(The Book of Amos) (Part One). Ezekiel, Israel's leaders, Ezekiel's wife, and King Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 32:30, quotes God's scathing indictment of the people of both Kingdoms: "[T]he children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth. Justice: If said with just the right inflection, the word justice feels punitive. 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. Its what happens to people when they do something wrong; justice is served could be a superheros catchphrase when she nabs the bad guy. We need to heed His words seriously because our cultural circumstances parallel what Amos confronted in his day. Amos, a Jew from the southern kingdom, was sent by God to preach against the sins of the northern ten tribes. The people were always sinning against God by complaining, failing to follow his directions and laws, and by not trusting in him. ", Because of their sins, as II Kings 17:18-20 indicates, 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. But I will go back to the Lord to see if I can do something to keep this sin from being held against you.". Read Chapter All Versions. 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). Spiritually, this demand confirms Israel's whorish behavior, and thus God tells Samuel to describe the national effects of her demand. The measure for measure punishment for this was that there would now be an intermediary Angel guiding them instead of their being under direct guidance from God Himself. Saith the L, posed in the opening chapter of the book of Isaiah. He shaved his beard and head and used the hair as traditional symbols of humiliation. Look at the cause or spring of Israel's sin. He did as God asked and led the people to the Promised Land. Your sins brought this warning, and punishment will follow if you continue sinning.". Prophet after prophet challenged Israel even as Israel apparently kept the laws and ordinances it was given. In Judges 3, we read: So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites . He melted the gold and made a statue of a calf. Picking up where the question above leaves off, Isaiah continues voicing Gods view of these practices: I [the LORD] am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Despite its frightening oracles, Ezekiel concludes with a message of hope and restoration for God's people. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. The book of Ezekiel features one of the eeriest scenes in the Bible, a vision of God raising an army of dead men's bones from their graves and bringing them back to life (Ezekiel 37:1-14). Religiously, they were trying to walk a tightrope between God and Baal. A number of latter-day prophecies of various peoplesthe Edomites, for exampleforetell that God will make a complete end of them (Jeremiah 46:28). All who had been bitten would be healed if they gazed upon the bronze serpent, God said. 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. They will be given a new heart, and will finally be able to know their God (Ezekiel 11:17-20; 36:24-29). Israel had better heed because his words are not idle. tested Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. The prophet Micah takes a different approach but delivers the same basic message as his prophetic contemporaries. (Nm 12:10-14), 4. The punishment of Israel had not ended even in Christ's time, more than 700 years after Israel's fall. God Knew Israel's True Thoughts He knew that idolatry reached farther than just having an object on the mantle. God does not sin, men do. Pray the Lord to take the serpents from us.. In the Hebrew Bible, justice most often points to a social obligation to protect the weak and powerless from exploitation. God will remember His covenant because He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5). Isaiah writes that Jerusalem, symbolizing all the tribes of Israel, will receive double for her sins because of her privileged position under the covenant (Isaiah 40:2). 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). Contents1 What did the Israelites do to the Canaanites?2 Why did God declare war on the Canaanites?3 What [] One tribe after another made slaves out of the people. He is a husband and father of four who has previously written for poetry, international affairs, and LDS-related publications. Why did God punish the Israelites for 40 years? Introduction to the Book of Ezekiel. 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. Rather, He punishes in the best way and at the best time to bring individuals to repentance. Themes in Ezekiel. Zavada, Jack. Mercy is used to describe the act of helping those whose behavior might not otherwise justify such magnanimity. After Moses comes down from the mountain, the idol is destroyed and God punishes the people but having compassion, or caring for the Israelites, He does not destroy everyone. 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. The people realized they were sinning and begged Moses to help them. 2. The prophet Ezekiel was born around 622BCand preached for about 22 years. In the Hebrew Bible, justice most often points to a social obligation to protect the weak and powerless from exploitation. So they were delivered up to the consequences of trying to love both the world and the Lord at the same time. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 establish that, if one does well, God will bless him. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. (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.) If we do not keep it, God must correct us. . 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. What the L, desired and required of Israelthe things that the L, wanted Israel to dowas to protect and bless the people in their community. "Therefore, behold, I wilt open the side of Mesh from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers." Does that not sound familiar to an informed observer of our modern, American scene? It is God's authority and. Many of us do not get it! This scathing condemnation concludes with the L, saying, I will hide mine eyes from you I will not hear you.. The Chronicler writes: At least one answer is easily pushed aside. And, apparently, Israel was largely doing the things it had been asked to do. It is from God that the authority for the prophet's message emanates. Using the hints provided, put a T next to the sentences that are true and an F next to the ones that are false. 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). Saith the LORD. This question, posed in the opening chapter of the book of Isaiah, put Israel in an uncomfortable position. That's just one of many symbolic visions and performances of this ancient prophet, who predicted the destruction of Israel and the idolatrous nations around it. They were to protect and bless the rich and the poor, the bonded and the free, the Israelite and the stranger. That is to say: Israel understood itself as keeping the commandments. Here in Ezra, we see that this 70 year period had elapsed, as Daniel had also anticipated (Dan. 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). Those things were important but not sufficient in and of themselves. 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. 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. Fifth: It is illogical to think that God would punish without first warning His people. . His Spirit departed from Saul and a demon possessed Saul. I am angry with them, and I will command Assyria to fight against them. God will punish Israel for her failure to live up to her responsibilities within the covenant. Indeed, God forecasts that exactly those conditions will face those living just before Christ's return (Matthew 24:37). 