(The Book of Amos) (Part Two), Searching for Israel (Part Seven): Seven Years' Punishment. As a result, it has yet to enter into the peace, prosperity, and eternal possession of the land He promised the patriarchs. As part of the punishment for Israel's persistent idolatry, God handed the northern kingdom of Israel over to the Assyrians. We cannot have it both ways. God gave the people specific instructions in order to be faithful to the Lord. 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. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6). However, for the sake of what is best for Jacob, God has to show him that He is serious about what He says. 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. . 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!) Despite its frightening oracles, Ezekiel concludes with a message of hope and restoration for God's people. After some time, the Israelites thought that Moses had left them. Israel exhibited again and again its refusal to obey God. That is to say: Israel understood itself as keeping the commandments. strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. After escaping his captors, he returned to France and worked in a parish outside of Paris. After all of these miracles were done, including the ten plagues on the Egyptians, the Israelites came out of Egypt with a renewed belief in the God of their fathers. 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). In fact, it is not perverse to assert that God was completely faithful to the children of Israel, doing to them exactly what He promised He would do if they persistently sinned against Him. The Bible prophesies scores of horrific punishments: epidemics of incurable diseases; wars; fires burning fields, forests, and homes; earthquakes; famines; floods from raging seas; violent weather patterns; and infestations of insects and wild animals. 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. Why did the Israelites wander the desert for 40 years? The word we translate as justice (or judgment or justly) comes from the Hebrew word mishpat. 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. A ban on idolatry is also one of the Noahide commandments, the seven laws that Judaism teaches . However, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah were talking about something different when they used this word. Though not to blame because His sins did not cause these tragedies, He is responsible for them because He at least allowed them to occur. ESSAY: Why is it important to trust in God? II. 2:8-9) and judgment upon those who don't ( John 3:18 ). . The issue between God and man is simply a matter of governmentof sovereignty and providence. Their desire for flesh was a desire springing up amidst abundance. 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. Idolatry is among the most serious sins in Judaism and its rejection is core to the Jewish worldview. . But if we keep our part of the agreement, we will reap the benefits that flow with God keeping His. The Diocese of Rochester In America 1868-1993, God punishes the Israelites for their sinfulness. Life will soon become a violent free-for-all (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Someone is righteous when they follow the prophet and keep the commandments; these actions indicate their inward commitment. God does not sin, men do. In Latter-day Saint vernacular, the term that comes closest to expressing this ideal is probably. Amos followed Elijah about 90-100 years later. However, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah were talking about something different when they used this word. He is just, because He does not allow their sin to go unpunished. God is most certainly not to blame if He reacts in accordance with what He has told man He will do. Although Moses was Gods faithful servant, even he once sinned against God. God believed the people had properly listened to the instructions God gave them. DISINFECT COVID-19; OUR SYSTEM; GET FREE QUOTE; 888-584-6999; His warning of impending calamity would not come if they were not deserving of it. The Northern 10 Tribes of Israel have disappeared, never to return. Ezekiel lived during the time of the Babylonian exile. Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micha all make clear that, despite Israels apparent devotion to the sacrifices, rituals, feasts, and other religious practices which were central parts of its covenant with YHWH, God is displeased with Israel. 17 They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Given the centrality of these ideas in the Hebrew Bible, it is worth briefly exploring what these terms mean. 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 ___ Caleb was chosen to lead the people into the Promised Land. Corrupt or ambivalent leadership will no longer lead Israel astray; instead, the leaders will set the example of righteousness for the people to follow. Even after all of the warnings from the Prophets, after receiving curse upon curse, Israel would NOT turn . Second: Lions do not roar unless they have taken their prey because they do not want to scare their intended prey away. As used by Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah. What Can You Do Better? Charles Whitaker Prepare to Meet Your God! (Nm 12:10-14), 4. 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. This is the first and great commandment. Moses was gone less than 40 days when the Israelites fashioned a calf of molded gold to substitute for the invisible Creator God. In the Hebrew Bible, justice most often points to a social obligation to protect the weak and powerless from exploitation. We should never forget that God's punishment falls upon Israel because of disobedience, rebellion, and sin. The people were always sinning against God by complaining, failing to follow his directions and laws, and by not trusting in him. Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!" Is God to blame because He exercises His authority, punishing to maintain order and to continue the advancement of His purpose in His creation? What follows is a general pattern of God's operation in His people's behalf. If God does not punish for sin, then righteousness loses all meaning. 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. "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. Christ's death is an eschatological event, offering life to those who trust him ( John 3:16; Eph. The Chronicler writes: Like mishpat, tzedeq connotes a social obligation. The phrase "they shall know that I am the LORD" occurs about 60 times in the book. 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. "Therefore, behold, I wilt open the side of Mesh from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers." We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you, they said. These people were taught about the true living God over a long period of time. The Bible documents many periods where the Jews as a nation reverted back to Idolatry. He establishes this through a series of illustrations posed as challenging questions that can logically be answered only one way. Israel's sad history is the consequence of peoples' faithlessness, not of their God's weakness. Yosef Eisen, a noted historian and lecturer, tells the miraculous story and history of an eternal nation. 13-71shemot.doc. Herein lies the main theme of the book of Ezekiel. But over hundreds of years Israel repeatedly broke the covenant and the penalties eventually kicked-in. "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). Amos warns ancient Israel and her modern descendants, however, that no nation is so great that it can stand without God. Oddly enough, about 3,000 were buried around on the Western side of Mount Sinai (Jebel al Lawz) in Arabia. He sets out two things that construct a basis for what he says. Its what happens to people when they do something wrong; justice is served could be a superheros catchphrase when she nabs the bad guy. Covenants with God are inherently covenants with each other.The Hebrew word translated into the English mercy in the verses above is heseda word that President Russell Nelson highlighted in his recent Liahona address (which itself felt like an extension of his recent conference talk). 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. Idolatry Punishment of Exclusion from heaven. Tzedeq is often the companion virtue to mishpat. Although God always forgave his people, he also gave them consequences for their sinful actions. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. Because He does not want His name to be profaned in any way, He is very concerned about those who bear it (Exodus 20:7). That day, the seventeenth day of Tammuz, three thousand men of the children of Israel lost their lives, in punishment for their idolatry. A deeper appreciation of scripture can help us recognize that we have room to grow. He also gave His people over to the sword, and was furious with His inheritance. 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. 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). The first thing Amos needed to do, then, was establish his authority to preach against them. The Sign. . Sinai made them feel insecure. keeping the commandments. M. David Huston lives and works in the Washington DC metro area. As part of their recognition that God owned everything, the Israelites were to set apart the seventh day for the Lord. 32 But I beg you to . Indeed, I think it is more likely that the people, doing things properly. (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.) You shall have no other gods before me." Then God responded in Habakkuk 1:4-11 by telling the prophet that He was bringing a nation to conquer and destroy many Israelites because of their sin. 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.". will redeem the property that had been sold or free Israelites from their debt bondage. In our modern world, this message is needed now more than ever. 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. After all, the messages were not for them but for others because they considered themselves to be okay. It is as if he is saying, "Think about the practical ramifications of this." The rich and powerful will not be able to escape the dreadful punishment God promises. 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. God would be unfaithful to His own promises if He annihilated Jacob's descendantseven though, by all accounts, it is exactly what they deserve. (The Book of Amos) (Part One). Yet, in my view, this does not seem to be the primary source of the problem either. What type of animal bit the Israelites? The Beast and Babylon (Part Seven): How Can Israel Be the Great Whore? 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. John W. Ritenbaugh When God rejected Saul, it is swift and decisive. 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. Oracles against Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, Egypt. In the book of Jeremiah, God told the people that he would exile them from the land for 70 years, because this was the amount of time that the Sabbath rest had been disobeyed (490 years total). First, God and Israel have a special relationship: "You only have I known." . For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Wealth is being funneled into the hands of the few, and the poor and weak keep becoming poorer and weaker. Unless otherwise noted, all material copyright 2023, Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. Herein lies the main theme of the book of Ezekiel. Every indication is that we live during that time now. Does that not sound familiar to an informed observer of our modern, American scene? Amos. This scathing condemnation concludes with the LORD saying, I will hide mine eyes from you I will not hear you.. Zavada, Jack. 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). 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.
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