You have Despised My Holy Things and Profaned My Sabbaths

More than just a prophet, Ezekiel is the voice of judgment of God. God will judge His people with destruction and bloodshed, because of her idolatry. The result would be that her neighbours would mock her.

The practice of idolatry have led to great moral decay in the society in Jerusalem. The verses from 7 to 11, depicts the kind of sexual abomination they practised. In addition, there were other kinds of corruption from bribery to theft of the temple usury and the extortion of neighbours. The judgment would then have the purpose of cleansing the people, by breaking up the nation, and sending them to exile.

God also describes his wrath and fury as putting them in a furnace and melting them. In the furnace, silver would be melted, so too is the children of Israel. The spiritual leaders of Israel who are the priests and prophets, have broken God's laws; they are like a roaring lion devouring others. They have twisted God's rules and change between holy and unholy, between clean and unclean. God was looking for at least one man who was not corrupted, in order to halt the judgment, but He could not find any.


Ezekiel 22
Sins of Jerusalem

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Now, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations! 3 Then say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “The city sheds blood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself. 4 You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries. 5 Those near and those far from you will mock you as infamous and full of tumult.

6 “Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you. 7 In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow. 8 You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. 9 In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness. 10 In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are set apart during their impurity. 11 One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter. 12 In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me,” says the Lord God.

13 “Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. 14 Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. 15 I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. 16 You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”

Israel in the Furnace

17 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. 21 Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst. 22 As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury on you.’”

Israel’s Wicked Leaders

23 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 24 “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is not cleansed[a] or rained on in the day of indignation.’ 25 The conspiracy of her prophets[b] in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. 26 Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain. 28 Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord had not spoken. 29 The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. 30 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. 31 Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.

I Will Bring Back from Captivity My People Israel and Judah

The main theme here is the restoration, where God declares that the people of Israel and Judah will be returned from their captivity to the Promised Land. There is mention of a time when the suffering is so great that it will be like a woman in labor. It is called a 'time of Jacob's trouble', but His people will be saved from it. Could this be also referring to the Tribulation times?

Although the purpose of the captivity is judgement, God states clearly that He will continue to look after His people while they are in captivity. During the time of this judgment on His people, there will be others who will take advantages of them, but God states that these people wold also be accountable for their deeds toward Israel.

The judgment is described as God's whirlwind of fury. He will punish those in power who oppresses His people. Then when His people are restored, there will once again be much thanksgiving and making merry.



Jeremiah 30
Restoration of Israel and Judah

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’”

4 Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah.

5 “For thus says the Lord:

‘We have heard a voice of trembling,
Of fear, and not of peace.
6 Ask now, and see,
Whether a man is ever in labor with child?
So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins
Like a woman in labor,
And all faces turned pale?
7 Alas! For that day is great,
So that none is like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble,
But he shall be saved out of it.

8 ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
‘That I will break his yoke from your neck,
And will burst your bonds;
Foreigners shall no more enslave them.
9 But they shall serve the Lord their God,
And David their king,
Whom I will raise up for them.

10 ‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord,
‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel;
For behold, I will save you from afar,
And your seed from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet,
And no one shall make him afraid.
11 For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you;
Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you,
Yet I will not make a complete end of you.
But I will correct you in justice,
And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’

12 “For thus says the Lord:

‘Your affliction is incurable,
Your wound is severe.
13 There is no one to plead your cause,
That you may be bound up;
You have no healing medicines.
14 All your lovers have forgotten you;
They do not seek you;
For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,
With the chastisement of a cruel one,
For the multitude of your iniquities,
Because your sins have increased.
15 Why do you cry about your affliction?
Your sorrow is incurable.
Because of the multitude of your iniquities,
Because your sins have increased,
I have done these things to you.

16 ‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity;
Those who plunder you shall become plunder,
And all who prey upon you I will make a prey.
17 For I will restore health to you
And heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord,
‘Because they called you an outcast saying:
“This is Zion;
No one seeks her.”’

