Let Go Of That Grudge

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 35:1-9.  Let’s go!

Ezekiel 35:1-9 (NIV) 
¹  The word of the LORD came to me:
²  “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir; prophesy against it
³  and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolate waste.
⁴  I will turn your towns into ruins and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
⁵  “‘Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity, the time their punishment reached its climax,
⁶  therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you.
⁷  I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and cut off from it all who come and go.
⁸  I will fill your mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines.
⁹  I will make you desolate forever; your towns will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

On verses 1-9:  In these verses the Lord gives Ezekiel a message for the nation of Edom, whose nickname is “Mount Seir”.  The message is that because the nation of Edom, who “harboured an ancient hostility” (v5) against the Israelites.  What ancient hostility is the Lord referring to here?  Keep in mind that the founding father of Edom was Esau while the founding father of the nation of Israel was Jacob, Esau’s twin brother.  Esau and Jacob had one of the most infamously hostile sibling rivalries in the Bible.  This hostility would be passed down from generation to generation after Esau and Jacob, leading to a bitter rivalry between two nations, the Edomites and the Israelites.  Because of the grudge that the Edomites harboured toward the Israelites, the Edomites “delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity” (v5).  In response to harbouring this grudge, God would give the nation of Edom over to bloodshed as well (v6), turning Edom into a desolate waste (v7), not to be inhabited again (v9).

What can we learn from this?  Do you hold “an ancient hostility” or a grudge against someone?  Often we think that, by holding a grudge (an “ancient hostility”), we can punish that person who hurt us and hurt them back by not forgiving.  In reality, however, whenever we hold a grudge against someone, often it is we who end up suffering more than anyone else.  As the saying goes, holding a grudge and staying bitter is like you drinking poison and expecting the person you’re mad at to die from the poison.

You can’t hold a grudge against someone without hurting yourself significantly in the process.  Like the nation of Edom, when you hold a grudge against someone, your life eventually becomes “desolate” (i.e. dismal and empty) and “uninhabited” (i.e. devoid of life, joy, and hope).

Instead of hanging on to that ancient hostility, the much better, healthier thing to do is to ask God to help you to let go of the grudge and to forgive.  In doing so, you allow new life to fill you and those around you.  Is there someone you need to forgive?  Is there a grudge you need to let go of?  God is here to help you forgive and let go of the grudge.  Ask for His help today.

Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me today that I can’t hold a grudge without hurting myself badly in the process.  I don’t want my life to be desolate, dismal and empty due to unforgiveness.  I want Your love to fill my life.  So please help me to let go of every grudge and to forgive those who hurt me.  Thank You that in letting go of grudges, I’m setting myself free in the process.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!