I confess: sometimes when people drive rudely around me, I hope to see them on the side of the road stalled with engine failure, or in a ditch somewhere after losing control, or climbing out of their car after crashing into a bridge abutment. I confess: sometimes I wish evil on the people I see racing on Houston freeways after dark. I don’t want them killed. But have I been happy to see someone getting pulled over by a police officer? Yes. Yes, I have.
Signs all over town direct us to “DRIVE FRIENDLY.”
And it convicts me. My driving may be friendly enough, but how often am I sitting in my car giving some other driver a lecture that only I can hear. Is that friendly? Is it Christlike? What does God think about my devious hopes for bad luck and bad consequences to fall on other drivers?
In the book of Ezekiel, God punished the neighboring nations that rejoiced when things went badly for Israel. If Judah was in trouble and you celebrated, God punished you.
God did not merely punish nations that CAUSED Israel’s problems. He punished the nations that were happy about it.
“Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Lord God … Because you said, ‘Good!’ about My sanctuary when it was desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was laid waste, and about the house of Judah when they went into exile, therefore I am about to give you to the people of the east as a possession.” Ezekiel 25:3-4.
What did the Ammonites do wrong? They said, ‘Good!’ when Israel and Judah suffered. Next, God pronounced judgment on Moab:
“Because Moab and Seir said, ‘Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations,’ therefore I am about to expose Moab’s flank….’” Ezekiel 25:8-9.
What did Moab do wrong? They said ‘Hey, Judah’s just like us now.’ Next, God pronounced judgment on Tyre:
“Because Tyre said about Jerusalem, ‘Good! … I will be filled now that she lies in ruins.’ Therefore the Lord God says, ‘I am against you, Tyre’” Ezekiel 26:2-3.
Do you see what’s going on here? God is punishing people because their heart was not in the right place. We know He loves Israel. The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem in Psalm 122:6. But we are also to love our neighbors, Mark 12:31. We are to love the foreigner who lives among us, Leviticus 19:33. We are to love the poor, Proverbs 21:13. And Jesus takes it even further: we are to love our enemies, Matthew 5:44 (even the rude drivers).
God, you know our hearts. Show us how to love others the way YOU love them. Help us forgive and love and sacrifice for others. Show us how we can bless the less fortunate all around us without judging them for the decisions that made them ‘less fortunate.’ Make us more like You, Jesus.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 