A Reproof of Ephraim, Judah, and Jacob
“Ephraim chases the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; he multiplies lies and violence; he makes a covenant with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt. The LORD also brings a charge against Judah. He will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and in his vigor he wrestled with God. Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor; he found Him at Bethel and spoke with Him there — the LORD is the God of Hosts—the LORD is His name of renown. But you must return to your God, maintaining love and justice, and always waiting on your God.
A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands. And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have become; I have found wealth for myself. In all my labors, they can find in me no iniquity that is sinful.” But I am the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt. I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast (Succoth.)
I spoke through the prophets and multiplied their visions; I gave parables through the prophets. Is there iniquity in Gilead? They will surely come to nothing. Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Indeed, their altars will be heaps of stones in the furrows of the field. Jacob fled to the land of Aram and Israel worked for a wife—for a wife he tended sheep. But by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was preserved. Ephraim has provoked bitter anger, so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him and repay him for his contempt.”
All the time that Judah and Israel have been developing as nations, they have been moving further and further away from God. These crazy people have convinced themselves that they have succeeded in deceiving God; meanwhile, God has been sending prophets with messages and parables. Unfortunately, God’s people have their fingers firmly crammed in their ears.
“Ephraim chases the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; he multiplies lies and violence; he makes a covenant with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.” Of all the winds, the east wind is the one most likely to bring storms and drought. The last thing any right – thinking person would want to do would be to pursue the east wind; yet, this is what the people of the Northern Kingdom are doing. Not content with idolatry, these people are even making covenants with Assyria and sending olive oil to Egypt in an attempt to curry favor there as well. Sadly, these people are refusing to turn and seek God, the one thing they should be doing. “But you must return to your God, maintaining love and justice, and always waiting on your God.”
“A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands. And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have become; I have found wealth for myself. In all my labors, they can find in me no iniquity that is sinful.” But I am the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt. I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast (Succoth.)” God is revolted! These people are denying any wrong-doing; meanwhile, they are cheating anyone they can to gain wealth. God says that these people will wind up living in tents, just as the Israelites did during their forty years in the wilderness. What a come – down from living in houses of stone in walled cities!
“But by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was preserved. Ephraim has provoked bitter anger, so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him and repay him for his contempt.” God has been sending prophets but NOBODY is listening. God has done everything He can to get His people to repent, but they have refused, scorning Him. Now God is prepared to leave these people to the results of their sins.
APPLICATION: Once more, we read these verses and think, “Well, I would certainly never do anything of the sort.” But would we? If we look at our lives, are there places where we are “chasing the east wind?”
Several years ago, we attended a missionary training program with Youth with a Mission, YWAM. One of the teachers there emphasized the need to make sure that we “keep the main thing the main thing.” It is very easy to become caught up in causes that are not part of God’s calling for our lives. If we are serious about following God, we must constantly examine ourselves to make sure that we are not wasting time and energy in pursuing “good stuff” that will keep us from fulfilling God’s perfect will for our lives. There is a popular illustration that demonstrates this problem and its solution. If someone hands you a large jar along with a collection of rocks and sand, how would you fill the jar? If you pour in the sand first, you will only be able to get a few rocks into the jar; however, if you put your rocks in first, you can pour your sand in around the rocks and get most of the sand into the jar as well. The rocks represent the major things you need to accomplish while the sand represents the petty issues we all face daily. We must focus on the main things and then allow the other stuff to filter in as God directs. May God help us, so that we will focus on the main things He wants for our lives!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to seek Your Will and to ignore the things that may distract us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus Amen.
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