18 “Thus says the Lord:

‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents,
And have mercy on his dwelling places;
The city shall be built upon its own mound,
And the palace shall remain according to its own plan.
19 Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving
And the voice of those who make merry;
I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish;
I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
20 Their children also shall be as before,
And their congregation shall be established before Me;
And I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their nobles shall be from among them,
And their governor shall come from their midst;
Then I will cause him to draw near,
And he shall approach Me;
For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?’ says the Lord.
22 ‘You shall be My people,
And I will be your God.’”

23 Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord
Goes forth with fury,
A continuing whirlwind;
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not return until He has done it,
And until He has performed the intents of His heart.

In the latter days you will consider it.

Yet Your Eyes and Your Heart are for Nothing but Your Covetousness

This is another message directed at the King of Judah from God. Although the impeding judgment will be severe as revealed to Jeremiah, even at this last minute, the merciful Lord still give  the King an opportunity to repent and execute justice, promising that if the king did so, then he will be welcomed in heaven. To be clear, God explained that the coming judgment is for their forsaking Him and worshipping and serving other gods.

God mentioned the name of the King of Judah as Shallum or Jehoiakim , son of Josiah. This king practised violence, oppression, covetousness and the shedding of innocent blood. He did not obey God. He will be humbled and humiliated, those he loved would be taken into captivity. His suffering will be much worse than a woman's labour.

The prophecy continue on to Jehoiakim's son, Jehoiachin. He will be taken captive by the Babylonians / Chaldeans, and their King Nebuchadnezzar. God will end the line of the Kings of Judah here. He will not have descendants on the throne anymore.


 



Jeremiah 22

1 Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word, 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates! 3 Thus says the Lord: “Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you indeed do this thing, then shall enter the gates of this house, riding on horses and in chariots, accompanied by servants and people, kings who sit on the throne of David. 5 But if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself,” says the Lord, “that this house shall become a desolation.”’”

6 For thus says the Lord to the house of the king of Judah:

“You are Gilead to Me,
The head of Lebanon;
Yet I surely will make you a wilderness,
Cities which are not inhabited.
7 I will prepare destroyers against you,
Everyone with his weapons;
They shall cut down your choice cedars
And cast them into the fire.
8 And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, ‘Why has the Lord done so to this great city?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.’”

10 Weep not for the dead, nor bemoan him;
Weep bitterly for him who goes away,
For he shall return no more,
Nor see his native country.


Message to the Sons of Josiah

11 For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum[a] the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went from this place: “He shall not return here anymore, 12 but he shall die in the place where they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.

13 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness
And his chambers by injustice,
Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages
And gives him nothing for his work,
14 Who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house with spacious chambers,
And cut out windows for it,
Paneling it with cedar
And painting it with vermilion.’
15 “Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink,
And do justice and righteousness?
Then it was well with him.
16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy;
Then it was well.
Was not this knowing Me?” says the Lord.
17 “Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness,
For shedding innocent blood,
And practicing oppression and violence.”
18 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

“They shall not lament for him,
Saying, ‘Alas, my brother!’ or ‘Alas, my sister!’
They shall not lament for him,
Saying, ‘Alas, master!’ or ‘Alas, his glory!’
19 He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey,
Dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 “Go up to Lebanon, and cry out,
And lift up your voice in Bashan;
Cry from Abarim,
For all your lovers are destroyed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity,
But you said, ‘I will not hear.’
This has been your manner from your youth,
That you did not obey My voice.
22 The wind shall eat up all your rulers,
And your lovers shall go into captivity;
Surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated
For all your wickedness.
23 O inhabitant of Lebanon,
Making your nest in the cedars,
How gracious will you be when pangs come upon you,
Like the pain of a woman in labor?


Message to Coniah

24 “As I live,” says the Lord, “though Coniah[b] the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; 25 and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear—the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die. 27 But to the land to which they desire to return, there they shall not return.

28 “Is this man Coniah a despised, broken idol—
A vessel in which is no pleasure?
Why are they cast out, he and his descendants,
And cast into a land which they do not know?
29 O earth, earth, earth,
Hear the word of the Lord!
30 Thus says the Lord:
‘Write this man down as childless,
A man who shall not prosper in his days;
For none of his descendants shall prosper,
Sitting on the throne of David,
And ruling anymore in Judah.’”

