For a time and a season God will come against Israel like a besieging army because of her many sins (v. 3).
“I will camp in a circle aroud you;
I will besiege you with earth ramps,
and I will set up my siege towers against you”
[Note: God is in covenant with Israel. He is crazy about Israel and the Jewish people. Sometimes though they need his hand of discipline like here.]
He will use the other nations who are also under his judgment to perform this task. These other nations will think they are mighty and powerful and will not be facing God’s judgment, but they have another thing coming.
God will just those who are also under judgment to discipline Israel, and then God will bring the judgment of the other nations upon them. And it will be much worse.
Here was the problem with Israel (v. 13):
“…these people approach Me with their mouths
to honor Me with lip-service–
yet their hearts are far from Me,
and their worship consists of man-made rules
learned by rote”
That’s some timeless words right there. How often do people honor the Lord with their lips, their church attendance and communion and yet their hearts are not pursuing Him? They are like a wayward spouse who works, pays the bills, and has the “business” marriage while have another lover on the side.
And then there’s this that is troubling: “Their worship consists of man-made rules learned by rote.”
I truly wonder what that looked like. Or if the Lord would say the same thing in our worship services. Does He tire of our schedule of 3 songs and a sermon? If the Holy Spirit were to break in would it would be stopped to continue the service on schedule?
Then there’s the next section, where man thinks he can hide what he is doing. “Nobody will know.” “Nobody will find out.”
I always respond when I hear this, ‘There are two people who know–myself and God. And those are the main two that matter.’
The Scripture here says that when man tries to hide sin, it’s like the clay telling the potter what to do (v. 15-16).
Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”
You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,
“You know nothing”?
Once you try to hide something as “people won’t understand,” let that be a red flag. A big one.
This chapter ends with hope. It is the hope that Israel will one day turn back to Him and be restored. They will once again honor the name of the Lord (v. 23-24).
they will keep my name holy;
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
those who complain will accept instruction.”
But what about the Gentile nations? The ones that God used against Israel? It doesn’t say here, but elsewhere it says they will be no more. And that’s a truth. Gentile nations will come and go. Only Israel as a nation will persist.