Texas School Counselor Association Conference 2022, Andrew Miller Actor His Hers And The Truth, Saskatchewan Roughriders Salaries, Articles H

Instead, he is to be thoroughly familiar with and guided by the attitudes and laws of God. We live lives of justice, righteousness, and mercy. 18 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. 2. These people were taught about the true living God over a long period of time. Indeed, I think it is more likely that the people, doing things properly. Revelation 21:8ESV / 10 helpful votes HelpfulNot Helpful Prepare to Meet Your God! Oh, dread the mixed multitude. The most explicit is that Moses and the Levites kill about 3,000 men: "kill each man his brother, each man his neighbor, and each man his relative.". John W. Ritenbaugh He did as God asked and led the people to the Promised Land. how did god punish the israelites for idolatryadductor side plank benefits Menu 3282 suwanee creek road. 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. But God certainly knew about them. "The great house" refers to the noble or wealthy family in society, and these "big names" will certainly be destroyed along with the common folk. Nadab and Abihu did not abide by God's commandments for worship, but did as they saw fit (Leviticus 10). God wanted Israel to serve as a model nation. This deferment did not make Him unfaithful to the people, because His promises to them were conditional, based on their obedience to His revelation. He shaved his beard and head and used the hair as traditional symbols of humiliation. 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. Conversely, God strongly warns that, if one does not do well, He will surely punish him. 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. Given the centrality of these ideas in the Hebrew Bible, it is worth briefly exploring what these terms mean. Assyria will defeat them and take their wealth. The Israelites' lack of faith while Moses was on Mt. So why did God choose Israel? The attacks and a wave of sympathy for the grief of those directly impacted by them, as well as a sudden spurt of patriotism, changed the way people heard these messages. 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, . 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. 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). A ban on idolatry is also one of the Noahide commandments, the seven laws that Judaism teaches . (Ex 15:22), 2. The first thing Amos needed to do, then, was establish his authority to preach against them. and delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy's hand. To violate the Sabbath day was a serious sin because it denied God's sovereignty. In those from the north, there would be a natural resistance to such an arrangement. The Israelites failed because they would not put their complete trust in their one true God. DISINFECT COVID-19; OUR SYSTEM; GET FREE QUOTE; 888-584-6999; 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. 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.". So Moses and his brother, Aaron, asked God what to do. Prophet after prophet challenged Israel even as Israel apparently kept the laws and ordinances it was given. And, apparently, Israel was largely doing the things it had been asked to do. All who had been bitten would be healed if they gazed upon the bronze serpent, God said. The Beast and Babylon (Part Seven): How Can Israel Be the Great Whore? The punishment for David's sin: "The Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from that morning until the appointed time; and seventy thousand of the people died" (2 Samuel 24:15). All Rights Reserved. Historically, the punishment for idolatry was often death. Just listen, you rebels! Moses angrily said to the people. He may even have inspired them to occur and oversaw events so that they would. 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. ThaiCCTVShop - / 8.00-17.00 / Office: 02-064-7135, 02-970-1181-2 / Mobile : 099-392-5654 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. 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. (Ezekiel 36:22-24, 31-32). The people believed them and rebelled against Moses and God. So, they have no excuse they can use for worshiping idols. 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. 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). Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols., And Hosea says simply: They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not., Like Isaiah, Amos and Hosea portray the LORD as more than just critiquing the act of worshipwith the Lord very clearly despising Israels feasts, refusing to accept (or even regard!) He took such good care of it, protected it, we did it everything, fertilized it. God repeats several times that He is bringing Israel back for His name's sake, and not for Israel's sake: "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I do not do this [restoring Israel and blessing the land; verses 6-15] for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. What sort of pagan revelry did the Israelites indulge in (Exodus 32:6)? Moses had a pretty tough job. . His warning of impending calamity would not come if they were not deserving of it. Amos warns ancient Israel and her modern descendants, however, that no nation is so great that it can stand without God. 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 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. Righteousness: In modern-day usage, righteousness is often associated with personal piety. God had Moses send out 12 scouts to check out the land. The term also occurs in, Some references in Ezekiel have striking similarities to the prophetic. Punishment is imminent, at the very door. 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). We've seen in Jeremiah chapter 2 that in spite of some good times in the past between the Lord and Israel, Israel rejected and forsook the Lord and attempted to exchange the living and real God for idols. We need to set the record straight. . His laws, which define His standards of morality, have not changed one iota. 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. 44:29 ), and God did so in judging his son on behalf of his people. This was considered a grave sin by God. Jeremiah 12:14-17; 25:15-32). 