Listen to the Sound of the Trumpet

A warning from the Lord about the war and destruction that is coming to Jerusalem. She will be punished because of the oppression, wickedness, violence. Despite all of this, and knowing that many would not listen, yet God want His words to be heard by many, so that they can return to Him.

The people have been shown the true way, but they refused to walk in it. God has the people enough warning, but the people deliberately not listen to it. And even though they continue their offerings to God, their offerings are not acceptable to God.




Jeremiah 6
Impending Destruction from the North

6 “O you children of Benjamin,
Gather yourselves to flee from the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow the trumpet in Tekoa,
And set up a signal-fire in Beth Haccerem;
For disaster appears out of the north,
And great destruction.
2 I have likened the daughter of Zion
To a lovely and delicate woman.
3 The shepherds with their flocks shall come to her.
They shall pitch their tents against her all around.
Each one shall pasture in his own place.”
4 “Prepare war against her;
Arise, and let us go up at noon.
Woe to us, for the day goes away,
For the shadows of the evening are lengthening.
5 Arise, and let us go by night,
And let us destroy her palaces.”
6 For thus has the Lord of hosts said:

“Cut down trees,
And build a mound against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished.
She is full of oppression in her midst.
7 As a fountain wells up with water,
So she wells up with her wickedness.
Violence and plundering are heard in her.
Before Me continually are grief and wounds.
8 Be instructed, O Jerusalem,
Lest My soul depart from you;
Lest I make you desolate,
A land not inhabited.”
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“They shall thoroughly glean as a vine the remnant of Israel;
As a grape-gatherer, put your hand back into the branches.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,
That they may hear?
Indeed their ear is uncircumcised,
And they cannot give heed.
Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord.
I am weary of holding it in.
“I will pour it out on the children outside,
And on the assembly of young men together;
For even the husband shall be taken with the wife,
The aged with him who is full of days.
12 And their houses shall be turned over to others,
Fields and wives together;
For I will stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord.
13 “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is given to covetousness;
And from the prophet even to the priest,
Everyone deals falsely.
14 They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’
When there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed;
Nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.
16 Thus says the Lord:

“Stand in the ways and see,
And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 Also, I set watchmen over you, saying,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 Therefore hear, you nations,
And know, O congregation, what is among them.
19 Hear, O earth!
Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people—
The fruit of their thoughts,
Because they have not heeded My words
Nor My law, but rejected it.
20 For what purpose to Me
Comes frankincense from Sheba,
And sweet cane from a far country?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
Nor your sacrifices sweet to Me.”
21 Therefore thus says the Lord:

“Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people,
And the fathers and the sons together shall fall on them.
The neighbor and his friend shall perish.”
22 Thus says the Lord:

“Behold, a people comes from the north country,
And a great nation will be raised from the farthest parts of the earth.
23 They will lay hold on bow and spear;
They are cruel and have no mercy;
Their voice roars like the sea;
And they ride on horses,
As men of war set in array against you, O daughter of Zion.”
24 We have heard the report of it;
Our hands grow feeble.
Anguish has taken hold of us,
Pain as of a woman in labor.
25 Do not go out into the field,
Nor walk by the way.
Because of the sword of the enemy,
Fear is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people,
Dress in sackcloth
And roll about in ashes!
Make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation;
For the plunderer will suddenly come upon us.
27 “I have set you as an assayer and a fortress among My people,
That you may know and test their way.
28 They are all stubborn rebels, walking as slanderers.
They are bronze and iron,
They are all corrupters;
29 The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
The smelter refines in vain,
For the wicked are not drawn off.
30 People will call them rejected silver,
Because the Lord has rejected them.”

But Your Iniquities Have Separated You From Your God

God is able to save but He makes it clear that it is their wickedness and evil that is hindering them. They are being compared to vipers, probably due to their venomous nature and also compared to spider weaving their web, probably due to their plots to trap others.

And the people confess their sins and acknowledge the darkness of their society. Even when they were trying to look for justice and righteousness, they could not find it themselves since it is darkness all around them. Part of this darkness, they admit, is due to their own sins.

