The Bible prophesies scores of horrific punishments: epidemics of incurable diseases; wars; fires burning fields, forests, and homes; earthquakes; famines; floods from raging seas; violent weather patterns; and infestations of insects and wild animals. 18 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. A number of latter-day prophecies of various peoplesthe Edomites, for exampleforetell that God will make a complete end of them (Jeremiah 46:28). And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunders, until He had cast them from His sight. Clearly, God judges the inhabitants of His creation, and His judgments are not limited to Israel or to "biblical times." This over-the-top zealousness is not only insufficient but is, itself, a source of Gods disapproval. All Rights Reserved. Despite this, they became very wealthy and self-indulgent, even oppressively so. In the Hebrew Bible, justice most often points to a social obligation to protect the weak and powerless from exploitation. was furious, and greatly abhorred Israel, so that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, . In fact, highlighting Israels penchant for a straying focus, a central hope in Jeremiahs view of restoration is that Israel will be given a new heart. All of that is correct. Fortunately, in the same way that Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah were direct with Israel when it came to expressing the LORDs displeasure, these four prophets were similarly direct with Israel when it came to stating what Israel needed to do differently. When these are considered, we see that he is truly a prophet for our time, when public morality has fallen so low. Although Moses was given consequences for his sinful actions, he still loved and obeyed God. And then verse 55, it says, but it didn't bring about fruit. Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an . Our regard for humanity is so low that in America alone during the last three decades, an estimated 40-50 million pre-born children have been killed for the sake of convenience. The core problem of Israelaccording to Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micahwas the lack of justice, righteousness, and mercy. Understanding what mishpat, tzedeq, and hesed suggest put us in a better place to understand the remarkable prophetic guidance of Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, the prophets argued that the exile happened because the people failed to follow God's instructions. Ezekiel's writings indicate that he was familiar with the duties and regulations of the priests regarding sacrifices and rituals. July 2, 2022 . Home Posts Tagged "punishment of idol worship" 31 Jul . . 40:2; Ezek. 4 Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life Every organization must have a leader, so God lays down instructions as to how the leader should conduct himself in office. Ezekiel packed his belongings as if heading on a journey. 9:1-2). In the modern Latter-day Saint community, that notion is broadened a little, and justice is something closer to a synonym for fair or equitable. For example, the phrase God is just for many Latter-day Saint folks means something like God gives you what you deserve (good or bad). However, both uses are worlds away from what the 8. century BCE prophets Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah meant when they used that word. Judges 1 tells of many battles that were fought by the tribes of Israel after Joshua's death. Hebrews 3:8-11 summarizes the matter: "In the day of trial in the wilderness, [the children of Israel] . They are designed to ensure that the king does not elevate himself above the people and rule as a despot. Ezekiel 14:6Therefore say to the people of Israel, This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! The sin of worshipping another god is called idolatry. His utterances are not his own words; they began with God, who sent them because the close relationship is seriously threatened. First: People traveling in the same direction toward exactly the same destination would hardly meet except by appointment. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the [Euphrates] River, because they have made their wooden images, provoking the LORD to anger. Israel had already deviated from faithfulness, but here, she formally rejects God as her Ruler, taking a major step toward being exactly like all the nations around her. i am the light of the world. We each need to ask, "Have I let anything other than God take first place in my life? Only in, (and only in one verse) is there any indication that Israel was not focused on worshiping God. When his wife died, he was told not to mourn her. The prophet begins in the first two verses with a "thus saith the LORD," providing the foundation for all that follows. Punishment is imminent, at the very door. God will remember His covenant because He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5). The Diocese of Rochester In America 1868-1993, God punishes the Israelites for their sinfulness. 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. According to the Old Testament, God promised to punish sin at the very end of history (e.g., Isa. . (NIV), Prophesies about doom and destruction (1:1 - 24:27), Prophesies condemning foreign nations (25:1 - 32:32), Prophesies of hope and restoration of Israel (33:1 - 48:35), Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics. Using the hints provided, put a T next to the sentences that are true and an F next to the ones that are false. https://www.learnreligions.com/introduction-to-the-book-of-ezekiel-701131 (accessed March 4, 2023). Download PDF. The Israelites failed because they would not put their complete trust in their one true God. KING JEHU KILLED IDOL WORSHIPERS - 2 Kings. . Where justice is protecting the weakest members of society from exploitation (defending them), righteousness is taking steps to help those who need it (uplifting them). Instead, he is to be thoroughly familiar with and guided by the attitudes and laws of God. All rights reserved. 