Here was the message: “You must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always” (v. 6).

Northern Israel, “Ephraim,” has become disastrously corrupt. He makes great wealth with dishonest scales and feels a sense of invincibility that only money can buy. The blood of the innocent cries out from the ground.

It’s been too much evil for too long. The LORD is going to bring judgment.

As the LORD used prophets in the past, God had once again used prophets to guide them. But they said no. So judgment was to come.

“the LORD will leave upon him the guilt of his bloodshed and will repay him for his contempt” (v. 14).

God does have a breaking point of how much evil he will allow, and Israel had surpassed it. The LORD warned the people over and over and over again to no avail. But they persisted in their corruption and their bloodshed.

There really was only one final message.

“You must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always” (v. 6).

I think the same is true of the nations of the earth today. The call stills goes out.

Return to God.

Maintain love AND justice.

Wait for God. Always.

Can you imagine if your nation and my nation did this? If the nations of the world responded accordingly?

Let’s start with ourselves today. And pray for the nations of the world.