The Lord promised them a Redeemer, to those who would turn away from their transgressions. God makes a covenant with His people and put His Spirit on them. This covenant would go through the generations.



Isaiah 59
Separated from God

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood,
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken lies,
Your tongue has muttered perversity.
4 No one calls for justice,
Nor does any plead for truth.
They trust in empty words and speak lies;
They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from that which is crushed a viper breaks out.
6 Their webs will not become garments,
Nor will they cover themselves with their works;
Their works are works of iniquity,
And the act of violence is in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed innocent blood;
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
Wasting and destruction are in their paths.
8 The way of peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.


Sin Confessed

9 Therefore justice is far from us,
Nor does righteousness overtake us;
We look for light, but there is darkness!
For brightness, but we walk in blackness!
10 We grope for the wall like the blind,
And we grope as if we had no eyes;
We stumble at noonday as at twilight;
We are as dead men in desolate places.
11 We all growl like bears,
And moan sadly like doves;
We look for justice, but there is none;
For salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You,
And our sins testify against us;
For our transgressions are with us,
And as for our iniquities, we know them:
13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord,
And departing from our God,
Speaking oppression and revolt,
Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
14 Justice is turned back,
And righteousness stands afar off;
For truth is fallen in the street,
And equity cannot enter.
15 So truth fails,
And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.


The Redeemer of Zion

Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him
That there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no man,
And wondered that there was no intercessor;
Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;
And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
And a helmet of salvation on His head;
He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing,
And was clad with zeal as a cloak.
18 According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay,
Fury to His adversaries,
Recompense to His enemies;
The coastlands He will fully repay.
19 So shall they fear
The name of the Lord from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,”
Says the Lord.
21 “As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”

And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel

There is a call to rejoicing with singing and the expectation of great blessings in terms of possession of land and descendants. This looks forward to the time of redemption, where the Lord is the Redeemer. The shameful past is put aside, the wrath of God was momentary and now is the time to look forward to the mercy and everlasting kindness God will pour on His people.

God affirms His covenant and reminds them of His promise to Noah not to bring a worldwide flood again, showing His trustworthiness. God describes the heritage for His servants, that no word form against us shall prosper. It is also a time when the people are established in righteousness, the children are taught by the Lord, and there will be no more oppression and fear.



Isaiah 54
A Perpetual Covenant of Peace

1 “Sing, O barren,
You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.
3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants will inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.

4 “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
5 For your Maker is your husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth.
6 For the Lord has called you
Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”
Says your God.
7 “For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.
8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the Lord, your Redeemer.

9 “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn
That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.
10 For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

11 “O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
And great shall be the peace of your children.
14 In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15 Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.

16 “Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work;
And I have created the spoiler to destroy.
17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

They have Rejected the Law of the Lord of Hosts

The first part describes Israel with the analogy of a vineyard. The Israelite people are like the plants of the vineyard. God has taken good care of the vineyard but it produced bad fruits. So God remove His blessings, because God sees a society of oppression and cries for help instead justice and righteousness.

It is interesting to observe God's actions in the judgment of the vineyard.
1. God removes the hedge and break down its walls. This means God removes His supernatural protection on the vineyard (and the nation) and it will get exposed to the dangers around.
2. God will not prune or dig - meaning God will remove His active care so evil will have its way among His people.
3. God will command the clouds not to rain - meaning God is takes away His provision. The vineyard, like Israel, is left to fend for herself.

The second part describes a society concentrating on their own pleasure despite God's warnings. The result is judgement, captivity and humiliation for them. A series of Woe's is described of them. Then it appears to describe God summoning a fearsome army that will come and conquer them, and take them into captivity.



Isaiah 5
God’s Disappointing Vineyard

1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved
A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard:
My Well-beloved has a vineyard
On a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.
3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
4 What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will lay it waste;
It shall not be pruned or dug,
But there shall come up briers and thorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it.”
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.