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. "Therefore, behold, I wilt open the side of Mesh from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers." This illustration is declaring a cause-and-effect relationship, meaning, "Israel, you are already in the trap, and you, through your conduct, are just about to spring it shut on yourself. Why wasnt Aaron punished for making the golden calf? whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."pleas help me guys i will report this tommorow However, just like the words mishpat and tzedeq, this modern-day usage is not necessarily what Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah were expressing in the 8th Century BCE. (See, for instance, Exodus 12:14; 13:13; 20:22-23:33; Exodus 34:11-26; Deuteronomy 12-26; Leviticus 17-26 as a start.) Mercy is used to describe the act of helping those whose behavior might not otherwise justify such magnanimity. Israel is God's prey, as it were, and He is not roaring yet. The process will be painful but also effective; Israel will come to repentance (Romans 11:25-29). Herein lies the main theme of the book of Ezekiel. (Ezekiel 36:22-24, 31-32). "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). Then God responded in Habakkuk 1:4-11 by telling the prophet that He was bringing a nation to conquer and destroy many Israelites because of their sin. There are two basic reasons: God was fulfilling a promise to Abraham. Such power and influence have made both nations feel they have an unlimited reservoir of natural ability and wealth. Indeed, I think it is more likely that the people believed that they were doing things properly. After articulating all the things that the L, had done for Israel from Egypt onward, Micah asks Israel a series of stinging rhetorical questions that serve to undermine Israels approach to worship. Though, does a great deal to reach out and help those around us, there are always ways to improvesomething encouraged by, . God will punish Israel for her failure to live up to her responsibilities within the covenant. Fortunately, in the same way that Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah were direct with Israel when it came to expressing the L. displeasure, these four prophets were similarly direct with Israel when it came to stating what Israel needed to do differently. Are we to produce water for you out of this rock?. Facts about King Saul. It is our part of the deala small part really but a difficult one that must be kept (Matthew 7:13-14). Finally, God's people cried out to him for help. Oddly enough, about 3,000 were buried around on the Western side of Mount Sinai (Jebel al Lawz) in Arabia. Ezekiel wrote from Babylon, but his prophecies concerned Israel, Egypt, and several of the neighboring countries. So they were delivered up to the consequences of trying to love both the world and the Lord at the same time. And, apparently, Israel was largely doing the things it had been asked to do. God makes it clear that He has given the command to destroy them. However, the key to understanding the significance of Israel's demand in I Samuel 8 is that she desires a king just like the other nations. It is God's authority and. The Bible makes it clear that human nature is violently evil, and when left unchecked as it was before the Flood, it will reproduce similar conditions (Genesis 6:5). Why A Belief Crisis Need Never Be Fatal To Faith. Why did the Israelites wander the desert for 40 years? Wealth is being funneled into the hands of the few, and the poor and weak keep becoming poorer and weaker. Ezekiel lived during the time of the Babylonian exile. Justice: If said with just the right inflection, the word justice feels punitive. And what was that? God was going to punish the evil doers - the wicked - for their evil deeds. Besides giving oral warnings, Ezekiel performed physical actions which served as symbolic plays for the exiles to learn from. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals, and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to . God Knew Israel's True Thoughts He knew that idolatry reached farther than just having an object on the mantle. Ezekiel 36 shows this clearly. Here is how each of the four prophets expresses this: Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. The idolatry of the northern kingdom went on for nearly two centuries. Every indication is that we live during that time now. In my anger I will use Assyria to punish Israel. its offerings and sacrifices, and calling its songs and music of praise noise that I will not hear., The prophet Micah takes a different approach but delivers the same basic message as his prophetic contemporaries. However, Ezekiel makes it clear that this cannot be the case. Rather, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah suggest that Israel needed to do a better job practicing what Jesus would call (eight centuries later!) They have been flippantly careless and have no one to blame but themselves. Shepherds who will protect and restore Israel. The core problem of Israelaccording to Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micahwas the lack of justice, righteousness, and mercy. We live lives of justice, righteousness, and mercy. After articulating all the things that the LORD had done for Israel from Egypt onward, Micah asks Israel a series of stinging rhetorical questions that serve to undermine Israels approach to worship. Zavada, Jack. They joined because of their great respect for the God of Moses and the morality of Moses and his followers. Stephen in the Bible Was the First Christian Martyr. In this sense, the modern-day usage (perhaps especially in the Latter-day Saint community) of mercy is that it is the opposite of justice. If justice is getting what you deserve, then mercy is getting what you do not deserve. Themes in Ezekiel. Israel's Punishment, Searching for Israel (Part Eight): The Scattering of Ten-Tribed Israel, Prepare to Meet Your God! Moses then struck the rock twice with his staff, and a huge amount of water began to flow. We frequently gloss over the truly important part of this as we read through it. Israelites provoked God with sin, and the Creator promised to m. Continue reading. 