It is this process that God often uses to punish His people for apostasy and immorality. 32 But I beg you to . The Bible documents many periods where the Jews as a nation reverted back to Idolatry. 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. Wealth is being funneled into the hands of the few, and the poor and weak keep becoming poorer and weaker. . Finally, God's people cried out to him for help. So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'". characteristic. Every indication is that we live during that time now. He determines their rise and fall and the times of dominance of every nation. . We each need to ask, "Have I let anything other than God take first place in my life? 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. He is a husband and father of four who has previously written for poetry, international affairs, and LDS-related publications. Despite its frightening oracles, Ezekiel concludes with a message of hope and restoration for God's people. God Knew Israel's True Thoughts He knew that idolatry reached farther than just having an object on the mantle. But were they true? Just listen, you rebels! Moses angrily said to the people. His aim is to awaken them from their spiritual lethargy. Saith the L, posed in the opening chapter of the book of Isaiah. Covenants with God are inherently covenants with each other. We live lives of justice, righteousness, and mercy. 2. 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. In Latter-day Saint vernacular, the term that comes closest to expressing this ideal is probably charity. 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. What happened to the Ark of the Covenant. Hebrews 3:8-11 summarizes the matter: "In the day of trial in the wilderness, [the children of Israel] . When these are considered, we see that he is truly a prophet for our time, when public morality has fallen so low. Righteousness: In modern-day usage, righteousness is often associated with personal piety. That is to say, righteousness is an inward. These people were taught about the true living God over a long period of time. This also applies on a smaller but more immediate scale: Amos has been sent by appointment, and he does not speak promiscuously. Observe next the occasion of Israel's sin. 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. God will punish Israel for her failure to live up to her responsibilities within the covenant. They were to protect and bless the rich and the poor, the bonded and the free, the Israelite and the stranger. Unless otherwise noted, all material copyright 2023, Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. Shepherds who will protect and restore Israel. Deut. its offerings and sacrifices, and calling its songs and music of praise noise that I will not hear.. Someone is righteous when they follow the prophet and keep the commandments; these actions indicate their inward commitment. 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. . However, Ezekiel makes it clear that this cannot be the case. Copyright 2022 Faith Community Church. 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 no. He makes and unmakes nations (II Chronicles 20:6; Daniel 4:17; Acts 17:26). The people were always sinning against God by complaining, failing to follow his directions and laws, and by not trusting in him. but He also punishes the evil. Post-Christian Europe has transgressed even further. And the reason that they were exiled was due to their sin. 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. There are two basic reasons: God was fulfilling a promise to Abraham. 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 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. . Copyright 2023 Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. All rights reserved. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. 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). was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight. Israel exhibited again and again its refusal to obey God. In Numbers 20, we read that the people were complaining about not having water to drink. 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. Tzedeq is often the companion virtue to mishpat. 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). Introduction to the Book of Ezekiel. (From Forerunner Commentary). What the Bible says about American influence has since exceeded even that of Britain, making English the universal language of business and politics. They once again complained to Moses. Ezekiel 14:6Therefore say to the people of Israel, This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! They joined because of their great respect for the God of Moses and the morality of Moses and his followers. In the verses above, tzedeq is the Hebrew word that is translated into the English word righteousness (and its derivatives). July 2, 2022 . Amos warns ancient Israel and her modern descendants, however, that no nation is so great that it can stand without God. They even feel a kind of invincibility. The rich and powerful will not be able to escape the dreadful punishment God promises. Forms of the situation described here appear frequently in the history of Israel's relationship with God. Moses then struck the rock twice with his staff, and a huge amount of water began to flow. 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). We see similar language in the book of Amos. ] Learn Religions. Not for your sake do I do this," says the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. 4 Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life We cannot have it both ways. Saith the LORD. This question, posed in the opening chapter of the book of Isaiah, put Israel in an uncomfortable position. 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. Due to the corrupt sacrifices the children of Israel made unto the Lord he pronounced a cursed upon them "But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing."-. God's punishment, though, is never an end in itself, nor does He punish in wild anger or frustration. 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. 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. Similarly, the first six chapters of the Book of Ezrawhich chronicle Israels return from exile to the promised landare focused on the re-establishing of the sacrifices, rituals, feasts, and other religious practices that served as markers of Israels faithfulness to God. Righteous is sometimes synonymous with orthodox. In the Latter-day Saint community, righteousness may be associated with maintaining a current temple recommend and studying the scriptures, and praying regularly. The phrase "they shall know that I am the LORD" occurs about 60 times in the book. Ezra records that God moved King Cyrus to let . So why did God choose Israel? Corresponding to the 40 days that the spies toured the land, God decreed that the Israelites would wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their unwillingness to take the land .God brought victories where needed, and his promise to Abraham was . 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. Hesed expresses the notion of deep love characterized by loyalty and fidelity, which pours out of one to the other. Every organization must have a leader, so God lays down instructions as to how the leader should conduct himself in office. Choose from news (Monday), leisure (Thursday) or worship (Saturday) or get all three! We should never forget that God's punishment falls upon Israel because of disobedience, rebellion, and sin. Mishpat, in the Hebrew Bibleand as used by Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah in the verses abovereflects the idea of ensuring that the weakest members of society are protected from exploitation. (This is the same reason why Nephi killed Laban.) He may even have inspired them to occur and oversaw events so that they would. The word we translate as justice (or judgment or justly) comes from the Hebrew word mishpat. 9:1-2). . Before, they just tuned them out. The Israelites were sinking into the worship of other gods. You shall have no other gods before me." 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). Oddly enough, about 3,000 were buried around on the Western side of Mount Sinai (Jebel al Lawz) in Arabia. Searching for Israel (Part Eight): The Scattering of Ten-Tribed Israel. This scathing condemnation concludes with the L, saying, I will hide mine eyes from you I will not hear you.. ___ Caleb was chosen to lead the people into the Promised Land. It is from God that the authority for the prophet's message emanates. 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. 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. 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. (Amos 9:13-15). In Psalm 78:59-62, the psalmist Asaph relates that God, when He became aware of the idols of Israel. 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). Pray the Lord to take the serpents from us.. Other themes include the sovereignty of God over the entire world, God's holiness, right worship, corrupt leaders, the restoration of . Ezekiel lived during the time of the Babylonian exile. Hesed is a love so deep it can always be trustedit is the type of love that is foundational to covenant relationships. And what was that? The text goes a far way to explicitly present the Levites in the favorable role . Instead, he is to be thoroughly familiar with and guided by the attitudes and laws of God. 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. It is clear from Genesis 17:6 and Deuteronomy 17:14-20 that God anticipated Israel having a king or judge. This means, "Take heed! Rather, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah suggest that Israel needed to do a better job practicing what, would call (eight centuries later!) His laws, which define His standards of morality, have not changed one iota. 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. Those things were important but not sufficient in and of themselves. 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. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/introduction-to-the-book-of-ezekiel-701131. After some time, the Israelites thought that Moses had left them. (The Book of Amos) (Part One). A deeper appreciation of scripture can help us recognize that we have room to grow. Has anything else become a god to me?". 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. 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). This appears as early as Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve reject God's rule over them. In addition to mercy, hesed is also translated in the King James Version variously as kindness, goodness, favor, and lovingkindness. Unfortunately, as President Nelson notes, even these translations do not adequately reflect the power of the word hesed. But I will go back to the Lord to see if I can do something to keep this sin from being held against you.". Mercy is used to describe the act of helping those whose behavior might not otherwise justify such magnanimity. This ties what Amos would say to correct them to their responsibilities within that close relationship. Rather, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah suggest that Israel needed to do a better job practicing what Jesus would call (eight centuries later!) 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. That day, the seventeenth day of Tammuz, three thousand men of the children of Israel lost their lives, in punishment for their idolatry. People in high places are claiming we all worship the same God; they say the God of Islam and the God of Christianity are the same! Assyria will defeat them and take their wealth. But if we keep our part of the agreement, we will reap the benefits that flow with God keeping His. 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 Judges 3, we read: So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites . 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.