Key verse: 17
THEY DIDN'T LISTEN TO HIM
The prophet predicts that the people will be taken away by the enemy. They will go to another country in exile, like Israel in Egypt in the past. This occurs due to the sin of Israel.
1. The day of the settling account will come (1-9)
Although God wishes woe to Israel, they still benefit from material abondance, but that isn't going to remain for long. The exile will happen soon. All the blessing moves to the enemy. The reason is indicated in verse 1: "you have been runing from your God". In the country of exile they will eat, not a baguette, but the bread of mourners. They must cry whenever they eat because they are deprived of the system of worship, they can't worship God nor their idols (4). A material life focused on feeding is only an animal life. There will be the day of the settling accounts, though God be patient. The country is devastated because of their wickedness in kill ing the prophets and hating God. God never forgets their wickedness.
2. They are out of luck (10-17)
In the past Ephraim was glorious, but now he is cursed because he didn't love God, but idols. God loved their foregathers as the first ever fig, but in Bat-Peor they worshiped Baal. They gave their heart to this Canaanite divinity. In spite of God's prohibition, an Israelite people took a Moabitess woman to bed her. Israel imitated its forefathers. Baal is the divinity of fertility. God removes his blessing as the flight of the sparrows, through the enemy (13) of famine (16). Ephraim is sick like an outbreaked of an disease plant from his head to foot. God says that he will stop loving them (15b). It's very grave when an husband stop loving his wife. Ephraim will be like a repudiated woman. So God outs them from his territory. if we love another in place of God, God is very disappointed and he doesn't love us, because the idol that we make enter in our heart remains in us in his place. Our body is God's temple which is sanctified by Jesus' blood. So we must cleanly keep it. All this calamity happens because of the rebellion of the Israelites who don't listen God and his word. That's why we must learn and obey his word (17).
No comments:
Post a Comment