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. However, the people of Israel failed to observe the terms of God's conditional promises to them. John W. Ritenbaugh The Northern 10 Tribes of Israel have disappeared, never to return. The people may have felt like they were worshiping God through the required performances. God punishes the Israelites for their sinfulness After he had freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, God wanted to make them a holy people with the help of his servant, Moses. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? His laws, which define His standards of morality, have not changed one iota. But were they true? It wasnt just apathy or failure to perform religious ceremonies for which ancient Israel faced Gods judgments. God responds fiercely, sending venomous snakes, which immediately kill many complaining Israelites. He may even have inspired them to occur and oversaw events so that they would. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (From Forerunner Commentary). As a punishment for their sinfulness, God sent poisonous seraph serpents to bite the people, and many of them died. He found out about the Church when he was 17 from a Church member in high school. That specific sacrifices, rituals, feasts, and other religious practices were central parts of its covenant with YHWH was beyond doubt. 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. Indeed, Malachi 3:6 proclaims, "I am the Lord, I do not change," while Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus "is the same yesterday, today, and forever.". Who sins and brings upon themselves the necessity of punishment? 5 March 2019. connotes a social obligation. All who had been bitten would be healed if they gazed upon the bronze serpent, God said. 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!) Hesed expresses the notion of deep love characterized by loyalty and fidelity, which pours out of one to the other. 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). A number of other prophecies concerning the Second Exodus relate how God will bless the land, which will once again produce abundantly. God is managing it, governing it. I the Lord have spoken. (See, for instance, Exodus 12:14; 13:13; 20:22-23:33; Exodus 34:11-26; Deuteronomy 12-26; Leviticus 17-26 as a start.) Despite its frightening oracles, Ezekiel concludes with a message of hope and restoration for God's people. Email him at Email or write to Yosef Eisen, 2337 Sherbrook St., Pittsburgh PA, 15217. 44:29 ), and God did so in judging his son on behalf of his people. We can infer that Amos did not choose to be there before them. Corresponding to the 40 days that the spies toured the land, God decreed that the Israelites would wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their unwillingness to take the land .God brought victories where needed, and his promise to Abraham was . This ties what Amos would say to correct them to their responsibilities within that close relationship. Zavada, Jack. In fact, it is not perverse to assert that God was completely faithful to the children of Israel, doing to them exactly what He promised He would do if they persistently sinned against Him. If He allowed Israel and Judah to sin with impunity, His laws would have no authority, and His words would be of no consequence. God told Moses to take his staff and assemble the people. Then, the Lord heard and sent a judge to rescue them. Except for brief periods when Israel had a judge or king who did right in the eyes of God, the spiritual harlotry continued unabated until God formally divorced her, sending Israel and Judah into captivity. They will also be blessed numerically, as the remnant begins to multiply. Having a king was not the real issue because God had already planned for Israel to have a king. Afterward, however, the sense of being innocent victims of a sneaky and undeserved attack made the hearers feel that the messages were demeaning and insulting. The Old Testament is a chronicle of Israel's repeated failure to obey God, of its refusal to keep His commandments and statutes. Ezek 4:1-3 "You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. Although Yahweh was the national god to whom every Israelite owed allegiance, biblical and extra-biblical evidence demonstrate that the worship of additional gods had strong popular support. ___ Moses sister, Miriam, was blind for seven days. ", Third: One cannot snare a bird unless a trap is set, and then somethingin this case a birdhas to cause the trap to spring shut. Saith the LORD. This question, posed in the opening chapter of the book of Isaiah, put Israel in an uncomfortable position. Oh, dread the mixed multitude. Tour Start here for a quick overview of the site Help Center Detailed answers to any questions you might have Meta Discuss the workings and policies of this site About Us Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. In modern-day usage, righteousness is often associated with personal piety. It is an aspect of His mercy. God chose the ancient Israelites because He had promised Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation and occupy the land of Canaan ( Genesis 12:3, 7; 17:4, 7-8; 22:17 ). In fact, the term hesed is often used to express how God feels about Israel (for example, hesed is used throughout the Psalms to describe Gods feelings of affection for and commitment to Israel).

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