How do we handle and curb the violent human urge for revenge?
Primal and brutal, private or public, ancient and terrifyingly current - - the urge to pay back, an eye for an eye is at the core of our civilization and requires all the skills of justice-based humanity to better understand, overcome, deal with and heal.
This complex process begins with facing honestly just where and how these vengeful voices exist within the fabric of our culture - and then how to respond.
For those of us whose origins include the biblical narratives - there is a lot of work to do.
Like others before and after him, Ezekiel is in the midst of a national disaster that brings up the most traumatic aspects of survival. And like other prophets - he too calls upon the divine to execute revenge on the enemies of his people.
As we’ve seen with Jeremiah - there is a big difference between asking God to intervene - and taking this responsibility on. Ezekiel has no capacity to call for arms - but he does echo the desire for revenge - not necessarily against the Babylonians who are in charge - it won’t be wise to speak up against them. But he does want revenge against the other regional neighbors who either took part in Jerusalem’s destruction or - stood by to watch, with either apathy or scorn.
Then, like now, Jerusalem is not an island - visible and less than visible ties connect its fate to all its neighbors - some of whom are flesh and blood family, some more friendly, and some foes.
Midway through his book of visions, Ezekiel offers a literary transition -- as he looks beyond the plight of Judah to address the neighborhood.
Like Jeremiah and Isaiah before him he targets each of the local nations - with bitter prophecies that predict their eventual decline as well. Some of these condemnations have to do with political foresight -- but some of them echo the terrible taste of revenge.
Chapter 25 begins this series, and includes brief prophecies about the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites and Philistines - each of these engaged in lengthy historical relationships with Israel. The transition between the first and second parts of the book is indirectly expressed through the content of the first prophecy - upon Ammon. Ezekiel responds to this nation’s glee over Judah’s fall - and promises them a similar fate.
But it’s the nation of Edom that gets the harshest vision, dripping with rage and a call for revenge:
כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה יַ֣עַן עֲשׂ֥וֹת אֱד֛וֹם בִּנְקֹ֥ם נָקָ֖ם לְבֵ֣ית יְהוּדָ֑ה וַיֶּאְשְׁמ֥וּ אָשׁ֖וֹם וְנִקְּמ֥וּ בָהֶֽם.. וְנָתַתִּ֨י אֶת־נִקְמָתִ֜י בֶּאֱד֗וֹם בְּיַד֙ עַמִּ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְעָשׂ֣וּ בֶאֱד֔וֹם כְּאַפִּ֖י וְכַחֲמָתִ֑י וְיָֽדְעוּ֙ אֶת־נִקְמָתִ֔י נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יֱהֹוִֽה׃
YHWH spoke: Edom acted vengefully against the House of Judah and incurred guilt by wreaking revenge upon it ---
Ezekiel 25:13
Why is Edom so singled out for vengeance?
Unlike some of the other nations mentioned earlier in the chapter, who gloated over Judah’s tragic fate - Edom joined the Babylonians as an ally and played an active role in the burning of Jerusalem. Echoes of this historical pain can be heard in Psalm 137:7: “Recall, O God, the Edomites, on the last day of Jerusalem, who cried ‘raze it, raze it’ to its very foundation.”
And unlike the other nations whose fate will be found in the hands of the divine, Ezekiel, on YHWH’s behalf, wishes for the revenge to be enacted, one day, by the people themselves:
וְנָתַתִּ֨י אֶת־נִקְמָתִ֜י בֶּאֱד֗וֹם בְּיַד֙ עַמִּ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְעָשׂ֣וּ בֶאֱד֔וֹם כְּאַפִּ֖י וְכַחֲמָתִ֑י
I will wreak My vengeance on Edom through My people Israel, and they shall take action against Edom in accordance with My blazing anger;
Ezekiel 25:14
The mythic origin of Edom, of course, hails back to Genesis - where Esau and Jacob began to wrestle over legacy and land. But it will span myth, across both sides of the Jordan river with historical and political data now proving that these two nations share an origin - with their territorial tensions erupting into wars for centuries prior to this twist in the plot, circa 6th century BCE.
The Edomite-Judean saga is far from over, and will echo on through the coming chapters of the bible, and into today’s headlines, calling on us to pay attention, notice where the hurt and call for revenge come from -- and how, with the gift of perspective - we can begin to challenge these ancient narratives, and hopefully - begin to heal.
But hang on to the hopes for peace summits. Three more chapters await us with Ezekiel’s scornful words against the northern neighbor - the Phonecian capital of Tyre is next on his (conceptual) hit list.
Ezekiel & The Eternal Flame
Join me on December 6 2023, 5pm ET to prepare for Hanukkah as we explore the surprising links between Ezekiel’s prophetic parables, this political moment and a children’s toy that hides the secret to what Hanukkah is all about.
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