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. He sets out two things that construct a basis for what he says. Make a god for us!'. The sin of worshipping another god is called idolatry. David makes a. i am the light of the world. We should never forget that God's punishment falls upon Israel because of disobedience, rebellion, and sin. He must comprehensively know that his own nature is just like those he serves and be humbled. (The Book of Amos) (Part One). He had to eat disgusting bread, drink rationed water, and use cow dung for fuel. Indeed, I think it is more likely that the people believed that they were doing things properly. . GOD SEEKS REPENTANCE OR PUNISH ISRAELITES - Amos. connotes a social obligation. John W. Ritenbaugh Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Your sins brought this warning, and punishment will follow if you continue sinning.". In the verses above, tzedeq is the Hebrew word that is translated into the English word righteousness (and its derivatives). 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. This is the first and great commandment. That is to say: Israel. KING JEHU KILLED IDOL WORSHIPERS - 2 Kings. We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you, they said. Ezekiel 36 shows this clearly. (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.) As early as the days of the founder of the Kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam I, God understood the direction Israel was taking. Searching for Israel (Part Seven): Seven Years' Punishment. Prophecy is both practical and positive, not all gloom and doom. 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. Justice: If said with just the right inflection, the word justice feels punitive. Israel's sacred texts clearly outlined how and in what way Israel was to worship the God of the Exodus and Sinai. As used by Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah. Israel's Punishment There were two acts of disobedience / incomplete obedience that caused God to reject Saul. And then verse 55, it says, but it didn't bring about fruit. Hesed expresses the notion of deep love characterized by loyalty and fidelity, which pours out of one to the other. Since the people sinned by not trusting God, he made them wander the desert for 40 years before entering the land. Israel's Punishment, Searching for Israel (Part Eight): The Scattering of Ten-Tribed Israel, Prepare to Meet Your God! That the LORD is displeased with Israels adherence to the requirements of (what Latter-day Saints call) the Mosaic Law because the Mosaic Law is itself displeasing. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself., Contact & Submissions Ezekiel wrote from Babylon, but his prophecies concerned Israel, Egypt, and several of the neighboring countries. 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. 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. The captivating story of the Exodus is one of the pivotal narratives of the Torah and is fundamental from both national/historical and religious/theological perspectives. The problem, according to these prophets, seems to be that Israel had failed to recognize that being, required more than adherence to specific sacrifices, rituals, feasts, and other religious practices. 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. This scathing condemnation concludes with the LORD saying, I will hide mine eyes from you I will not hear you.. We can see this pattern in the murder on the streets, bloody crimes like rape and mutilation in our once peaceful towns, AIDS and other sexual diseases rampant among all sectors of society, as well as sexual deviancy, perverse music, self-indulgence, drugs, and alcohol abuse. but He also punishes the evil. However, the people began to partake in . (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. The Beast and Babylon (Part Seven): How Can Israel Be the Great Whore? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Forms of the situation described here appear frequently in the history of Israel's relationship with God. Corrupt or ambivalent leadership will no longer lead Israel astray; instead, the leaders will set the example of righteousness for the people to follow. All of these occur as punishments for sin as God exacts His vengeance on "those who destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:18). However, He has chosen not to do this with Israel and Judah, though not because they are righteous in any way. 5 March 2019. The word mercy is commonly used nowadays to capture the idea of being favored, often undeservedly so. Exile, Divorce from God, was the final punishment for a defiant Northern Kingdom of Israel (also known as Ephraim or Samaria). 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. Saul was chosen by God to be Israel's first king. It is as if he is saying, "Think about the practical ramifications of this." Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, and did not keep His testimonies, but turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers. God will punish Israel for her failure to live up to her responsibilities within the covenant. Holiness refers to God's nature, and righteousness, to God's acts. 1. . 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. The Bible documents many periods where the Jews as a nation reverted back to Idolatry. The people were sent into exile in Babylon because of their sins. When these are considered, we see that he is truly a prophet for our time, when public morality has fallen so low. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream (Amos 5:24). Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. 13-71shemot.doc. Here in Ezra, we see that this 70 year period had elapsed, as Daniel had also anticipated (Dan. God will destroy the nations to which Israel and Judah are scattered, and He will correct Israel and Judah in measure, as verse 11 says. 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. In carrying out judgment on Ahab, God commissioned Jehu to destroy Ahab, the king of Israel, and his family. . 2. 