2 Peter 3:9). We should therefore examine not only obvious sins but attitudes we have tolerated for years because nothing has forced us to confront them. Are you treating others with the same mercy, patience, forgiveness, and grace you ask God to extend to you? What have you allowed to become normal in your heart simply because God has been patient with you?
Ezekiel 35:10-11 — “Because you said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will take possession of them’ — although the LORD was there — therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will deal with you according to the anger and envy that you showed because of your hatred against them. And I will make myself known among them, when I judge you.
The words “although the LORD was there” are among the most important in the chapter. Edom looked at Israel’s devastated land and saw an opportunity to take possession. God saw something Edom had forgotten: His people and His purposes had not ceased to belong to Him. Jerusalem’s destruction did not mean God had abandoned His covenant or surrendered His authority.
This exposes a common failure of faith. We judge circumstances by what we can see and begin acting as though God is absent. When someone suffers, we may assume they have lost God’s favor. When someone succeeds, we may assume God approves of everything they are doing. When an opportunity appears, we may pursue it without asking whether it is right. Edom’s ambition was driven by anger, envy, and hatred, but it was justified by what seemed possible.
The Christian must learn to distinguish between an open opportunity and a God-honoring opportunity. Just because we can gain something does not mean we should. Paul teaches that we should look not only to our own interests but also to the interests of others, following the humility of Christ (Philippians 2:3-5). Jesus possessed all authority, yet He did not use His power to exploit the weak. He gave Himself for their salvation. Union with Christ increasingly changes not only what we pursue but why we pursue it. Are your ambitions governed by love and faithfulness to God, or have envy, competition, and personal advantage quietly become acceptable motivations?
Ezekiel 35:12-13 — And you shall know that I am the LORD. “I have heard all the revilings that you uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are laid desolate; they are given us to devour.’ And you magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and multiplied your words against me; I heard it.
Edom’s words reveal how completely hatred had distorted its understanding. The people spoke as though Israel’s suffering made the land theirs to consume. Yet God says their words against Israel were ultimately words against Him. They had failed to recognize that their treatment of His people mattered personally to the Lord.
Notice God’s repeated declaration: “I heard it.” Words spoken in arrogance, conversations celebrating another’s downfall, and private expressions of contempt are not hidden from Him. Jesus teaches that the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart (Luke 6:45). Our speech often exposes attitudes we have not been willing to acknowledge. Sarcasm, ridicule, gossip, and contempt may seem insignificant compared with outward acts of wrongdoing, but they can reveal a heart that has stopped loving its neighbor.
Christ calls us to something better than merely controlling our speech. He changes the heart from which our words come. As we abide in Him and increasingly understand His mercy toward us, we learn to speak about others with truth, humility, and compassion. This does not prevent us from identifying sin or confronting injustice. It changes the spirit in which we do so. What do your private conversations about people who have offended, opposed, or disappointed you reveal about the condition of your heart?
Ezekiel 35:14-15 — Thus says the Lord GOD: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so I will deal with you; you shall be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
The chapter ends by returning to Edom’s joy over Israel’s suffering. The nation had become so consumed with hostility that another people’s destruction was a reason to celebrate. God now announces that the judgment Edom welcomed for others will come upon Edom itself. This is a warning against the terrible condition of a heart that can no longer distinguish justice from personal satisfaction in another’s pain.
Scripture commands us, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls” (Proverbs 24:17), and Paul tells believers to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). These commands challenge our natural responses, particularly when the person suffering has wronged us. We may rightly desire justice and accountability, but there is a profound difference between wanting evil stopped and enjoying another person’s misery. One reflects God’s righteousness; the other may reveal that hatred has begun to govern our hearts.
Jesus gives us the clearest picture of God’s heart. As He approached Jerusalem, knowing the judgment that awaited the city, He wept over it (Luke 19:41-44). He did not delight in the destruction of those who rejected Him. And at the cross, He prayed for the forgiveness of those responsible for His crucifixion (Luke 23:34). The Gospel reveals both the seriousness of God’s judgment and the greatness of His mercy. We deserved judgment ourselves, yet Christ willingly bore the punishment for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God (1 Peter 3:18).
This changes how Christians should view even their enemies. We cannot stand before the cross, remembering the mercy we received, and comfortably nourish hatred toward those who need that same mercy. The more deeply we know Christ, the less satisfying another person’s downfall becomes and the more we desire their repentance and restoration. We can entrust justice to God because He judges perfectly, and we can extend mercy because He has shown us mercy beyond anything we deserved.
Ezekiel 35 ultimately asks whether we are allowing Christ to govern our response to those who have hurt us. Do we want justice because we love what is right, or because we want to see someone suffer? Have we confused holding someone accountable with refusing to forgive them? Are we becoming more like the Savior who loved His enemies, or more like Edom, whose identity became inseparable from its grievances?
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 8 October 2026: Identify one person toward whom you still carry resentment, bitterness, or a desire to see them fail. Today, spend five minutes praying specifically for that person’s repentance, spiritual good, and blessing according to God’s will. Ask Christ to expose any hatred you have justified and to give you His heart toward that person.
Pray: “Father, You are perfectly just, and nothing escapes Your sight. Forgive me for the resentment, envy, and bitterness I have allowed to remain in my heart. Thank You that while I was Your enemy, Jesus loved me and gave His life to reconcile me to You. Teach me to entrust justice to Your hands, to forgive as I have been forgiven, and to desire the repentance and restoration of others rather than their downfall. By Your Spirit, free me from cherished grievances and make my heart increasingly like Christ’s. Amen.”
