Although Moses was Gods faithful servant, even he once sinned against God. . 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. Israel Broke God's Covenant and suffered | The Covenant Restored Copyright 2023 Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Finally, God's people cried out to him for help. Despite its frightening oracles, Ezekiel concludes with a message of hope and restoration for God's people. 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. Prophet after prophet challenged Israel even as Israel apparently kept the laws and ordinances it was given. Hebrews 3:8-11 summarizes the matter: "In the day of trial in the wilderness, [the children of Israel] . Amos warns ancient Israel and her modern descendants, however, that no nation is so great that it can stand without God. Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. Ezekiel wrote from Babylon, but his prophecies concerned Israel, Egypt, and several of the neighboring countries. That specific sacrifices, rituals, feasts, and other religious practices were central parts of its covenant with YHWH was beyond doubt. 9:1-2). Israel exhibited again and again its refusal to obey God. 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. Exodus 12:38 indicates that many non-Jews decided to become Jews and join the blood descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the exodus from Egypt. Deut. Life will soon become a violent free-for-all (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Far less known are the ten times the released Israelites put God to the test in the days following their exodus. 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. This is the responsibility of those who have made a covenant with Him, whether the Old or the New Covenant. He also gave His people over to the sword, and was furious with His inheritance. They were still "lost" in His day, not having returned to Canaan. 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. Exodus: New American Commentary by Douglas Stuart. So, they have no excuse they can use for worshiping idols. Ezekiel was called to be a watchman for God with the chief task of warning his people about the terrible consequences of the sin of idolatry. 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. He will also destroy the works of our hand (Isaiah 1:15; 59:2-3; Psalms 28:5). 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). Angels do not punish in the Bible except under God's command because it is God who can punish. Book of Ezekiel: Warning Against the Sin of Idolatry - Learn Religions 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. 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. And Isaiah was not alone in portraying Gods displeasure with Israels worship. 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. God would be unfaithful to His own promises if He annihilated Jacob's descendantseven though, by all accounts, it is exactly what they deserve. "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. But were they true? Judah Didn't Learn from Israel's Punishment In Jeremiah 3:6-10 we see that Judah did not learn from Israel's sin and subsequent punishment. That is to say: Israel. The phrase "they shall know that I am the LORD" occurs about 60 times in the book. When his wife died, he was told not to mourn her. The Northern 10 Tribes of Israel have disappeared, never to return. how did god punish the israelites for idolatry Despite this, they became very wealthy and self-indulgent, even oppressively so. 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. 6 I will send Assyria to fight against the people who do evil. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood., To be clear, the LORD does more than just summarily dismiss Israels worship practice; the LORD says that these practicesthe sacrifices, rituals, and feasts they are under obligation to do as part of the covenantare iniquity and an abomination, and that my soul hateth them. Amos 1-4: Israel's Punishment. Says Micah: Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Amos was a godly layman (i.e., with no formal ministry training or position) who earned his living as a shepherd and a grower of sycamore figs (7:14). How did god punish Solomon? - Answers (The Book of Amos) (Part One). Books may be ordered directly from the author. There were two acts of disobedience / incomplete obedience that caused God to reject Saul. This over-the-top zealousness is not only insufficient but is, itself, a source of Gods disapproval. However, for the sake of what is best for Jacob, God has to show him that He is serious about what He says. Amos. 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. Ezekiel was ordered by God to lie on his left side 390 days and on his right side 40 days. Moses was gone less than 40 days when the Israelites fashioned a calf of molded gold to substitute for the invisible Creator God. First, "gods" are the object of man's worship and service. 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. Though the Latter-day Saint community does a great deal to reach out and help those around us, there are always ways to improvesomething encouraged by recent leaders. In the verses above, tzedeq is the Hebrew word that is translated into the English word righteousness (and its derivatives). Isaiah 10:5-7 ERV - God Will Punish Assyria's Pride - Bible Gateway God's Glory Fills the Tabernacle (Exodus 33:134:35; 40:138), God Tells Israel Where to Worship (Exodus 25:1-27:21; 30:1-10, 17-21), Faith Community Church, 3755 Washington Blvd, Suite 201, Fremont, CA 94538, God Punishes Israel's Idolatry (Exodus 32:1-35). (2021, December 6). Why Did God Condemn Jehu? | Answers in Genesis I have heard some suggest that there is something wrong (or lacking) in the teachings that God gave at Sinai. The word mercy is commonly used nowadays to capture the idea of being favored, often undeservedly so. Then, the Lord heard and sent a judge to rescue them. characteristic. 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. However, the tribe of Judah was hardly better than Israel, as II Kings 17:19 states: "Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made." How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! 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. 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. Moses had a pretty tough job. Today's Western culturea product of the nations of Israelis not so very different from Sodom and Gomorrah. God remarks in II Kings 17:18, after providing a long list of Israel's sins, "Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.". Before, they just tuned them out. Why did the Israelites fight the Canaanites? - 2023 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. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself., Contact & Submissions 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. ___ Moses sister, Miriam, was blind for seven days. DISINFECT COVID-19; OUR SYSTEM; GET FREE QUOTE; 888-584-6999; 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? (Micah 6:8). 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. Jeremiah 12:14-17; 25:15-32). Oh, dread the mixed multitude. The overall effect of these sins produced a careless disregard for the simple duties people owe their neighbors, as well as oppression of the weak.
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