was furious, and greatly abhorred Israel, so that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, . If said with just the right inflection, the word justice feels punitive. Covenants with God are inherently covenants with each other. And what was that? . The people may have, worshiping God through the required performances. It is placed between the book of Lamentations and the book of Daniel in the Old Testament Canon of Scripture. . God's punishment Finally, after so many years of warnings, God brought upon the people of Judah the judgment about which Moses spoke. Bible scholars say God's warnings in Ezekiel finally cured Israel of the sin of idolatry. And what was that? Israel's Punishment We live lives of justice, righteousness, and mercy. "Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Prepare to Meet Your God! In fact, I think a key indication that Israel felt like its adherence to sacrifices, rituals, feasts, and other religious practices was in-line with its covenant requirements is the very fact that Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah had to use such dramatic language to get Israels attention. And then verse 55, it says, but it didn't bring about fruit. whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."pleas help me guys i will report this tommorow Through her commercial power, the United States became the single richest nation that has ever existed. He makes and unmakes nations (II Chronicles 20:6; Daniel 4:17; Acts 17:26). (When the act of worship becomes more important than the purpose of worship, what I have previously called ecclesiolatry, we stray into potential idol worship, a practice many Hebrew Bible prophets condemn.) At the right time and for the right people, God will honor His unconditional promises to the patriarchs. Answer (1 of 4): If my memory serves me correctlyof the approx 2M Israelites, only about 3,000 odd participated is some sort of a drunken orgy fest. God gave the people specific instructions in order to be faithful to the Lord. Far less known are the ten times the released Israelites put God to the test in the days following their exodus. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? This deferment did not make Him unfaithful to the people, because His promises to them were conditional, based on their obedience to His revelation. Like mishpat, tzedeq connotes a social obligation. Although God always forgave his people, he also gave them consequences for their sinful actions. Even after all of the warnings from the Prophets, after receiving curse upon curse, Israel would NOT turn . . I will send him against an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets" (Isaiah 10:5-6). They have made a gold idol to be their god. And, apparently, Israel. This occurred between 1100 and 1000 BC or roughly 350 years after the original making of the covenant. The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. Faith Community Church3755 Washington Boulevard, Suite 201Fremont, CA 94538(408) 721-4900info@fccbay.org. The first of the Ten Commandmentssternly forbids it: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. And so in Isaiah, God talks about how he built a beautiful garden vineyard. The Diocese of Rochester In America 1868-1993, God punishes the Israelites for their sinfulness. And yet, multiple prophets challenged Israels adherence to the very laws and ordinances that were part of this prophetically-given covenant guide. Though, does a great deal to reach out and help those around us, there are always ways to improvesomething encouraged by, . That day, the seventeenth day of Tammuz, three thousand men of the children of Israel lost their lives, in punishment for their idolatry. What sort of pagan revelry did the Israelites indulge in (Exodus 32:6)? To whom much is given much is required (Luke 12:48). Many of us do not get it! The book of Ezekiel features one of the eeriest scenes in the Bible, a vision of God raising an army of dead men's bones from their graves and bringing them back to life (Ezekiel 37:1-14). Their desire for flesh was a desire springing up amidst abundance. Moses then struck the rock twice with his staff, and a huge amount of water began to flow. Isaiah 10:5-7 Easy-to-Read Version God Will Punish Assyria's Pride 5 The Lord says, "I will use Assyria like a stick. i am the light of the world. He determines their rise and fall and the times of dominance of every nation. The idolatry of the northern kingdom went on for nearly two centuries. . I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. The Northern 10 Tribes of Israel have disappeared, never to return. Stay up to date on the intersection of faith in the public square. did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them. "Introduction to the Book of Ezekiel." God is angry and will destroy the Israelites but Moses begs God to have mercy and remember His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob). Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around. According to the Bible, the commandment was originally given to the ancient Israelites by the Lord after they had escaped from slavery in Egypt, as described in the Book of Exodus. God Knew Israel's True Thoughts He knew that idolatry reached farther than just having an object on the mantle. 3. All Rights Reserved. Make a god for us!'. ", Because of their sins, as II Kings 17:18-20 indicates, God. John W. Ritenbaugh The covenant people, Israel, had profaned His name by their conduct among the other nations. Only in Amos (and only in one verse) is there any indication that Israel was not focused on worshiping God. And thus the next day, when the Israelites bring sacrifices before the calf, there can hardly be any misunderstanding: they are sacrificing to YHWH. Post-Christian Europe has transgressed even further. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them," says the Lord your God. Is God to blame because He exercises His authority, punishing to maintain order and to continue the advancement of His purpose in His creation? Oracles against Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, Egypt. Amos, a Jew from the southern kingdom, was sent by God to preach against the sins of the northern ten tribes. Second: Lions do not roar unless they have taken their prey because they do not want to scare their intended prey away. Books may be ordered directly from the author. When they came back 40 days later, 10 of the 12 scouts said that the Israelites were not strong enough to take the land from the inhabitants. During that period, Israel's sins continued to mount horribly. is characterized by the idea of proactively caring for those who are disadvantaged or pursuing communal flourishing, even when it comes at the expense of self-interest. Yosef Eisen, a noted historian and lecturer, tells the miraculous story and history of an eternal nation. The LORD wanted the people of Israel to show all of their neighbors the same deep fidelity and covenantal love which they had received from the LORD. These nations may look fine on the outside, but the cancer has spread from head to toe, and they have only so long before the disease proves fatal (Isaiah 1:5-6). God tacks it onto his upcoming deeds to explain the reason for the action. God was going to punish the evil doers - the wicked - for their evil deeds. 