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| Photo by Jim Tracy |
1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.
2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
These particular Israelites were not concerned that someone was their kinsmen. They were cheating them out of their ancestral homes; the homes given to them by God after the conquest of Canaan.
3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.
God is going to punish them for their selfishness and cruelty.
4 In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, “We be utterly spoiled: He hath changed the portion of my people: how hath He removed it from me! Turning away He hath divided our fields.”
God is going to take away their property just like they have taken away other’s property.
5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD.
God is promising total desolation. There won’t be any left for their family to divide up.
6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.
The very ones who call themselves prophets are telling the true prophets to shut up.
7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? Are these His doings? Do not My words do good to him that walketh uprightly?
Does God really bring evil on those who disobey? Does He really bless those who follow Him?
8 Even of late My people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.
They were even mugging each other.
9 The women of My people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away My glory forever.
10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.
God is promising they simply won’t be comfortable anymore. They are going to be taken into captivity and made slaves.
11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.
They aren’t interested in the truth only what pleases them. They don’t want to believe that God would ever punish them, no matter how evil they are. This same heresy has taken over our land. Many preachers are preaching that it’s OK to be evil because God only looks at the heart, not the actions. They are teaching that it doesn’t matter what you do, only “What is in your heart.” The truth is, what is in our heart shows in our actions. If we are acting evil, our heart is evil.
12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.
13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.
God is going to gather all of Jacob’s descendants together to march them off to captivity. Well, those that live through the conquest, anyway. The king will be the first led away and God will be on the side of their enemies.