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). God tells every individual bitten by a snake that they will live if they look at a bronze snake made by Moses at God's command. Is God to blame because He exercises His authority, punishing to maintain order and to continue the advancement of His purpose in His creation? We could not trust God if He did not hold to His promises of blessing and cursing (Numbers 23:19; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). American influence has since exceeded even that of Britain, making English the universal language of business and politics. Amos. Every organization must have a leader, so God lays down instructions as to how the leader should conduct himself in office. This is the responsibility of those who have made a covenant with Him, whether the Old or the New Covenant. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. Religiously, they were trying to walk a tightrope between God and Baal. Even after they entered the 'promised' land, as individuals and as a nation the Jews turned back to idolatry. For example, a couple of years after being freed from slavery, God led the people to the border of Canaan, the land which God had promised them. When they returned from exile and rebuilt the temple, they never turned away from the True God again. . The text goes a far way to explicitly present the Levites in the favorable role . As part of the punishment for Israel's persistent idolatry, God handed the northern kingdom of Israel over to the Assyrians. Despite these atrocious sins, God will not utterly destroy Israel as He did to Sodom and Gomorrah. Because God is holy and righteous, what He proclaimed to do against the heathen in the first chapter of Amos, He will also do to Israela people who had forsaken their covenant with Him. Because you did not have confidence in me, to acknowledge my holiness before the Israelites, therefore you shall not lead this assembly into the land I have given them, God told Moses. how did god punish the israelites for idolatry. Contents1 Why did God take the Israelites through [] Such punishment precipitated Israel being scattered, taken into captivity into foreign lands, and losing their homeland, to which they have never returned. This in turn produced great moral corruption through self-serving idolatry, illustrated as and called "fornication" in other books. The people were always sinning against God by complaining, failing to follow his directions and laws, and by not trusting in him. Ezekiel's primary audience was his fellow exiles in Babylon, but he also wrote to the Israelites at home in Jerusalem and all later readers of the Bible. 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. Exodus 20:2-6 ESV / 899 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. As a result, it has yet to enter into the peace, prosperity, and eternal possession of the land He promised the patriarchs. What Can You Do Better? "You shall have no other gods before me. God gave the people specific instructions in order to be faithful to the Lord. Aaron also knows which god the Israelites intended the calf to represent: "Tomorrow shall be a festival of YHWH!," ( - ) he proclaims (32:5). 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. The British produced a great empire far out of proportion to their population, native wealth, and abilities. The core problem of Israelaccording to Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micahwas the lack of justice, righteousness, and mercy. Moses did, and God told him to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. After Sinai there were many instances of disobedience. 15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. He will also destroy the works of our hand (Isaiah 1:15; 59:2-3; Psalms 28:5). 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." Second, Israel and Judah will both make the New Covenant, meaning that they will be given the Holy Spirit, which will enable them to keep the law in its spiritual intent (Jeremiah 31:31-34). ", Because of their sins, as II Kings 17:18-20 indicates, God. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!" It is no accident that God and Israel have this relationship. 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. They did not remember His power. What the Bible says about The people realized they were sinning and begged Moses to help them. 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. The patriarchs were, as God attests again and again, faithful. What is the meaning of john 8: 12? 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. The Israelites were sinking into the worship of other gods. 6 I will send Assyria to fight against the people who do evil. Says, The clear answer to Micahs questions about whether God is pleased by the prospect of thousands of rams, ten thousands of rivers of oil, or even my firstborn is. How did God punish the Israelites for complaining? Mercy is used to describe the act of helping those whose behavior might not otherwise justify such magnanimity. A PUNISHMENT CORRESPONDING TO THEIR SIN. God didn't. Christ's death is an eschatological event, offering life to those who trust him ( John 3:16; Eph. July 2, 2022 . In the Hebrew Bible, justice most often points to a social obligation to protect the weak and powerless from exploitation. Their rise or fall is largely dependent upon His purpose for them and their significance in prophecy (e.g. Idolatry is among the most serious sins in Judaism and its rejection is core to the Jewish worldview. (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.) 2. 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. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, the prophets argued that the exile happened because the people failed to follow God's instructions. Zavada, Jack. 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. (When the act of worship becomes more important than the purpose of worship, what I have previously called, , we stray into potential idol worship, a practice many Hebrew Bible prophets condemn.) According to the Bible, the worship of these gods was often promoted by kings and members of the royal court. 2:8-9) and judgment upon those who don't ( John 3:18 ). 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. (Ex 30:30), 3. God punished them to bring them to conversion, but in vain. Despite this, they became very wealthy and self-indulgent, even oppressively so. keeping the commandments. The phrase "they shall know that I am the LORD" occurs about 60 times in the book. Copyright 2022 Faith Community Church. 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). 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.