Impending Judgment on Excesses

8 Woe to those who join house to house;
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!
9 In my hearing the Lord of hosts said,
“Truly, many houses shall be desolate,
Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.
10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath,
And a homer of seed shall yield one ephah.”
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning,
That they may follow intoxicating drink;
Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!
12 The harp and the strings,
The tambourine and flute,
And wine are in their feasts;
But they do not regard the work of the Lord,
Nor consider the operation of His hands.
13 Therefore my people have gone into captivity,
Because they have no knowledge;
Their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude dried up with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.
15 People shall be brought down,
Each man shall be humbled,
And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.
16 But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment,
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.
17 Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture,
And in the waste places of the fat ones strangers shall eat.
18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity,
And sin as if with a cart rope;
19 That say, “Let Him make speed and hasten His work,
That we may see it;
And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come,
That we may know it.”
20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!
22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!
24 Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble,
And the flame consumes the chaff,
So their root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will ascend like dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people;
He has stretched out His hand against them
And stricken them,
And the hills trembled.
Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
26 He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar,
And will whistle to them from the end of the earth;
Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly.
27 No one will be weary or stumble among them,
No one will slumber or sleep;
Nor will the belt on their loins be loosed,
Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;
28 Whose arrows are sharp,
And all their bows bent;
Their horses’ hooves will seem like flint,
And their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roaring will be like a lion,
They will roar like young lions;
Yes, they will roar
And lay hold of the prey;
They will carry it away safely,
And no one will deliver.
30 In that day they will roar against them
Like the roaring of the sea.
And if one looks to the land,
Behold, darkness and sorrow;
And the light is darkened by the clouds.

Understand the Lovingkindness of the LORD

This psalm encourages us by looking at God's deliverance on many occasions when His people were in distress. They were in darkness and in the shadow of death as a result of their rebellion against God. In their distress, they called out to God, and out of His Goodness and Mercy, He brought them out of their darkness.

So this psalm calls for thanksgiving and rejoicing to recognize God's goodness. The LORD is also a just and fair God. He depreciates the land and resources of the wicked and blesses the land and resources of the obedient. The psalm end beautifully with:

"Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD."


Psalm 107
Thanksgiving to the LORD for His Great Works of Deliverance

 1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
         For His mercy endures forever.
 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
         Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
 3 And gathered out of the lands,
         From the east and from the west,
         From the north and from the south.
       
 4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
         They found no city to dwell in.
 5 Hungry and thirsty,
         Their soul fainted in them.
 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
         And He delivered them out of their distresses.
 7 And He led them forth by the right way,
         That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
 8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
         And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
 9 For He satisfies the longing soul,
         And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
       
 10 Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
         Bound in affliction and irons—
 11 Because they rebelled against the words of God,
         And despised the counsel of the Most High,
 12 Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
         They fell down, and there was none to help.
 13 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
         And He saved them out of their distresses.
 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
         And broke their chains in pieces.
 15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
         And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
 16 For He has broken the gates of bronze,
         And cut the bars of iron in two.
       
 17 Fools, because of their transgression,
         And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
 18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
         And they drew near to the gates of death.
 19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
         And He saved them out of their distresses.
 20 He sent His word and healed them,
         And delivered them from their destructions.
 21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
         And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
 22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
         And declare His works with rejoicing.
       
 23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,
         Who do business on great waters,
 24 They see the works of the LORD,
         And His wonders in the deep.
 25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
         Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
 26 They mount up to the heavens,
         They go down again to the depths;
         Their soul melts because of trouble.
 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
         And are at their wits’ end.
 28 Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
         And He brings them out of their distresses.
 29 He calms the storm,
         So that its waves are still.
 30 Then they are glad because they are quiet;
         So He guides them to their desired haven.
 31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
         And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
 32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
         And praise Him in the company of the elders.
       
 33 He turns rivers into a wilderness,
         And the watersprings into dry ground;
 34 A fruitful land into barrenness,
         For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
 35 He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
         And dry land into watersprings.
 36 There He makes the hungry dwell,
         That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
 37 And sow fields and plant vineyards,
         That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
 38 He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
         And He does not let their cattle decrease.
       
 39 When they are diminished and brought low
         Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
 40 He pours contempt on princes,
         And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
 41 Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
         And makes their families like a flock.
 42 The righteous see it and rejoice,
         And all iniquity stops its mouth.
       
