“therefore as surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, I will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them and will make myself known among them when I judge you.”
~ Ezekiel 35:11
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you really, really dislike another kid? Do you really, really wish that you could have what another kid has? What if that kid that you really, really dislike is your twin bro? What if the things that you really, really wish that you could have, your twin bro took from you? Esau and Jacob were twins. Esau was born seconds ahead of Jacob. Because Esau was born before Jacob – and because they did not have any older bros, Esau was to get when his dad was about to die a special hands-on blessing from his dad and double of everything that Jacob would get from their family belongings when his dad died. Conniving Jacob – who would become the patriarch of God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, did a number on his older bro when years before their dad died, Esau for a bowl of porridge ‘sold’ to Jacob what was called a birthright or the oldest bro’s right for getting the hands-on blessing from his dad and for getting the double portion of all the family belongings or inheritance at the time of his dad’s death. The day that Esau ‘sold’ his birthright to Jacob, Esau returned from a hunting trip. Esau was really, really hungry when he got back home. When Esau saw that Jacob was fixing porridge, Esau asked Jacob if he could have a bowl of the porridge. In just one selfish moment, history was altered when Esau agreed to hand over to Jacob his right to the family birthright for a bowl of porridge. When Isaac died – after his wife Rebecca helped to trick him into giving Jacob his hands-on blessing, Jacob got the right to a double portion of his family’s land which would become years later the land where God would lead His specially chosen guys and gals into to always have to live in as their very own land if . . .
How do you think that Esau felt after he realized that his kid bro had ended up – instead of him, with the right to a double portion of all of his dad’s assets after his dad died.? Esau was really, really mad at his kid bro. Jacob had to literally run for his life. Esau also left the place where he grew up as a kid. Esau went to a place to live that would be given the name Mount Seir. Seir means a hairy, shaggy place that is covered with trees. Esau was a hairy, shaggy guy. Mount Seir was probably named after Esau’s appearance although there were in the Mount Seir area a lot of hairy, shaggy goats. The Mount Seir area became known as Edom and the guys and gals who lived in Edom’s land area – who were Esau’s descendants, became known as Edomites. Edom’s land area was very mountainous. Edom’s land area was located on both sides of the Arabah Valley. Beginning at the southern tip of the Salt Sea, Edom’s land area went north to south for about 100 miles to Moab’s land area – which would be overrun and conquered by the Israelite people group’s guys and which would be later allotted by lot to the Judah tribal clan’s guys and gals, and ended at the northern tip of the Red Sea’s right finger. The Edomite people group’s guys, gals and kids lived in mountain caves. Edom’s land area was very inhospitable. Saudi Arabia years ago swallowed up the eastern side of the Arabah Valley while Israel’s present day land area edges the western side of the Arabah Valley.
How do you think that Esau’s descendants have felt over the years towards Jacob’s descendants? Esau and Jacob were born almost exactly 4000 years ago. Your grandpaa can understand why Esau would have gotten really, really angry with his kid bro for what he did – and why he would stay really, really angry. Your grandpaa thinks that Jacob probably felt some guilt for what he did. It seems though to your grandpaa that Esau’s descendants have never been able to put behind them what Jacob did to Esau when Jacob – using a bowl of porridge, hoodwinked Esau into giving him their family’s birthright – that Esau’s descendants are being born into a preconditioned ethos that is filled with extreme distrust, bitterness, and hatred against Jacob’s descendants – who are the Israelite people group’s guys and gals. It seems to your grandpaa that Jacob’s descendants have always been willing to give Esau’s descendants a pass to live in their land area. Jacob’s descendants today are allowing Esau’s descendants – who are Arabs, to live in their land area. God has not been as ready to give Esau’s descendants a pass. God the Spirit had Ezekiel – who was one of God’s prophet spokesmen, record in what is now Ezekiel 35 the plans that He has to completely devastate Mount Seir because of what Esau’s descendants did to God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, as they were on their way to the land that God had told them that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . . , and what they did in 586 B.C when the Edomite people group’s guys looted the city of Jerusalem as God was having a good number of His specially chosen guys and gals taken away by the army of an enemy nation because of their refusal to obey His explicit instructions to worship only Him. God the Spirit prompted Ezekiel to write in what is now verse 11 how God the Father felt about the Edomite people group’s guys and gals, “therefore as surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, I will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them and will make myself known among them when I judge you.” Your grandpaa has three kid bros. Your grandpaa has never gotten crosswise with any of his bros. Knowing what took place 4000 or so years ago between Esau and Jacob because of Jacob’s inappropriate desires and Esau’s nonchalant attitude about life and the way that two people groups of guys and gals today – with the Arab nations having an imbedded, rooted distrust, bitterness and hatred against the Israelite nation, your grandpaa is very glad that he is not crosswise with any of his bros. God is still defending His specially chosen guys and gals from Esau’s descendants.
Ezekiel 35 (442)