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. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. God makes it clear that He has given the command to destroy them. 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. Brigham Young called upon modern Saints to examine their own hearts in this regard: Oddly enough, about 3,000 were buried around on the Western side of Mount Sinai (Jebel al Lawz) in Arabia. When these are considered, we see that he is truly a prophet for our time, when public morality has fallen so low. Who Were the Major Prophets in the Bible? God wanted Israel to serve as a model nation. ___ God led the Israelites across the Sea of Galilee. As early as the days of the founder of the Kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam I, God understood the direction Israel was taking. Today's Western culturea product of the nations of Israelis not so very different from Sodom and Gomorrah. The title is of little importance. Oh, dread the mixed multitude. He is there by no accident. American influence has since exceeded even that of Britain, making English the universal language of business and politics. Ezekiel wrote from Babylon, but his prophecies concerned Israel, Egypt, and several of the neighboring countries. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!" 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, . And thus the next day, when the Israelites bring sacrifices before the calf, there can hardly be any misunderstanding: they are sacrificing to YHWH. 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. and delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy's hand. God would be unfaithful to His own promises if He annihilated Jacob's descendantseven though, by all accounts, it is exactly what they deserve. However, He has chosen not to do this with Israel and Judah, though not because they are righteous in any way. Shepherds who will protect and restore Israel. . 30 Dec . They said to Aaron: 'We want someone to lead us. Forms of the situation described here appear frequently in the history of Israel's relationship with God. i am the light of the world. Picking up where the question above leaves off, ] am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Clearly, God judges the inhabitants of His creation, and His judgments are not limited to Israel or to "biblical times." God had Moses send out 12 scouts to check out the land. I have heard some suggest that there is something wrong (or lacking) in the teachings that God gave at Sinai. Amos is declaring that God is involved in His creation; He has not gone way off. 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. Chapter 1: "Amos" (v. 1). The issue between God and man is simply a matter of governmentof sovereignty and providence. Although God did not allow Moses to cross into the land, in Deuteronomy 34 we read that he had Moses climb Mount Nebo so he could see the land before he died. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. 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. . He had to eat disgusting bread, drink rationed water, and use cow dung for fuel. Amos. Has anything else become a god to me?". 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. Only in, (and only in one verse) is there any indication that Israel was not focused on worshiping God. God is managing it, governing it. Ezekiel 14:6Therefore say to the people of Israel, This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Much of the thrust of Amos is an education for catastrophe. The British produced a great empire far out of proportion to their population, native wealth, and abilities. And what was that? 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). What is the meaning of john 8: 12? Israels sacred texts clearly outlined how and in what way Israel was to worship the God of the Exodus and Sinai. Moses then struck the rock twice with his staff, and a huge amount of water began to flow. characteristic. But over hundreds of years Israel repeatedly broke the covenant and the penalties eventually kicked-in. Israel's Punishment, Searching for Israel (Part Eight): The Scattering of Ten-Tribed Israel, Prepare to Meet Your God! naturalizer vera silver. 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!) As a punishment for their sinfulness, God sent poisonous seraph serpents to bite the people, and many of them died. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/introduction-to-the-book-of-ezekiel-701131. . Yes, it was certainly the case that Israel was commanded to love and worship the LORD and to keep the Sinai teaching in their respective hearts, and that did not always happen. His contemporary was the prophetJeremiah. 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. 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. What was God's punishment to the Israelites? Amos was a prophet whose home was in Judah, the southern kingdom, yet whose message was to Israel, the northern kingdom. 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. . God Eventually Returning to Them and Having Compassion on Them God will punish Israel for her failure to live up to her responsibilities within the covenant. This in turn produced great moral corruption through self-serving idolatry, illustrated as and called "fornication" in other books. And so in Isaiah, God talks about how he built a beautiful garden vineyard. However, the people of Israel failed to observe the terms of God's conditional promises to them. Make a god for us!'. In carrying out judgment on Ahab, God commissioned Jehu to destroy Ahab, the king of Israel, and his family. The Old Testament is a chronicle of Israel's repeated failure to obey God, of its refusal to keep His commandments and statutes. The LORD 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 LORD. Stephen in the Bible Was the First Christian Martyr. Their desire for flesh was a desire springing up amidst abundance. Israel's sin was first neglecting and then departing from God and the relationship. Even Jerusalemthe "Holy City"has an annual "Gay Pride" parade, and is essentially secular. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! The LORD wanted the people of Israel to show all of their neighbors the same deep fidelity and covenantal love which they had received from the LORD.So, what is Israel doing wrong? Not for your sake do I do this," says the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Stay up to date on the intersection of faith in the public square. 31 Moses returned to the Lord and said, "The people have committed a terrible sin. And Isaiah was not alone in portraying Gods displeasure with Israels worship. December 30, 2018 ; By James . 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. 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. 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. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? how did god punish the israelites for idolatry. Additionally, the apostles will be resurrected and sit as judges over the twelve tribes, ensuring that proper judgment is given (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30). He died in 1660, and we honor him on Sept. 27. As a result, it has yet to enter into the peace, prosperity, and eternal possession of the land He promised the patriarchs. Although God always forgave his people, he also gave them consequences for their sinful actions. How did God punish the Israelites for complaining? . Exile, Divorce from God, was the final punishment for a defiant Northern Kingdom of Israel (also known as Ephraim or Samaria). ___ Moses sister, Miriam, was blind for seven days.
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