15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. His Spirit departed from Saul and a demon possessed Saul. The fact remains that, long before the attacks occurred, critics of American moralityAmericans themselveshave been calling upon their fellow citizens to change their immoral ways. Indeed, I think it is more likely that the people believed that they were doing things properly. A number of latter-day prophecies of various peoplesthe Edomites, for exampleforetell that God will make a complete end of them (Jeremiah 46:28). Or, as another example, if a member of the community had to sell their familys land or becomes subject to debt bondage a person who exercises. Their rise or fall is largely dependent upon His purpose for them and their significance in prophecy (e.g. Mercy: The word mercy is commonly used nowadays to capture the idea of being favored, often undeservedly so. God responds fiercely, sending venomous snakes, which immediately kill many complaining Israelites. Picking up where the question above leaves off, ] am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Corrupt or ambivalent leadership will no longer lead Israel astray; instead, the leaders will set the example of righteousness for the people to follow. DISINFECT COVID-19; OUR SYSTEM; GET FREE QUOTE; 888-584-6999; While Moses was on the mountain, the Israelites chose to make an idol for themselves and worship it even after hearing the ten commandments from God, seeing His power. That is to say: Israel understood itself as keeping the commandments. Thus, the problem Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah point to is not in regard to the revealed pattern of worship. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols., says simply: They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the L, Like Isaiah, Amos and Hosea portray the L, as more than just critiquing the act of worshipwith the Lord very clearly despising Israels feasts, refusing to accept (or even regard!) Our great privilege is to have access to Him and His Spirit, and therefore have a far closer relationship with Him than Israel ever had under the Old Covenant. We live lives of justice, righteousness, and mercy. We can infer that Amos did not choose to be there before them. But this time the peace and prosperity will last, because two factors will be different. People in high places are claiming we all worship the same God; they say the God of Islam and the God of Christianity are the same! In the time of Moses God made a contract (the Bible calls it a "covenant") with the people or nation of Israel, and initially they agreed to abide by it. In the New Testament, Paul declared of those who tried to make representations of God: "Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible manand birds and four-footed animals and creeping things" (Romans 1:22-23). that Israel was commanded to love and worship the L, to keep the Sinai teaching in their respective hearts, and that did not always happen. But God certainly knew about them. "Earth" here represents all aspects of His creationincluding manwhich He created for man. So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'". The measure for measure punishment for this was that there would now be an intermediary Angel guiding them instead of their being under direct guidance from God Himself. The Moabites had rejoiced in the overthrow and exile of the Jews, and they also should be overthrown and their land possessed by others. Exodus: New American Commentary by Douglas Stuart. 30 Dec . Someone is righteous when they follow the prophet and keep the commandments; these actions indicate their inward commitment. The word we translate as justice (or judgment or justly) comes from the Hebrew word, , in the Hebrew Bibleand as used by Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah in the verses abovereflects the idea of ensuring that the weakest members of society are protected from exploitation. As used by Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah. For instance, during some sort of civil dispute, a person who exercises mishpat will take the side of widows or orphans and defend them against those who are more powerful. II Kings 17:7-8 speaks of the sins of the Kingdom of Israel, up north: For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, . Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness (, But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream (, For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings (, He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (, My sense, especially in light of Ezekiel and Ezras view of the importance of Israels ritual practices referenced above, is that God is not rejecting Israels method of worship, nor is God (for the most part) impugning the motivation behind Israel keeping of the required sacrifices, rituals, feasts, and other religious practices. They joined because of their great respect for the God of Moses and the morality of Moses and his followers. Hesed is a love so deep it can always be trustedit is the type of love that is foundational to covenant relationships. 1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, "The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are blunted"? The patriarchs were, as God attests again and again, faithful. of the Sinaic teachings. (Ex 15:22), 2. On Israel's part, it is a complete rejection of her marriage vows; she wants her Benefactor and HusbandGodto have no say in her life, declaring herself free of Him and to be completely and totally a nation of this world, no longer the type of God's Kingdom on earth. The reason Moses became so concerned about the Israelites is that they have heard the Word. They have been flippantly careless and have no one to blame but themselves. God told them to "get rid of them idola. And, apparently, Israel was largely doing the things it had been asked to do. Religiously, they were trying to walk a tightrope between God and Baal. This ties what Amos would say to correct them to their responsibilities within that close relationship. Another explanation for Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micahs critique, which does not seem to fully capture what was taking place, is the notion that Israel was knowingly going through the motionsthey were guilty of willful hypocrisy. Israel's Punishment for Failing to Heed (Amos 4-5) February 24 Amos again reminded Israel of the way God had dealt with them since they came out of Egypt and how they had ignored the warnings. Conversely, God strongly warns that, if one does not do well, He will surely punish him. 2. We are disgusted with this wretched food! they cried.
