The Story of Israel and the Heart of God

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Goal:

To get a bird’s eye view of the whole Old Testament story

and to gain a compelling insight into the heart of God.

Almost never in their history did they do this, but the problem was that they carried the name of Yahweh!
They were achieving the opposite of what was intended

Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness,
and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed.

And do no wrong or violence to the immigrant,

the fatherless, and the widow,

nor shed innocent blood in this place…
But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.

They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a person and their house, a man and his inheritance.

And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice?—
you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people and their flesh from off their bones,
who eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones in pieces and chop them up like meat in a pot, like flesh in a cauldron.

Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil.
Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry “Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths.

Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight,
who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity.
Its heads give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on the LORD and say, “Is not the LORD in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.”

Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.

And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.
“And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’

I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment…
“When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine.

Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.
And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck.
And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.

Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.
And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.

But you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter
that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them?
…
Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!

…

yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant.…
I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD,

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
…they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them.
I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love…

My people are bent on turning away from me…
How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.

As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them marvelous things…

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love [chesed].
He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love [chesed] to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.