 43 Whoever is wise will observe these things,
         And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

For I was Envious of the Boastful, When I saw the Prosperity of the Wicked

The psalmist confesses that although he knows that God is good, he has trouble knowing that the ungodly seem to have advantages. To him, it seemed like the ungodly can be fearless, has pride, have abundance on earth, they can speak wickedly against anyone on earth and against heaven. And he declares that he may have cleansed his heart in vain.

Finally the writer admits that all this has affected his heart and mind in a bad way. But he continues to depend on God, trusting that He will guide him. He knows that ultimately his best hope is with God and God will strengthen his heart, as he draws near to God.


Psalm 73
A Psalm of Asaph.

 1 Truly God is good to Israel,
         To such as are pure in heart.
 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
         My steps had nearly slipped.
 3 For I was envious of the boastful,
         When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
        
 4 For there are no pangs in their death,
         But their strength is firm.
 5 They are not in trouble as other men,
         Nor are they plagued like other men.
 6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
         Violence covers them like a garment.
 7 Their eyes bulge[a] with abundance;
         They have more than heart could wish.
 8 They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;
         They speak loftily.
 9 They set their mouth against the heavens,
         And their tongue walks through the earth.
        
 10 Therefore his people return here,
         And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
 11 And they say, “How does God know?
         And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
 12 Behold, these are the ungodly,
         Who are always at ease;
         They increase in riches.
 13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,
         And washed my hands in innocence.
 14 For all day long I have been plagued,
         And chastened every morning.
        
 15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
         Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
 16 When I thought how to understand this,
         It was too painful for me—
 17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
         Then I understood their end.
        
 18 Surely You set them in slippery places;
         You cast them down to destruction.
 19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!
         They are utterly consumed with terrors.
 20 As a dream when one awakes,
         So, Lord, when You awake,
         You shall despise their image.
        
 21 Thus my heart was grieved,
         And I was vexed in my mind.
 22 I was so foolish and ignorant;
         I was like a beast before You.
 23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
         You hold me by my right hand.
 24 You will guide me with Your counsel,
         And afterward receive me to glory.
        
 25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
         And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
 26 My flesh and my heart fail;
         But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
        
 27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
         You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God;
         I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
         That I may declare all Your works.

Cast your Burden on the LORD, And He shall Sustain you

David describes his dire situation as fearful, trembling, overwhelmed by horror - to the point that he wished he could fly away. He poured out his burdens to God, about his enemies who are wicked and hated him.

In the middle of the psalm David describes a curious enemy who he seemed to know well and had betrayed him. He describes him as "a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance". Despite the pain of this betrayal, David was committed to rely on God to save him as he continues to pray to God.

A verse of encouragement from here is: "Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. "



Psalm 55
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments.[a] A Contemplation[b] of David.

 1 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
         And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
 2 Attend to me, and hear me;
         I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
 3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
         Because of the oppression of the wicked;
         For they bring down trouble upon me,
         And in wrath they hate me.
        
 4 My heart is severely pained within me,
         And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
 5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
         And horror has overwhelmed me.
 6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
         I would fly away and be at rest.
 7 Indeed, I would wander far off,
         And remain in the wilderness.  Selah 
 8 I would hasten my escape
         From the windy storm and tempest.”
        
 9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues,
         For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
 10 Day and night they go around it on its walls;
         Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.
 11 Destruction is in its midst;
         Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.
        
 12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
         Then I could bear it.
         Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
         Then I could hide from him.
 13 But it was you, a man my equal,
         My companion and my acquaintance.
 14 We took sweet counsel together,
         And walked to the house of God in the throng.
        
 15 Let death seize them;
         Let them go down alive into hell,
         For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.
        
 16 As for me, I will call upon God,
         And the LORD shall save me.
 17 Evening and morning and at noon
         I will pray, and cry aloud,
         And He shall hear my voice.
 18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
         For there were many against me.
 19 God will hear, and afflict them,
         Even He who abides from of old.  Selah 
         Because they do not change,
         Therefore they do not fear God.
        
 20 He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;
         He has broken his covenant.
 21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
         But war was in his heart;
         His words were softer than oil,
         Yet they were drawn swords.
        
