3rd March 2025

3rd March 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ezekiel 25:1-7)


Message (Alan Burke) 


This week we are thinking of the judgement of the Lord against Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia which speaks of the Lord’s pre-wrath wrath and his pre-judgement justice. What I mean by that is that they experienced the wrath and judgement of the Lord God in this life before they faced his wrath and judgement in the next life. The Lord’s own people faced his pre-wrath wrath, his pre-judgement justice and now the Lord through Ezekiel is telling of how the rebellious nations around them would also face his pre-wrath wrath, his pre-judgement justice. Sounds like just the message that you want to hear on a Monday morning doesn’t it? Ok maybe not but there are some things that we can take away from this that will hopefully be of benefit in our daily walk with the Lord for while we are not Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites or Philistines there is nonetheless things we can learn for ourselves from this. 


Today we are going to just focus on the judgement of the Lord against the Ammonites. You’re not going to have heard about the Ammonites on the BBC or GB News that is because they have been reconciled to the pages of history because of the Lord’s pre-wrath wrath, his pre-judgement justice. The Ammonites were descendants of Lot and his daughter. Genesis 19:30-38 gives us the account that explains that how they were decided from a man called Ben-Ammi. Without getting into the detail of what took place there we know that Ben-Ammi was a man whose father and grandfather were the same man. Lot’s younger daughter had a son to her father.


The Ammonites themselves were a people who were known for their idolatry. They worshiped Molek, and they sacrificed their children to him as their god. Sadly we know from the Lord’s judgement against his people in the book of Ezekiel that his people in their idolatry had worshiped Molek as one of their gods and did the same, they forsook the Lord their God (1 Kings 11:7 and v33). The Ammonites were also known for their cruelty, pride, their opposition to God’s people, they did not come to the aid of God’s people when in need (Deut 23:3-4) and they later became the enemies of Israel and Judah. 


Ezekiel is to say to them, the people of God in exile (3) “hear the word of the sovereign Lord”. He is making it clear to his people through his prophet that he is sovereign over not only the affairs of his people but of the nations. The Ammonites were facing the judgment of God because they had said “aha”, one that was filled with joy, delight at what had befallen on Judah and Jerusalem.


Now in regard to this, their celebration of the downfall of Judah, the people of God the temple Jerusalem et cetera, there's a sense that God was just bringing his judgement and the Ammonites celebration of the demise in sense of the wicked there's nothing wrong. What I mean by that is that we should all want to see the downfall of the wicked, God’s people were wicked and were judged by the Lord and for all of us we should all want to see an end of wickedness. It's not that Judah should've escaped the judgement of God that's not what we're being told here, rather the issue was the heart of the ammonite, their attitude and their actions.


The Ammonites were looking at Judah and delighting in what they faced without feeling the reflect on their own sin. For all of us, there's a point in this that we need to know, it's very easy to look at the consequences other people face for their sin and take a self righteous attitude. We should always remember it is but by the grace of God go I. We should also remember that none of us deserve anything but the Lord’s wrath and justice because of our sin. While that is what we deserve, the amazing grace of our Lord God is such that while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). The punishment that we deserve was placed up upon Jesus Christ so that we might escape what is due to us. Let us never rejoice in the consequences for sin that anyone faces, we should lament sin. Also marvel at the grace we have received as underserving sinners that we are. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q21. Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?
A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, for eve.