09 Mar

how did god punish the israelites for idolatry

"Gods," then, have a certain authority and claim over men, which men acknowledge by their worship and service. 2. They were to protect and bless the rich and the poor, the bonded and the free, the Israelite and the stranger. As part of their recognition that God owned everything, the Israelites were to set apart the seventh day for the Lord. characteristic. 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 had Moses send out 12 scouts to check out the land. Israel exhibited again and again its refusal to obey God. Like. Reflecting on the history of the British Commonwealth and America in the last two hundred years, we see two nations quickly rising to prominence along with unparalleled accomplishments. 25:1-7). 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. Covenants with God are inherently covenants with each other. Yet, we can also see God's mercy in His dealings with His people. However, just like the words, , this modern-day usage is not necessarily what Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah were expressing in the 8, suggest put us in a better place to understand the remarkable prophetic guidance of Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah. We should never forget that God's punishment falls upon Israel because of disobedience, rebellion, and sin. Saith the LORD. This question, posed in the opening chapter of the book of Isaiah, put Israel in an uncomfortable position. He is a husband and father of four who has previously written for poetry, international affairs, and LDS-related publications. We can infer that Amos did not choose to be there before them. 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. God made the Sabbath principle central to his creation. . 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. Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an . Ezra records that God moved King Cyrus to let . . (The Book of Amos) (Part Two). 13-71shemot.doc. The people were sent into exile in Babylon because of their sins. In Psalm 78:10-11, 40-42, 56-57, the psalmist mentions that Ephraim (meaning Israel at large). This also applies on a smaller but more immediate scale: Amos has been sent by appointment, and he does not speak promiscuously. . 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 . 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). Historically, the punishment for idolatry was often death. Moses was gone less than 40 days when the Israelites fashioned a calf of molded gold to substitute for the invisible Creator God. Israel had better heed because his words are not idle. (Ex 15:22), 2. The prophet begins in the first two verses with a "thus saith the LORD," providing the foundation for all that follows. Israelites provoked God with sin, and the Creator promised to m. Continue reading. During that period, Israel's sins continued to mount horribly. They began to worship the golden calf, and they . It was also what they failed to do for each other. In the verses above, righteousness points to ensuring that those who are on the margins of society are given what they need to prosper and flourish. 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!) 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. They were still "lost" in His day, not having returned to Canaan. However, the people began to partake in . If their moral and ethical foundation has eroded, the natural process of strong nations displacing weaker ones will take place (Leviticus 18:28; 20:22). John W. Ritenbaugh But the Israelites did not kill the enemy, or even drive them out of the land. Introduction to the Book of Ezekiel. Our great privilege is to have access to Him and His Spirit, and therefore have a far closer relationship with Him than Israel ever had under the Old Covenant. Another explanation for Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micahs critique, which does not seem to fully capture what was taking place, is the notion that Israel was knowingly going through the motionsthey were guilty of willful hypocrisy. Make a god for us!'. The Israelites' lack of faith while Moses was on Mt. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? Yet, in my view, this does not seem to be the primary source of the problem either. The Israelites failed because they would not put their complete trust in their one true God. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness (Isa 1:17, 27). Even after they entered the 'promised' land, as individuals and as a nation the Jews turned back to idolatry. 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 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. whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."pleas help me guys i will report this tommorow They did not remember His power. 15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. In Latter-day Saint vernacular, the term that comes closest to expressing this ideal is probably charity. Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. That is to say: Israel. So, what is it that Israel needed to do differently? Amos. There are 3 different punishments stated for the sin of the Golden Calf, two of which are ambiguous in nature. 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. 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. strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. We need to heed His words seriously because our cultural circumstances parallel what Amos confronted in his day. His contemporary was the prophetJeremiah. He promises good health (Exodus 15:26), prosperity (Malachi 3:8-12), children (Psalm 127:3-5), security (Psalm 46), and many other blessings besides His greatest gift, eternal life in His Kingdom (John 17:1-3; Romans 6:23)! When these are considered, we see that he is truly a prophet for our time, when public morality has fallen so low. The people realized they were sinning and begged Moses to help them. God punishes the Israelites for their sinfulness 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. It is God's authority and. Today's Western culturea product of the nations of Israelis not so very different from Sodom and Gomorrah. It had its origin, not in their necessities, but m their vile affections, their own unsubdued, carnal minds. will redeem the property that had been sold or free Israelites from their debt bondage. He establishes this through a series of illustrations posed as challenging questions that can logically be answered only one way. 