 22 Cast your burden on the LORD,
         And He shall sustain you;
         He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
        
 23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
         Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;
         But I will trust in You.

It was Your Right Hand, Your Arm, and the Light of Your Countenance

A recount of the journey of the Exodus is given here. They recalled how God's favour on them resulted in their possession of the Promised Land, rather by their own efforts. They acknowledged that it was God who gave them all the victories and that no enemies could stand against them.

Then they also recalled when God cast them off and let them be defeated by their enemies. They were scattered, some sold to slavery, they were scorned by their neighbours, people shaking their heads at them, they were dishonoured and ashamed.

However, they did not forget their God. It appeared that this is a handful of people who kept the ways of God ("we dealt falsely with Your covenant"), yet suffered the punishment God unleashed on the nation as a whole. So they continued to cry out to God to wake up and see their affliction and oppression, and called for God's mercy to redeem them.

Psalm 44

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation[a] of the sons of Korah.

 1 We have heard with our ears, O God,
         Our fathers have told us,
         The deeds You did in their days,
         In days of old:
 2 You drove out the nations with Your hand,
         But them You planted;
         You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.
 3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
         Nor did their own arm save them;
         But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
         Because You favored them.
       
 4 You are my King, O God;[b]
         Command[c] victories for Jacob.
 5 Through You we will push down our enemies;
         Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.
 6 For I will not trust in my bow,
         Nor shall my sword save me.
 7 But You have saved us from our enemies,
         And have put to shame those who hated us.
 8 In God we boast all day long,
         And praise Your name forever.  Selah
       
 9 But You have cast us off and put us to shame,
         And You do not go out with our armies.
 10 You make us turn back from the enemy,
         And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.
 11 You have given us up like sheep intended for food,
         And have scattered us among the nations.
 12 You sell Your people for next to nothing,
         And are not enriched by selling them.
       
 13 You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
         A scorn and a derision to those all around us.
 14 You make us a byword among the nations,
         A shaking of the head among the peoples.
 15 My dishonor is continually before me,
         And the shame of my face has covered me,
 16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,
         Because of the enemy and the avenger.
       
 17 All this has come upon us;
         But we have not forgotten You,
         Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.
 18 Our heart has not turned back,
         Nor have our steps departed from Your way;
 19 But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals,
         And covered us with the shadow of death.
       
 20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
         Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god,
 21 Would not God search this out?
         For He knows the secrets of the heart.
 22 Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;
         We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
       
 23 Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?
         Arise! Do not cast us off forever.
 24 Why do You hide Your face,
         And forget our affliction and our oppression?
 25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
         Our body clings to the ground.
 26 Arise for our help,
         And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.

Plead my Cause Against an Ungodly Nation

This seems to be a continuation of the previous Psalm with the chorus starting as "Why are you cast down, O my soul?". Still remembering that God is his strength, the psalmist asks for God's deliverance from an ungodly nation and unjust men. The Light and the Truth of the LORD is also mentioned, which God uses to lead us out of trouble. We know this Light and the Truth as our Messiah Yeshua.

Psalm 43

Prayer to God in Time of Trouble

1 Vindicate me, O God,

And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;

Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!

2 For You are the God of my strength;

Why do You cast me off?

Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!

Let them lead me;

Let them bring me to Your holy hill

And to Your tabernacle.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God,

To God my exceeding joy;

And on the harp I will praise You,

O God, my God.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God;

For I shall yet praise Him,

The help of my countenance and my God.

God’s Triumph over Evil

How often do we think that it seems evil is triumphing since the wicked people get all the victories? The psalmist expresses these thought and questions to God. He asks God about where the judgement is since the wicked people continue to boast their ways. Then the psalmist calls upon God for action, reminding God of His commitment to the helpless and fatherless and to justice.


Psalm 10

A Song of Confidence in God’s Triumph over Evil

 1 Why do You stand afar off, O LORD?
         Why do You hide in times of trouble?
 2 The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;
         Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
       
 3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;
         He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD.
 4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
         God is in none of his thoughts.
       
 5 His ways are always prospering;
         Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;
         As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.
 6 He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
         I shall never be in adversity.”
 7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression;
         Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.
       
