2. They have been flippantly careless and have no one to blame but themselves. 2:8-9) and judgment upon those who don't ( John 3:18 ). The Israelites failed because they would not put their complete trust in their one true God. But I will go back to the Lord to see if I can do something to keep this sin from being held against you.". Facts about King Saul. So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'". (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.) The punishment of Israel had not ended even in Christ's time, more than 700 years after Israel's fall. (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. . It is from God that the authority for the prophet's message emanates. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. He has not forgotten His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but He will correct their descendants so that He can eventually save His people and give them the promises. God didn't. God does not sin, men do. Why did the Israelites wander the desert for 40 years? Searching for Israel (Part Seven): Seven Years' Punishment. 17 They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. If God does not punish for sin, then righteousness loses all meaning. I have heard some suggest that there is something wrong (or lacking) in the teachings that God gave at Sinai. He also gave His people over to the sword, and was furious with His inheritance. God tacks it onto his upcoming deeds to explain the reason for the action. After Sinai there were many instances of disobedience. Has anything else become a god to me?". But though God punishes, there is always the hope of repentance and restitution: "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. Moses had a pretty tough job. An important overall warning from Amos for those of us who have made the New Covenant with God is that great privileges must not be abused, or they will bring great penalties. (Ex 30:30), 3. 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. Here in Ezra, we see that this 70 year period had elapsed, as Daniel had also anticipated (Dan. Ezekiel prophesied to those exiles about why God had allowed that, while at the same time, the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the Israelites left behind in Judah. However, while all of this might be true, hypocrisy does not seem to be the core problem that resulted in such strong language from Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah. Ezekiel's writings indicate that he was familiar with the duties and regulations of the priests regarding sacrifices and rituals. 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. A number of other prophecies concerning the Second Exodus relate how God will bless the land, which will once again produce abundantly. "You shall have no other gods before me. As early as the days of the founder of the Kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam I, God understood the direction Israel was taking. 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. 2 Kings, OLD TESTAMENT. Around 1615, he dedicated his life to serving the poor. Forms of the situation described here appear frequently in the history of Israel's relationship with God. (The Book of Amos) (Part Two). In all of God's dealings with Israel and Judah, and especially regarding the Second Exodus, we see His perfect application of justice and mercy. Usually, the term is used in connection with groups like widows, orphans, resident aliens, or poor, and often in contexts where there are clear power differentials. Moses was gone less than 40 days when the Israelites fashioned a calf of molded gold to substitute for the invisible Creator God. 6 I will send Assyria to fight against the people who do evil. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. But if we keep our part of the agreement, we will reap the benefits that flow with God keeping His. 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. Prophecy is both practical and positive, not all gloom and doom. Not for your sake do I do this," says the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. God's punishment, though, is never an end in itself, nor does He punish in wild anger or frustration. Much later, Amos warned Israel, "Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth" (Amos 9:8). And when we fully embrace the reality that the covenants we make at baptism and in the temple cannot be kept without walking out of the baptismal font and outside of the temple and into 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 8th Century BCE prophets gave to Israel anciently and which still resonate for us today. Deut. Ezekiel, Israel's leaders, Ezekiel's wife, and King Nebuchadnezzar. If we do not keep it, God must correct us. Indeed, I think it is more likely that the people, doing things properly. 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. . 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. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Learn Religions, Dec. 6, 2021, learnreligions.com/introduction-to-the-book-of-ezekiel-701131. but He also punishes the evil. (This is the same reason why Nephi killed Laban.) Saul was chosen by God to be Israel's first king. 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. Copyright 2023 Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Moses then struck the rock twice with his staff, and a huge amount of water began to flow. . That day, the seventeenth day of Tammuz, three thousand men of the children of Israel lost their lives, in punishment for their idolatry. What is the punishment for idolatry? But God was not pleased with what Moses had done. Finally, God's people cried out to him for help. In our modern world, this message is needed now more than ever. 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. 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. Hebrews 3:8-11 summarizes the matter: "In the day of trial in the wilderness, [the children of Israel] . Several hundred years after this, God inspired Isaiah to write, "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation. The same sins are committed in the same brazen manner. (NIV), Ezekiel 34:23-24I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. The L, wanted the people of Israel to show all of their neighbors the same deep fidelity and commitmentthat is to say, covenantal lovewhich they had received from the L. . and delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy's hand. First, Israel and Judah will have perfect leadership: Jesus Christ will be King, and David will be His prince (Ezekiel 37:24-25; Jeremiah 23:3-7; Hosea 3:5; Micah 2:12-13). What type of animal bit the Israelites? Because of their idolatry (11:8, 10b-11, 13-14, 17; 13:10b, 27) and their evil conduct (11:10a, 11, 15b-16, 19-23; 13:9), God had to punish Israel. They will be given a new heart, and will finally be able to know their God (Ezekiel 11:17-20; 36:24-29). Amos frames it this way: I [the LORD] hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Is God to blame because He exercises His authority, punishing to maintain order and to continue the advancement of His purpose in His creation? There were two acts of disobedience / incomplete obedience that caused God to reject Saul. Sinai made them feel insecure. Indeed, God forecasts that exactly those conditions will face those living just before Christ's return (Matthew 24:37). If said with just the right inflection, the word justice feels punitive. They said to Aaron: 'We want someone to lead us. Although God always forgave his people, he also gave them consequences for their sinful actions. The Beast and Babylon (Part Seven): How Can Israel Be the Great Whore? That specific sacrifices, rituals, feasts, and other religious practices were central parts of its covenant with YHWH was beyond doubt. 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. Such power and influence have made both nations feel they have an unlimited reservoir of natural ability and wealth. The prophet Ezekiel was born around 622BCand preached for about 22 years. John W. Ritenbaugh Only in Amos (and only in one verse) is there any indication that Israel was not focused on worshiping God. ___ God led the Israelites across the Sea of Galilee. Ezra records that God moved King Cyrus to let . God would be unfaithful to His own promises if He annihilated Jacob's descendantseven though, by all accounts, it is exactly what they deserve. They were behaving and worshipping like Baal worshippers but doing it in the name of the Lord. Nadab and Abihu did not abide by God's commandments for worship, but did as they saw fit (Leviticus 10). The sin of worshipping another god is called idolatry. He began priestly formation in 1595 and was ordained in 1600. 30 Dec . 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. Instead, he is to be thoroughly familiar with and guided by the attitudes and laws of God. Moses had a pretty tough job. Other themes include the sovereignty of Godover the entire world, God's holiness, right worship, corrupt leaders, the restoration of Israel, and the coming of a Messiah. Even Jerusalemthe "Holy City"has an annual "Gay Pride" parade, and is essentially secular. Those things were important but not sufficient in and of themselves. The covenant people, Israel, had profaned His name by their conduct among the other nations. Israel's sad history is the consequence of peoples' faithlessness, not of their God's weakness. 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. Charles Whitaker Punishment For Idolatry Leviticus 26:1ESV / 11 helpful votes HelpfulNot Helpful "You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lordyour God. Books cost $37, plus $6 shipping - total $43. He is there by no accident. After all, as Jesus said: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Who sins and brings upon themselves the necessity of punishment?