Herein lies the main theme of the book of Ezekiel. 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.". 2 Bible Summary (Numbers 10-36) Departure from Sinai (10) The fire and the quail (11) Miriam's rebellion and leprosy (12) Spying out Canaan -rebellion upon report of spies (13) (Ezekiel 36:22-24, 31-32). Does that not sound familiar to an informed observer of our modern, American scene? While it was certainly not perfect in every respect, Israel seems to have been keeping Sabbath, practicing temple rituals, including sacrifices, and holding many of the appropriate festivals. was furious, and greatly abhorred Israel, so that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, . 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. He shaved his beard and head and used the hair as traditional symbols of humiliation. And when we fully embrace the reality that the covenants we make at baptism and in the temple cannot be kept without walking, a relationship with those who surround us in this earthly existencethat is to say when we fully embrace the recognition that covenants with God are inherently covenants with each otherwe will finally be able to follow the guidance that these 8, Century BCE prophets gave to Israel anciently and which still resonate for us today. This was considered a grave sin by God. The same sins are committed in the same brazen manner. God is most certainly not to blame if He reacts in accordance with what He has told man He will do. How did God punish the Israelites for complaining? In our modern world, this message is needed now more than ever. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness (Isa 1:17, 27). Ezekiel 36 shows this clearly. keeping the commandments. . 6 I will send Assyria to fight against the people who do evil. God makes it clear that He has given the command to destroy them. Beware, for the margin of safety is very slim. "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). They were to protect and bless the rich and the poor, the bonded and the free, the Israelite and the stranger. (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. 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). . Amos, a Jew from the southern kingdom, was sent by God to preach against the sins of the northern ten tribes. Prophecy and the Sixth-Century Axial Period. How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! There are two basic reasons: God was fulfilling a promise to Abraham. Download PDF. Email him at Email or write to Yosef Eisen, 2337 Sherbrook St., Pittsburgh PA, 15217. Linking is encouraged, but content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed including, but not limited to such means as framing or other digital copying and/or distribution method, in whole or in part without the publisher's written consent. Israel had better heed because his words are not idle. His warning of impending calamity would not come if they were not deserving of it. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. He is the author "Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges.". Saul started off well and the people loved him. In short, the people of Israel needed to live into the reality that acovenant with God isinherently connected to and reflected by how we treat each other. The Israelites must not allow themselves to be self-deceived. will redeem the property that had been sold or free Israelites from their debt bondage. Yet, the naked truth is we cannot retain sovereignty to ourselves and still have what God is offering, entrance into the spiritual Kingdom of God. Prepare to Meet Your God! Those things were important but not sufficient in and of themselves. The Old Testament is a chronicle of Israel's repeated failure to obey God, of its refusal to keep His commandments and statutes. God's punishment, though, is never an end in itself, nor does He punish in wild anger or frustration. 32 But I beg you to . This means, "Take heed! His utterances are not his own words; they began with God, who sent them because the close relationship is seriously threatened. However, the people began to partake in . Amos warns ancient Israel and her modern descendants, however, that no nation is so great that it can stand without God. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. St. Vincent de Paul was born in France in 1581. And thus the next day, when the Israelites bring sacrifices before the calf, there can hardly be any misunderstanding: they are sacrificing to YHWH. All through the bible God gave his own people over,into the hands of their enemies and into bondage,for their sins.Judah went into captivty in babylon for 70 years.The Northern Kingdom of israel was carried off by the Assyerians.God is about to give his people over,into the hands of their enemies again and into bondage.Nazi Germany 2 is Israel's Punishment, Searching for Israel (Part Eight): The Scattering of Ten-Tribed Israel, Prepare to Meet Your God! This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. Christ's death is an eschatological event, offering life to those who trust him ( John 3:16; Eph. Bible scholars say God's warnings in Ezekiel finally cured Israel of the sin of idolatry. Every organization must have a leader, so God lays down instructions as to how the leader should conduct himself in office. 4 Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life 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. After Sinai there were many instances of disobedience. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? And what was that? 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. Punishment is imminent, at the very door. (Nm 12:10-14), 4. The result was similar to Israel's, for in II Kings 24:2-4 God carried out His threats of punishment against Judah too: And the Lord sent against [Jehoiakim] raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. Israel exhibited again and again its refusal to obey God. Put briefly: Israel needed to exercise justice, righteousness, and mercy. What the LORD desired and required of Israelthe things that the LORD also wanted Israel to dowas to protect and bless the people in their community. For instance, during some sort of civil dispute, a person who exercises, will take the side of widows or orphans and defend them against those who are more powerful. You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. Jesus emphatically asserts in the Sermon on the Mount that we should not think that He came to destroy the law or the prophets (Matthew 5:17). Post-Christian Europe has transgressed even further. One tribe after another made slaves out of the people. The people may have felt like they were worshiping God through the required performances. 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. This appears as early as Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve reject God's rule over them. (Amos 9:13-15). I am angry with them, and I will command Assyria to fight against them. 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. He sets out two things that construct a basis for what he says. naturalizer vera silver. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! He makes and unmakes nations (II Chronicles 20:6; Daniel 4:17; Acts 17:26). What follows is a general pattern of God's operation in His people's behalf. The Israelites were given the unpleasant task of carrying out the Lord's judgment against the Canaanites.The Israelites waged war against the Canaanites because the Lord commanded them to. However, just like the words, , this modern-day usage is not necessarily what Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah were expressing in the 8, suggest put us in a better place to understand the remarkable prophetic guidance of Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah. When God rejected Saul, it is swift and decisive. A deeper appreciation of scripture can help us recognize that we have room to grow. And then verse 55, it says, but it didn't bring about fruit. Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. Indeed, I think it is more likely that the people, doing things properly. To help Moses prove the existence and power of God, he was given a number of miraculous signs to help the Israelites believe. All who had been bitten would be healed if they gazed upon the bronze serpent, God said. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD," says the Lord GOD, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. The Israelites' lack of faith while Moses was on Mt. So His justice will be upheld as Israel and Judah are brought to the painful realization that they have forsaken Him and have been living the wrong way. A deeper appreciation of scripture can help us recognize that we have room to grow. Although God always forgave his people, he also gave them consequences for their sinful actions. The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. Angels do not punish in the Bible except under God's command because it is God who can punish. The central theme of the first half of the book of Shemot is the enslavement of the Jews in Egypt and their miraculous salvation by the hand of God. When his wife died, he was told not to mourn her. We should never forget that God's punishment falls upon Israel because of disobedience, rebellion, and sin. It was this underlying fear of a direct relationship with God that was responsible for the terrible course of events that culminated in the Golden Calf. Even Jerusalemthe "Holy City"has an annual "Gay Pride" parade, and is essentially secular. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/introduction-to-the-book-of-ezekiel-701131. If said with just the right inflection, the word justice feels punitive. God is managing it, governing it. Why did the Israelites wander the desert for 40 years? His holiness and righteousness required this punishment. Despite this, they became very wealthy and self-indulgent, even oppressively so. Corrupt or ambivalent leadership will no longer lead Israel astray; instead, the leaders will set the example of righteousness for the people to follow. He took half the kingdom away from his son. John W. Ritenbaugh In Ezekiels vision of restoration at the end of times, the temple that will be rebuilt in Jerusalem as part of the restoration of Israel is marked by close ritual observance of the very same requirements which are outlined in Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus (See Ezekiel 42), and apparently being followed at the time Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah voiced Gods frustration with Israel. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. First, God and Israel have a special relationship: "You only have I known."
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