 8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages;
         In the secret places he murders the innocent;
         His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.
 9 He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;
         He lies in wait to catch the poor;
         He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.
 10 So he crouches, he lies low,
         That the helpless may fall by his strength.
 11 He has said in his heart,
         “God has forgotten;
         He hides His face;
         He will never see.”
       
 12 Arise, O LORD!
         O God, lift up Your hand!
         Do not forget the humble.
 13 Why do the wicked renounce God?
         He has said in his heart,
         “You will not require an account.”
       
 14 But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,
         To repay it by Your hand.
         The helpless commits himself to You;
         You are the helper of the fatherless.
 15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;
         Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
       
 16 The LORD is King forever and ever;
         The nations have perished out of His land.
 17 LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble;
         You will prepare their heart;
         You will cause Your ear to hear,
 18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
         That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Nehemiah Ends Oppression in Judah

When the Babylonians invaded Judah and took many of the Israelites captives back to Babylon, they also replaced Judah with people from various cultures. When the Jews returned to Judah during the Persian rule in the region, there would have been many foreign people settled in Judah. As part of the return from exile policy, the Israelites would be given the opportunity to govern, that means the governors in Judah would now be Jewish.

This chapter reveals the initial Jewish rulers in Judah were oppressing the non-Jews living in Judah. Among the complaints were that it was difficult for them to buy grain, probably at inflated prices, they were charged high taxes that they needed to mortgage their lands and homes, they were selling themselves and their children into slavery because they could not afford the high costs.

When Nehemiah heard this he was outraged because the Jews themselves had recently gain their freedom and to treat their neighbours in that way was not right. Nehemiah called on them to remember to fear the LORD and ordered that everything be restored to their non-Jewish brethren living in the land. The Jewish leaders agreed with this with no apparent opposition.

Nehemiah added that his government stopped using the governor's provision which they were entitled to. This was because there was already a heavy burden on the people and Nehemiah did not want to take advantage of his privileges unlike the previous local governments.



Nehemiah 5

Nehemiah Deals with Oppression

 1 And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. 2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”
3 There were also some who said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.”
4 There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”
6 And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, “Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them. 8 And I said to them, “According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?”
Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. 9 Then I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10 I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! 11 Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.”
12 So they said, “We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.”
Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. 13 Then I shook out the fold of my garment[a] and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.”
And all the assembly said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise.

The Generosity of Nehemiah
 
14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s provisions. 15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. 16 Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we[b] did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.
17 And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. 18 Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.
19 Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

Moses at the Burning Bush

This is one of the famous scenes from the Bible - where Moses encounters God in the form of a burning bush and God appointed Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. God explained that He had heard the affliction and cries of his oppressed people in Egypt and He will:
"bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites."

It is only recently that I realized there is a bigger picture than just freeing God's people and leading them to the promised land. Notice from the above quote that God is specific and deliberate in His will to displace the specific tribes of people with the children of Israel. If we looked back, before Jacob went to Israel, they were living among neighbours who were idol worshippers. Abraham's family, including Jacob, were very careful not to marry among their neighbours. And then God brought them into Egypt and kept them for 400 years to protect them from mixing among the neighbouring land which became ever increasing sinful societies. Notice Israel got no chance of mixing with the Egyptians because the Egyptians regarded shepherds like the Israelites an abomindation, Gen 46:34. When the right time came, God chose his people to do his will of removing the people in those lands which are beyond redemption. Some more controversial opinions suggested, as the spies later reported that there are giants in those lands, these were the same giants of the Nephilim which are hybrids of fallen angels and men. These were the same giants that corrupted the world before the Great Flood. This makes sense considering a loving and merciful God would order the total wipeout of those lands by the Israelites he brought out of Egypt.

Back to the current passage. God reveals himself, without giving his proper name, that he is the I AM who created the universe. He is also the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is also the LORD God of the Hebrews. He instructed Moses on what to say to Pharoah and even revealed that Pharoah would not let go willingly. Then God will show wonders by various signs to compel Pharoah to free His people. In addition, Israel will not leave empty handed - "So you shall plunder the Egyptians."



Exodus 3

Moses at the Burning Bush

 1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ 19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”