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. The prophet Micah takes a different approach but delivers the same basic message as his prophetic contemporaries. Brigham Young called upon modern Saints to examine their own hearts in this regard: Using the hints provided, put a T next to the sentences that are true and an F next to the ones that are false. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? God will punish Israel for her failure to live up to her responsibilities within the covenant. 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. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. Ezek 4:1-3 "You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. As used by Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah. was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight. Rather, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah suggest that Israel needed to do a better job practicing what Jesus would call (eight centuries later!) (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.) He melted the gold and made a statue of a calf. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. Prophecy and the Sixth-Century Axial Period. A deeper appreciation of scripture can help us recognize that we have room to grow. God's Glory Fills the Tabernacle (Exodus 33:134:35; 40:138), God Tells Israel Where to Worship (Exodus 25:1-27:21; 30:1-10, 17-21), Faith Community Church, 3755 Washington Blvd, Suite 201, Fremont, CA 94538, God Punishes Israel's Idolatry (Exodus 32:1-35). It is from God that the authority for the prophet's message emanates. 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. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood., summarily dismiss Israels worship practice; the L, says that these practicesthe sacrifices, rituals, and feasts they are under obligation to do as part of the covenantare iniquity and an abomination, and that my soul hateth them. Beware, for the margin of safety is very slim. Even Jerusalemthe "Holy City"has an annual "Gay Pride" parade, and is essentially secular. We cannot have it both ways. (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.) The prophet Ezekiel was born around 622BCand preached for about 22 years. Besides giving oral warnings, Ezekiel performed physical actions which served as symbolic plays for the exiles to learn from. This scathing condemnation concludes with the LORD saying, I will hide mine eyes from you I will not hear you.. And, apparently, Israel was largely doing the things it had been asked to do. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream (Amos 5:24). Christ's death is an eschatological event, offering life to those who trust him ( John 3:16; Eph. . And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood., To be clear, the LORD does more than just summarily dismiss Israels worship practice; the LORD says that these practicesthe sacrifices, rituals, and feasts they are under obligation to do as part of the covenantare iniquity and an abomination, and that my soul hateth them. But if we keep our part of the agreement, we will reap the benefits that flow with God keeping His. 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." 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, . 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 is there by no accident. This is made more explicit in Judges 2:11-13: "Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of Yahweh, and worshipped the Baals, and they forsook Yahweh, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from the gods of the peoples who . Israel had already deviated from faithfulness, but here, she formally rejects God as her Ruler, taking a major step toward being exactly like all the nations around her. What Can You Do Better? Israels sacred texts clearly outlined how and in what way Israel was to worship the God of the Exodus and Sinai. Such punishment precipitated Israel being scattered, taken into captivity into foreign lands, and losing their homeland, to which they have never returned. (The Book of Amos) (Part One). 6 I will send Assyria to fight against the people who do evil. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! God is most certainly not to blame if He reacts in accordance with what He has told man He will do. It is no accident that God and Israel have this relationship. Since the people sinned by not trusting God, he made them wander the desert for 40 years before entering the land. Israel's Punishment This deferment did not make Him unfaithful to the people, because His promises to them were conditional, based on their obedience to His revelation. In I Kings 14:15, God warns that He will ultimately. Amos, a Jew from the southern kingdom, was sent by God to preach against the sins of the northern ten tribes. ___ Aaron and his sons were consecrated as Gods priests. . And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunders, until He had cast them from His sight. Learn Religions. ___ God led the Israelites across the Sea of Galilee. A ban on idolatry is also one of the Noahide commandments, the seven laws that Judaism teaches . One tribe after another made slaves out of the people. tested Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. 40:2; Ezek. What sort of pagan revelry did the Israelites indulge in (Exodus 32:6)? Although God always forgave his people, he also gave them consequences for their sinful actions. It is as if he is saying, "Think about the practical ramifications of this." . This means, "Take heed! What should we learn from the golden calf incident in Exodus 32? Thousands of citizens of Israel, including Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, had been captured and taken to Babylonabout 597 BC. In this sense, the modern-day usage (perhaps especially in the Latter-day Saint community) of mercy is that it is the opposite of justice. If justice is getting what you deserve, then mercy is getting what you do not deserve.

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how did god punish the israelites for idolatry