Authority of the Prophet’s Message
“Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all? If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it? Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?
Punishment of Israel’s Sins
“Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say: ‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria; see great tumults in her midst, and the oppressed within her. For they do not know to do right,’ says the Lord, ‘Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.’ ” Therefore thus says the Lord God: “An adversary shall be all around the land; he shall sap your strength from you, and your palaces shall be plundered.”
Thus says the Lord: “As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be taken out who dwell in Samaria—in the corner of a bed and on the edge of a couch! Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,” says the Lord God, the God of hosts, “That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end,” says the Lord.”
God is disgusted! After choosing the Israelites out of all the nations in the earth and taking care of them for years, the Israelites are behaving as if they have never heard of the God who has delivered them and who has given them their land. “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all? If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it? Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?”
Actions have consequences, a fact that everybody knows. Now God is confronting His people. In a country where many of the roads consist of narrow paths, two people cannot possibly travel together unless they can cooperate on the way they walk along the path. Obviously, lions won’t roar in the forest unless they have caught prey. Birds cannot fall into snares unless they have been set and snares don’t merely appear unless someone sets them. Trumpets are only blown to warn people of attacks. The Lord God will reveal His will to His prophets, and when that happens, the prophets must prophesy.
Once more, God is promising to punish His people for their sins. Why would God do such a thing? God does not destroy people without a reason; people use their free will to choose evil. God is warning His people to change and to repent while they still have the chance.
“That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end,” says the Lord.” Archaeologists investigating ancient Samaria have unearthed large amounts of ivory fragments from those houses that were destroyed by invaders. Truly, the Israelites did suffer the consequences of their actions.
APPLICATION: ““You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” One of the most commonly – quoted verses in this chapter is Verse 3: “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” This verse is frequently used during marriage counseling for a good reason. No matter what kind of partnership you are discussing, if you are unequally matched and working at odds with each other, the partnership will fail miserably. God wanted to walk in partnership with the nation of Israel, the only nation with which He made such a covenant; however, the Israelites weren’t interested, breaking covenant and choosing to pursue idolatry instead. Actions have consequences, no matter how much we might wish otherwise.
One of the reality TV shows we follow depicts border patrols and customs agents in several different countries around the world. Some travelers persist in attempting to force their way into countries without proper paper work. Still other travelers reach countries with inadequate funds, hoping to work illegally. It is amazing how many otherwise intelligent people choose to flout customs import rules on such things as food items, luxury items bought abroad, or large amounts of undeclared cash even though they may face expensive fines. It is the unenviable job of the immigration and customs workers to advise travelers of these problems and to enforce the laws.
Each of us has a choice: we can choose to follow God or we can choose to go our own way, suffering the consequences. May each of us choose to follow the God who loves us and who wants nothing but the best for us!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to walk in partnership with You, knowing that You can guide us and protect us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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