What lessons can we learn from God's judgment on the Ammonites? The Context: A Sneer that Echoed in Heaven “Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against My sanctuary when it was profaned… ” (Ezekiel 25:3) The Danger of Gloating Over Others’ Misfortune • God heard the Ammonites’ triumphant “Aha!” and called it sin. • Proverbs 24:17-18 warns, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls… the LORD will see and disapprove.” • Obadiah 12 repeats the same rebuke to Edom; the principle is universal. • Galatians 6:1-2 urges believers to restore the fallen “in a spirit of gentleness,” not relish their downfall. Lesson: Any delight in someone else’s collapse violates love and invites discipline. God Defends His People • Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.” The Ammonites positioned themselves on the wrong side of that promise. • Zechariah 2:8 calls Israel “the apple of His eye.” Touching her invites divine response. • Romans 12:19: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” He still reserves the right to intervene for His covenant people. Lesson: Aligning with God’s people aligns with God; opposing them opposes Him. Judgment Begins with Motive, Not Just Action • The Ammonites’ sin was a heart attitude—mockery—before any sword was raised. • 1 Samuel 16:7: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” • Jesus applies the same standard in Matthew 5:22, condemning anger that never becomes violence. Lesson: Hidden contempt is fully visible to God and subject to His evaluation. National Arrogance Invites Divine Retribution • Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction.” • Isaiah 10:12 shows the LORD punishing Assyria for boasting even while He used them as an instrument. Lesson: No nation, ancient or modern, enjoys immunity when pride replaces humility before God. Time Lags Do Not Equal Immunity • Decades passed between Ammon’s mockery and final judgment by Babylon. • 2 Peter 3:9 explains apparent delay: “The Lord is not slow… but is patient, not wanting anyone to perish.” • Nahum 1:3: “The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.” Lesson: Delayed judgment is mercy’s window, not God’s forgetfulness. God’s Sovereign Justice Reveals His Holiness • Psalm 99:4: “The strength of the King loves justice.” • Revelation 15:3 celebrates His “righteous acts” even in wrath. • Luke 12:5 reminds us whom to fear: “Fear Him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell.” Lesson: Divine judgment is not spiteful; it is the overflow of perfect holiness. Repentance Is Always the Better Road • Jeremiah 18:7-8 promises that if any nation repents, God “will relent of the disaster.” • 2 Chronicles 7:14 adds the same hope to God’s people. Lesson: Judgment passages are invitations: turn back, and wrath is exchanged for mercy. Taking It Home The Ammonites became a case study in how a smirk toward God’s people became a sentence from God Himself. Every sneer we nurse, every surge of national or personal pride, every assumption that delay equals escape—these receive fresh light under Ezekiel 25:3. Let their downfall steer us toward humility, compassion, and wholehearted alignment with the Lord who still “opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). |